Teaching moments from dad

A few years ago the handles on my car were the worst (I'm sure the handles are still the worst, but I no longer own that car). They were constantly breaking and it wasn't uncommon for me to have to climb through the passenger side to get into my car. One day I was on the phone with my dad trying to fix the handle and he asked me, "Can you describe what you see without using the word 'thing'?" It sounds a bit silly, but it was really hard. I'm not super mechanically minded and definitely don't know the proper terms for things, but him bringing that to my attention and being patient with me while I tried to describe what I was seeing without using "thing" has helped me a lot in my current job. I do a lot of trouble shooting with people on the phone and often have to describe things to them. I always try to remember to not use the word thing. It can be very difficult sometimes, but we have a large vocabulary at our disposal if we will only use it. Maybe my descriptions aren't always 100% accurate, and the words I choose to use aren't the best, but it usually works out and is more efficient than using, "connect that thing with the other thing". Thanks dad, for making me use my brain. :)