There’s a word you don’t use often…

I was working today and had one job left before heading home, for a local woman with a sticky solenoid. In irrigation if a solenoid sticks then one station stays on while the others are running.

I came to look at the problem and she showed me the one solenoid she knew of. I explained that it wasn’t the problem – mainly because it had been disconnected and blocked off.

She insisted it was the problem.

I indicated that it would be one of the other solenoids. I said, ‘Given there are three stations of irrigation there will be 3 solenoids – I will need to find the problem one.’

‘No – this is the only one. I have dug up every bit of this yard over the years and never seen any others. This is it.’ She was probably 80 years old and wasn’t going to take any nonsense from me. She knew her own garden…

So I began to explain to her why this couldn’t possibly be the problem, however she didn’t want to know. She wanted the problem fixed – but wouldn’t listen to me.

So, once I’d realised I was not being listened to I excused myself and left. ‘I can’t fix the problem if you don’t believe it exists… So I’ll leave you with it.’

She was puzzled, but shrugged her shoulders and wandered off.

A bizarre encounter.

So her problem stays. It doesn’t get fixed. And someone else will called out only to not do the job. Maybe sooner or later she may realise the problem is not with the retic bloke but with her own perception of reality.

Then again obstinacy is powerful and can prevent you from seeing any other point of view. As it is in retic so it is in life.

Obstinacy is never a virtue.