3rd Journal

In Chapter 9 through 10 Adam begins working at Fast Company. This is a very positive opportunity for Adam. It is a good opportunity because he now has a steady income and he is making good progress on completing his ultimate goal. He also decides that he wants to move out of the shelter, but an unfortunate accident happened. When Adam finished up a day’s work, he placed the money and a receipt in a clip board from the house that he just got done moving. The minute that Adam showed up at the shelter, he had a note waiting for him saying to call Curtis at Fast Company. Adam called as prompted and found out that the money was missing, and he had to pay $143.50 out of his pocket. This delayed Adam from moving out from the shelter, so he had to move out the next week.
Adam finds that his job at Fast Company will be tough to start out, because he has no respect and Adam gets paired up with a guy named Shaun. Shaun is conceited, cocky, selfish, and arrogant, but Adam makes due with what he has and they get along for the first couple of weeks that he works. Eventually Shaun’s selfish ways weigh down Adam to the point of a meltdown. Adam pulls the truck over and lays down some ground rules… this tactic fixes the kinks in their relationship for about two more weeks but eventually Shaun goes back to normal. It seems to us that unfortunately for Adam nothing can go completely the way he would like it to. Every time he seems to get a break through and things look good, something ends up going array. From paring up with Shaun to breaking his toe to losing money, Adam has had to deal with many obstacles but persistence pays off.
Finally in chapter 10, Adam learns the importance of respect. While working with Shaun, Adam learns that respecting differences between two people is a valuable trait that can work to the advantages of both parties. Shaun remains someone who likes to talk about himself a lot, yet isn’t very social when it comes to the customers. Adam while likes to keep most of his personal stories to himself, enjoys making small talk with the customers. These differences, seeming to be a drawback in the beginning, turn out to be an advantage when both Shaun and Adam learn to embrace them. This was surprising how they worked so well together while being very different personalities. Adam was able to use his skills to please the customers and receive larger tips, while Shaun was able to use his physical strength to get work done and still receive good tips. Therefore, by embracing and respecting differences, both people were able to accomplish more than they ever could alone.
Adam didn't have to leave Shaun because Shaun in a sense, left him. Shaun was fired from work for his poor work ethic and this alone, was probably the best thing of the entire journey that happened to Adam. After Shaun left, Adam needed a new crew and one thing led to another and soon Adam found himself infront of the legend himself at Fast Company. Derrick wasn't anything special to the eye but certainly was. He was stronger and more experienced than most and because of this, overall, he was the best mover ever to come through Charleston. Derrick was a simple guy who was always looking on the bright side and because of this he brought out the good in Adam. Their styles coincided and because of this they soon became the top crew on the job and soon were making more money than Adam ever expected to. It goes to show that a positive attitude and good work ethic can improve the people around you. Adam worked hard for his acceptance and rank amongst his fellow workers and certainly deserved a break.