Why Scissors are Not LIke Safety Glasses

You know it's been a long day when . . .

My desk is usually covered in piles of work. Papers from sales, details from the outsource team, post-it notes from everyone that can write in the building, glass shades, random pieces of hardware (most of it shinny), my in-box and bits and pieces of the avalanche that comes from the desk next to mine and tries to sneak across the line on an hourly basis.

Afternoon is the time to get rid of some of this stuff. Folders go back to sales, work orders go out to the shop, hardware goes back into lock-up and assignments get finished and passed on. So, with glee, I gathered all of the “off desk” stuff and headed out to drop it off.

I usually do a loop, and as I passed the first two drop off points, I looked down and wondered what in the world my scissors were doing in my hand.

Now take a look at the pictures above. Note that the scissors are black and the safety glasses are pink.

Yes, pink.

I feel I should explain. Safety glasses are a hot commodity at my work. All the guys in the shop have to wear them, and anyone who goes out there even to just ask a question is required to have a pair on as well. The first pair I brought to work had yellow lenses. Shooting glasses and all that. I had those for years. No one took them because they're pretty annoying to work in, and it's kind of hard to hide the fact that you're the only one in the building wearing yellow tinted lenses. But alas, they finally disappeared.

At some point our purchasing agent bought a bunch of pink safety glasses. Not for the guys in the back, but for guests—and the ladies. No self-respecting man in our shop would be caught dead in pink safety glasses. It was a good plan. And now, several years later, I still have mine. They're marked with blue sharpie on the front so I know they're mine. I usually don't get into pink (I feel pink has a whole fleet of supporters already, and that my energy could be directed at a less favored color like orange.) but I thought it would be okay just this once.

But note the pictures above. Pink glasses—black scissors. One for protecting your eyes and the other for putting your eye out. Hmmm . . . what unconscious acts of violence were brewing in my mind today? Because scissors are not like safety glasses.