新人の頃の大長時間作業。

新人で最初の配属地の郡山出張所に所属してから半年ぐらいの時です。
もう、仕事も順調にこなすことが出来、私はチームから信頼されていると実感していました。

ダウンタイムの時間や多発トラブルの発生率も低かったので私の担当するテリトリーは
いつでも応援体制の取れる郡山市内ではなく、郊外の遠距離地区の担当になっていたのです。

ある日の事、船引町の更に奥地にあるJAの支店に私は故障修理に行きました。
当時は、今のコピー機とは違って、プラテンと言うガラスが右側に異動しながらスキャンする
方式がまだ、主流でした。
故障の内容はそのプラテンが途中で止まり、出口付近に紙が詰まるというトラブルです。

訪問後私は早速修理に入りましたが、何と言う事でしょう！
全く原因が分からずにどっぷりと、はまってしまいました。
何をどうやっても紙詰まりが治りません。

郡山市内だったら先輩が駆けつけてくれるのですが、ここは営業所から60Kmも離れた僻地です。
誰も応援など来てくれませんし、私にはその能力を見込まれて訪問派遣されているという
プライドもありましたので応援要請は出来ればしたくはありませんでした。
仮に、要請したところで、誰も絶体に来てくれないという妙な確信もありましたし。

そんなこんなで、全然故障の回復の兆しが見えないまま、気が付けば時刻は１８時を過ぎていました。
ああ、何と言う事か、訪問してから３時間の長時間作業になってしまいました。悲しい。
それに、もう、職員の人たちは帰り支度をしています。焦る！

遠距離と言う地域柄、私は出来れば再訪問はしたくなかったので、何時まで滞在して良いかを担当者さんに訊いたところ宿直が居るから時間は気にしなくて良いと言われ、この際それに甘んじることとし、私は作業を続けました。

有難いことに、作業の途中１９時を回ったところで宿直の方が、うどんを私の分まで作ってくれましたが、
私は修理の事に頭が一杯で、食事どころではありませんでした。
しかし、折角作っていただいたものを無下に断るのも失礼なので、有難く頂くことにしました。

食事後、再度修理に取り組みましたが、無情にも時刻は２２時を回っていました。
流石にもう無理だと思った私は明日再訪問する事をお客様に告げて、郡山市の営業所よりは近い
二本松市の実家にその日は直帰しました。

.....次の日、修復の確信の全く無いまま私は重い気持ちを引きずりながら再訪問しました。

しかし、作業してから、３０分後に、やっと原因を見つけることが出来ました。
それは、正常に違いないと思い込んでいたある箇所のスイッチでした。
これが盲点となり、私は二日がかりでこのトラブルを修復する事になってしまったのです。
分かっていれば５分で終わる修理でした。
それを８時間もかけて私は大長時間の修理をしてしまったのです。大きな恥です。
私は、長時間になったことを深くお詫びをして、その日はお客様を後にしました。

今にして思えば….

全然原因が分からなくて追い込まれて本当に泣きたくなった事。
いくら遠くても応援に来てくれてもいいじゃないかと先輩を恨んだこと。
逆に、作業途中で食事に気を使ってくれた宿直の担当者さんの心の温かさ。

この二日間で私は様々な思いや経験をすることが出来ました。

それと同時に、思い込みや楽観視をすることの恐ろしさを身をもって学びました。
それは、その後の私のキャリアに大きく影響した出来事だと思っています。

だけど、何と言ってもあの時に職員さんが作ってくれた温かいうどんの味は今でも忘れませんよ。
一寸しょっぱいけれど、とても美味しい田舎風味の手作りうどん。

ひねくれ者の私が、素直に人への感謝をする事が出来た貴重な体験でした。

It was about six months after I was assigned to the Koriyama sub-branch, my first assignment as a newcomer.
I was already doing my job well and felt that I was trusted by my team.

The downtime time and the incidence of multiple problems were also low, so the territory I was in charge of was not in Koriyama City, where we could always have a support system.
I was in charge of a long-distance area in the suburbs, not in Koriyama City, where I could always get support.

One day, I went to a JA branch further into Funehiki to repair a broken copier.
At that time, unlike today's copiers, the platen, which scans while the glass moves to the right, was still the mainstream.
The breakdown was that the platen was in the middle of the scanner.
The problem was that the platen stopped in the middle of the scanner and the paper jammed near the exit.

After my visit, I immediately set about repairing the problem, but what a surprise!
I was completely at a loss as to the cause of the problem, and I was completely stuck in the situation.
No matter what I did, the paper jam would not go away.

If I had been in Koriyama, my senior staff would have rushed to my office, but this is a remote area 60 km away from the sales office.
No one would come to support me, and I had the pride of being dispatched to visit the office because I was expected to be capable of doing so.
I did not want to ask for support because I had the pride of being dispatched to visit the city in anticipation of my abilities.
I was also strangely convinced that even if I did, no one would ever come.

And so, with no sign of recovery in sight, it was past 6:00 p.m. when I came to realize that the time had passed.
Oh, what a surprise, it turned out to be a 3-hour long workday after the visit. Sad.
Besides, the staff members are already getting ready to leave. I'm so impatient!

Due to the long distance of the area, I didn't want to make a return visit if I could, so I asked the person in charge how long I could stay.
I asked the person in charge how long I could stay, and was told that I did not need to worry about the time because there would be someone on duty.

Thankfully, the person on duty made udon noodles for me when it was about 7:00 p.m., but I was too preoccupied with the repairs to think of anything else.
I was too preoccupied with the repairs to eat.
However, I was too preoccupied with the repairs to eat, and it would have been impolite to refuse the udon, so I gratefully accepted it.

After the meal, I tried to fix the problem again, but it was around 10:00 p.m. I thought it was too late.
I thought it was too late, so I told the customer that I would visit him again tomorrow, and I would go to my parents' house in Nihonmatsu City, which is closer to the office in Koriyama City.
I went directly home to my parents' house in Nihonmatsu City, which was closer to the Koriyama office.

The next day, I visited the customer again with a heavy heart, not being at all sure of the restoration.

However, after 30 minutes of work, I was finally able to find the cause of the problem.
It was a switch at a certain point that I had assumed must be normal.
This was a blind spot, and it took me two days to fix the problem.
If I had known what to do, it would have taken me only five minutes to fix it.
It took me eight hours to fix it, and I spent a lot of time. It was a huge shame.
I apologized profusely for the long hours and left the customer that day.

Now that I think about it, ….

that I really wanted to cry because I didn't know the cause of the problem at all and I was in a corner.
That I resented my seniors for not coming to support me no matter how far away they were.
On the other hand, the warmth of the person in charge of lodging who took care of my meals during the work.

During these two days I was able to experience a variety of thoughts and experiences.

At the same time, I learned firsthand the horror of making assumptions and being optimistic.
I believe that this was an event that greatly influenced my subsequent career.

But, after all, I still remember the taste of the warm udon noodles that the staff made for me at that time.
It was a little salty, but very tasty, handmade udon with a country flavor.

It was a precious experience that allowed me, a cynical person, to honestly express my gratitude to others.