My great grandfather was a steeplejack. He painted the spire on the Empire State Building. He ended up falling to his death... from the garage roof at his house... ...For true...
I worked with iron workers for years and they are similiar, I'd bet. They work at heights without a care. They are well balanced, strong and quick so that if they do slip... they can usually catch themselves. They used to love to regale me with their tales of dangling by their noses 14 floors up, HAR HAR HAR!
I wonder if that is what gets them? Many have stories like yours. Maybe one day, when they are older, slower, and not as focused... maybe Darwin or Murphy makes a grab at them...?
I used to not have a fear of heights. Did all kinds of crazy stuff no one else would do. Could walk the top plate of a 2x6 outside wall 4 stories up without thinking twice. Then one day a staging plank broke under my feet and I went down 18 feet. Broke both ankles and F'd up my back good. To this day if I am up more than one story I get vertigo wicked bad. I just can't get over that dreadful sensation of falling knowing whats gonna happen next.
A friend of mine worked high steel. Late one afternoon he got drunk on the job and wanted to lie down someplace. He chose a steel I-beam about 16 stories up. He just walked out and lay down on his back, slept for 8 hours out there. When he woke up the next morning and realized what he'd done, he decided to change his life around.
No more drinking on the job.
He became president of the labor union, got married to a real nice lady, and eventually retired.
My great grandfather was a steeplejack. He painted the spire on the Empire State Building. He ended up falling to his death... from the garage roof at his house... ...For true...
ReplyDeleteI worked with iron workers for years and they are similiar, I'd bet. They work at heights without a care. They are well balanced, strong and quick so that if they do slip... they can usually catch themselves. They used to love to regale me with their tales of dangling by their noses 14 floors up, HAR HAR HAR!
DeleteI wonder if that is what gets them? Many have stories like yours. Maybe one day, when they are older, slower, and not as focused... maybe Darwin or Murphy makes a grab at them...?
Who knows...
I used to not have a fear of heights. Did all kinds of crazy stuff no one else would do. Could walk the top plate of a 2x6 outside wall 4 stories up without thinking twice. Then one day a staging plank broke under my feet and I went down 18 feet. Broke both ankles and F'd up my back good. To this day if I am up more than one story I get vertigo wicked bad. I just can't get over that dreadful sensation of falling knowing whats gonna happen next.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine worked high steel. Late one afternoon he got drunk on the job and wanted to lie down someplace. He chose a steel I-beam about 16 stories up. He just walked out and lay down on his back, slept for 8 hours out there. When he woke up the next morning and realized what he'd done, he decided to change his life around.
ReplyDeleteNo more drinking on the job.
He became president of the labor union, got married to a real nice lady, and eventually retired.