Safety Glasses and Guardian Angels

I own seven pairs of safety glasses. None of them are perfect. Even so, I should have been wearing one of them even though I wasn't using power tools.

I think this is the first selfie I've uploaded. I got grease splattered on my eyelids. Here's how it happened.

On Saturday, I was changing the front wheel bearing on my daughter's Subaru. I had the wheel knuckle on the ground and was trying to remove the inner grease seal with a screwdriver. I bought a seal remover years ago, but lost it before I could ever use it. I bought a new seal remover a few months ago, but haven't used it yet. It's for removing seals when the shaft is still there, so it wouldn't have worked well for this application.

So without the proper tool, I was improvising with a hammer and screwdriver. I was hitting the side of the screwdriver with a hammer to pry the seal out. I think I was tired and not thinking properly. It was getting close to 9:00pm. I know better ways of popping seals out. One of my favorite ways is to drill a hole in the front through the metal part, put a screw through the hole, and pry it out with the claw of a hammer.

Impatience combined with being tired doesn't make for good decision making. Hitting one side of a lever makes the opposite side go the opposite way. I know this fact well. Why I didn't think about it remains a mystery.

So after a few hits with the hammer, the seal was slowly coming out. A nice solid hit should pop it out. Smack! The first thing I noticed was getting hit with grease in the eyelids. Lucky for me, I was blinking as it hit. The seal went flying, and so did the grease. I got it in my hair, on my clothes, and on the car.

This is about the time I thanked God for saving me from injury. I wonder what my guardian angel thinks every time I start working on cars. I keep a good attitude even when bolts break because I don't want to upset my guardian angel, or develop bad habits.

I think you're kept alive as long as your work on earth is unfinished, and you don't do something exceedingly stupid. Staying free from injury is a little above and beyond the minimum requirements. Getting hurt is part of life. It's going to happen. But proper precautions like well-fitting safety glasses can prevent an injury, especially the permanent kind.

Years ago, I was asked by a customer at Checker Auto "do you ever not get hurt when working on a car?" We both agreed that we usually end up with something hurt. We usually don't get hurt on the small jobs, but changing a transmission is almost guaranteed to draw blood.

Why do I have seven pairs of safety glasses? I keep trying to find a pair that fits better. As you can see, almost all of them ride way too high on my nose. I can look down at my work area and see underneath the lenses. That means there's no protection from that angle. But my eyebrows are well protected. You wouldn't want to get hit in the eyebrow, would you?

This is my only good pair of clear lens safety glasses. They protect my eyebrows very well, and protect my eyes from stuff coming downward.

This is the shaded version of the above set. They don't fit right either.

I can't remember where I got these. Yup, they don't fit right either.

Daisy brand glasses. I'm beginning to think it's just me.

Or maybe all these manufacturers use the same model.

This is my only pair of safety glasses that has an adjustable nose. The only problem is I don't have another pair like these that aren't shaded. And they still ride a little too high.

Yes, I know how ridiculous I look in these.

 So if you already have seven pairs of safety glasses and your wife asks you why you need another pair, say that you'll be more likely to wear them if you like them, and that keeps you safer. Plus, you can have enough to share while watching fireworks up close.

I'll be heading to the local home improvement store soon to hopefully find a nice new set of well fitting safety glasses. And I'll wear them while working on the car. That should make my guardian angel a little less stressed. Oh, and don't let me forget to pick up a nice seal remover tool while I'm there. And maybe then I'll find that old seal remover hiding in the garage, like the radiator pressure tester kit that I have two of now. And two impact screwdriver sets . . .

I can just see when I'm old and gray, my grandkids coming over and asking why I have ten pairs of safety glasses. Let me tell you a story . . . See if this pair fits.