You can't do it alone

Need a laugh? Read this. I got it out of a book I am reading by Barbara Johnson. In her chapter on laughing, she says the best thing to do when you’re feeling overwhelmed is to take a “laugh break.” I’m not really feeling overwhelmed at the moment, but I do enjoy taking laugh breaks whenever possible. I showed this to Jimmy and sent it to several family members and they got a laugh out of it…so now I’m going to share a laugh with you.

Insurance Claim – You can’t do it alone
When one man was asked to fill out a group insurance form explaining the many injuries on which he was making a claim, this is what he said:

I am writing in response to your request concerning Block No. 1 on the insurance form which asked for the cause of injuries, wherin I put “Trying to do the job alone.” You said you needed more information, so I trust that the following will be sufficient.

I am a bricklayer by trade, and on the day of injuries, I was working alone, laying brick around the top of a four-story building, when I realized that I had about five hundred pounds of brick left over. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to put them in a barrel and lower them by pulley, which was fastened to the top of the building. I secured the end of the rope at ground level and went up to the top of the building and loaded the bricks into the barrel and flung the barrel out with the bricks in it. Then I went down and untied the rope, holding it securely to insure the slow descent of the barrel.

As you will note on Block No. 6 of the insurance form, I weigh 150 pounds. Due to the shock of being jerked off the ground so swiftly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Between the second and third floors, I met the barrel coming down. This accounts for the bruises and lacerations on my upper body. Regaining my presence of mind, again I held tightly to the rope and proceeded rapidly up the side of the building, not stopping until my right hand was jammed in the pulley. This accounts for my broken thumb.

Despite the pain, I retained my presence of mind and held tightly to the rope. At approximately the same time, however the barrel of bricks hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel now weighed about fifty pounds. I refer you again to Block No. 6 and my weight. As you would guess, I began a rapid descent. In the vicinity of the second floor, I met the barrel coming up. This explains the injuries to my legs and lower body. Slowed only slightly, I continued my descent, landing on the pile of bricks. Fortunately, my back was only sprained and the internal injuries were minimal. I’m sorry to report, however, that at this point I again lost my presence of mind and let go of the rope. As you can imagine, the empty barrel crashed down on me.

I trust this answers your concern. Please know that I am finished with trying to do the job alone.