Hi Folks, today I want to talk about why we don’t clear coat a Kimbo. I was talking to some customers this week and want to share what we talked about. I think it’s fascinating and thought you would think so too. I also want to share some words to motivate you.
Before I tell you why we made that choice, i'll tell you a story from a while back.
Its really windy out and it’s 2 AM. I'm in a 19 foot airstream and iit’sbeing shaken by these gusts of wind intermittently to the point where I just can’t get to sleep. I’m at a trailer park and I’ve lived here for a couple of years. All of the sudden there’s a loud bang and a scratch sound. My heart sinks and I know what just happened.
My neighbor wanted to make some instagram-quality outdoor mojito bar with her boyfriend Chad and she set up an expanding metal tent from Costco. The wind ripped it free from what she used to tie it to her RV and it whipped into my fancy airstream trailer.
I run outside in my underwear like a sailor in the wind to see a big dent and a long scratch in the side of my home. I’m so disappointed and upset.
The next morning I let them know to call their insurance so I can get the fix underway. A few days later a lady calls me from an insurance agency and lets me know that her clients didn’t dent my camper and that there was no wind that night. Even Chad confirmed with the lady,..no wind that night.
There’s something really wrong about all of that. And I’ll never forget it either. I think their conscience must have caught up to them because they moved a few weeks later. Deceit doesn’t like being accountable to a conscience.
But there was a fire in me and an option to let myself either be under the thumb of something wrong or use it as a fuel to do something right.
What if a camper could be scratched and it wouldn’t show? What if a camper couldn’t dent so easily because the metal was thick? What if the outside could heal itself?
Raw aluminum forms a layer that’s clear. It’s called aluminum oxide and it’s one of the hardest substances known to man. Aluminum oxide is the equivalent to what rust would be for steel but it’s see through. And just as rust forms new rust over a scratch in steel, aluminum oxide forms over a scratch in aluminum. In other words, it heals itself. And that is stinkin’ cool ladies and gentlemen.
So we polish the exterior of every aluminum panel with an abrasive to expedite oxidation and get everything looking uniform as quickly as possible. And we know it’s not something that’s been done before, but scratches fade, dents are avoided, and Winona and Chad can go kick a sack of rocks because we just turned something bad into something good for others. And that’s stinkin’ cool too.
So today I just want to say that Winona and Chad are probably drinking mojitos again and eating cheese wiz on Doritos together. But you’re reading this, and I want to encourage you to take that road to the best of your ability too. There will always be situations in life that aren’t fair, but with every injustice or every failure you inherit the right of passage to do something about it. And it’s your perseverance that’s stretched, it’s your courage that’s stretched, it’s your character that’s built. You’re sharpened and shaped and refined and distilled and the truth of your intentions is shown.
Today I want to say something encouraging that I hope puts a fire in you. You’re worth it. I know you’ve been through these situations too. Challenge yourself to do the opposite of the message of your pride. You’re creative and smart and your responses of action are the wordless messages you share with others. Share the message that you can turn a bad outcome into an opportunity for the world. Yes you can.
-M