Chapter 2: Life - A before L

Chapter 2: Life - A before L - Part 1

(as told by Andy himself)

In the summer of 1998, my dad asked me to come to work with him. I was out of a job, so I figured that I’d give it a shot until I found something I was good at. After all, my dad started working there when he was 15, and the shop was a second home. Matt, Pete, Dale, Pat, and all the other guys were more like uncles than anything, and it was fun to think that we were soon going to be colleagues. I ended up working there until 2004, and my experience there would end up shaping the way I look at the world around me.

     It sounds simple to understand, but the rules that governed the shop were exactly what I needed to understand how to succeed in the work force. Show up on time. Leave when you say you’re going to close. Always be honest. If there’s something that needs to be done, do it, and if you don’t know how, don’t be afraid to ask the person next to you.

That time in my life will always be marked by the individuals around me. Matt taught me the value of keeping healthy even when I’m busy. Dale taught me that if I ever took myself too seriously, there would be some type of prank waiting to keep me honest. Pat taught me the art of being friendly with the folks you’ve just met, and taking care of the people who you know you’ll see again. Pete taught me the strength of keeping to a solid routine, and knowing when to relax and when to get to it. Chuck taught me the value of having close friends at work, and how to be a learner on the job.

And finally, my father taught me patience. There were plenty of times when I was a smart mouthed kid who thought he knew everything about everything, and my dad would sit there and just listen. Eventually I would figure out that I was wrong, but he never said a thing. My dad was also the guy who would listen to our elderly customers talk about squeaks and wobbles for 20 minutes, but would never show any sign that he had something else to do. My dad would have half-hour conversations with people from El Salvador, Liberia, Eretria, and plenty of other countries and he never grew tired or impatient with their lack of English. He would just keep asking questions, doing crazy hand motions that I can still imitate, and remain calm when most everyone else would throw their hands up and walk away. I know that the skills I learned from watching him are the reason why I can listen to 30 7^th graders from all over the world and be completely comfortable.

 I think about my time in the shop at Market Tire all the time, and I know I would not be the man I am today had it not been for the lessons that those guys taught me. To all of them, wherever they may be today, thank you.