Lessons in Life...From an old GarageGuy

Sorry for the long delay between posts.

I am always on the look out for stories that illustrate my way of looking at life. Here's one:

We all know a guy like my customer Jim. You tell him that you just put in a new above-ground pool at your house and he tells you about his new 20 x 50 in-ground job. If he happens to be around when another customer is asking about a set of new tires, Jim will be sure to put his two cents in about the kind of tires HE just bought (and not from my shop either!) Jim is always smarter or one better than you are. He just can't help himself.

My friend Gary owns the local hardware store and I heard this story from him.

Jim happened to go into Gary's hardware store recently asking about how to get rid of a mouse in his basement. Gary is the nicest guy in the world but being this was Jim he couldn't help himself.

OK Jim, do you know if you have a male or a female mouse?

Why, no I don't, says Jim, Why?

Well, we use different methods to catch a mouse depending upon its sex.

By this time, Gary can hardly keep it in and excuses himself to the back room where he can let out a guffaw. He picks up two standard mouse traps off the rack and sprays one of them with the air freshener from the bathroom...then he returns to the counter with the traps

Here, Jim. Smell 'em.

Jim smells the identical mouse traps.

Notice anything? Says Gary.

Well, one of them has a perfumey smell and the other one just smells like wood.

That's right, Jim. Use the perfumey one if you have a female mouse. Use the wood one if it's a male.

Jim, thought about it for a minute and said "Boy, you better give me both of 'em"

Gary took the money, put the "female" and "male" mouse traps in a bag. Then quickly excused himself to guffaw into a towel in the back room.

There's a lesson here but I can't put my finger on it--if any reader wants to take a shot at it, write me back.