“A man who listened to other men – truly listened to them – gained their respect and often their gratitude.” – “Nature Girl” – Carl Hiassen

5 am. The bell rings and I snap to attention. Out the door and in to a humid environment so damp gills are required to breathe.

Smiling at me from the confines of his Ford 250 is Ray.

The man from Mississippi greets me with a slow southern drawl and another day in the oil patch begins.

Ray has 30 + years in the oil business. He started as a roughneck and worked his way up the ladder. Roughneck – Driller – Tool Pusher – Co Man and now Superintendent.

He paid his dues punching holes in the ground from Texas to the Middle East, the Far East, Africa and the Gulf of Mexico.

Ray is one of my favorite people. I’m not sure he realizes how high up he is on the food chain. Seems like everybody is his equal. How rare is that?

“You save the world one person at a time.” – “The Stranger” by Harlan Coben