You know, hands are such an amazing thing. Look at your hands and cherish them; they're so valuable, more than you will ever know!
I look at my hands sometimes, all shattered and broken, but I can still give a grip of steel for a handshake (the most important of all). They tell a
story.
"Keep your hands away from the tongs"...I remember that.
"when the tongs slam shut, if your hand is in there...you'll lose it". There was slippery mud everywhere, and the drill stem would swing over from
the derrick. You'd wrap the chains around the stem, and the tongs would slam shut. The well-head would spin, the pipe would thread together and
you'd "run" another length of pipe. Over and over again, for 18 hours, sleep 6 and get up and do it all over again...all day long.
I remember seeing that drill stem spinning around inside your gloves as you steadied the pipe, 3/4" chain wrapped around it in both directions, ends
whipping around. I remember the snow and wind coming across the platform, It was murder, just endless bone-chilling cold...and you couldn't even
feel your hands most times. We were covered in grease and mud, but the show went on, stem after stem. "Running" in and running out.
We'd be so tired at the end of the day that rattlesnakes would come through the bunkhouse and we didn't even care.
"DAMMIT...don't put your hands there!!!", through the fog of exhaustion beyond imagination you'd hear.
"Here, let me show you something; come with me below the drilling floor....put your hand on that drive line! What? You don't want to?
Why?...because it's "stoopid" that's why! No one would do that, so why do you put your hands on the drill stem below the chains????"
It was a lesson well learned, and everyone learned it...your hands are important, and the rig will take them away in one second flat. You might get
fragged and die, but that's your best day; that damn rig will take your hands right away from you.
And so, one day...I had my left hand crushed. The surgeon said "well, you'll probably never type again". I'm pretty sure I've proved him wrong now,
but my left grip will never be as strong as my right one.
Prize your hands....they're really
that important!!!!
edit on 6/4/2017 by Flyingclaydisk because: (no reason given)