New Respect

I have the privilege of working with my brother on the railraod. He is the foreman of our gang (crew). He has taken a vacation this week and my seniority moves me into the foreman slot while he is out. The line our bridge is on sees quite a bit of traffic. Double tracks to single tracks and so on and so forth. We are installing new bridge ties. By the way, the bridge is 312 feet from the top of the ties to the earth below. Dispatchers are wanting us to get out of the way of the trains. Supervisors wanting the ties to be installed as quickly but as SAFELY as possible. The safety of your co-workers that are also your good friends, and asking them to work their tales off at the same time. The forms, forms you need to keep up with. With all the dotted "I"s, boxes checked, "T"s crossed. My big brother has a tough job. I'm trying my best to fill his steel toed boots while he's at the beach for a well deserved vacation. I'm ready for him to be back so maybe I can go. You never know what people go through until you experience it yourself. Even then, I reckon, it's not quite the same. I have new respect for my brother, in whom I've always had respect. I guess I'm trying to say, it's important to give people the benefit of the doubt instead of always giving them down the road.