Ray's Truck

He stole my jacket. I thanked him.

Ray was on the crew for a while. Done time. Mullet. Drank his coffee out of a glass jar.

One of the hardest workers I ever knew. Could never cut a straight line on a sheet of plywood. He'd look over and ask, how do you guys do it.

But he hadn't fully given up his old ways.

I forgot my jacket on a job site one day. Came back the next morning and it was gone.

Months later I was eating lunch in Ray's truck. Looked in the back seat and there it was.

Hey, is that my jacket.

No, he said. Probably just looks like yours.

I pulled it out and reached in the pocket. Hey, this is one of my receipts.

He looked uncomfortable.

Kept right on going. Must have left it on the job site. Thank you for grabbing it. Otherwise it would have gotten ruined in the rain.

His expression relaxed.

You're welcome, he said. Saw it looked like a nice jacket and didn't want it to get wrecked.

He never took anything of mine again.

The jacket was not worth a relationship. Some battles are. Most are not. You have to read the situation before you decide.

This week, before you corner someone, ask if it is worth it. If it is, hold the line. If it is not, give them a way out.

The good thing is, the fights you walk away from leave room for the ones that matter.

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