I was recently reminded of the story of the clockmaker from New Brunswick who could do anything with grandfather clocks. So when his clock stopped working, this guy from Nova Scotia decided to take the trip and try him out.
The clockmaker took one look, grabbed a hammer, and banged on one of the gears. Immediately the clock started working again. “That will be twenty dollars, please,” he said.
“Twenty dollars!” exclaimed the Nova Scotian. “Just to hit it with a hammer! That’s outrageous!”
“Oh, the hitting was free, replied the New Brunswicker. “Knowing where to hit is what the twenty dollars are for.”
What reminded me of this story is trying to get the heat on in my office. I got caught in a rainstorm and was drenched, so I put my coat on the back of a chair and turned up the thermostat. Nothing happened. So I gave the thermostat a swift bang with my fist, all the while thinking what a waste of time that was given how digital everything has become. But to my surprise, the heat came on immediately.
Got my coat dried, and save twenty dollars in thermostat repairs!
