Looking for work, Gomer approaches the boss of a road construction crew. The boss says, “Ok, I’ll give you a chance. Take this pot of paint and brush and paint a straight line down the center of the road.”
Gomer takes the pot and brush and on the first day paints a perfectly straight line down the center of the road for 1 mile.
Impressed, the boss tells him to return the next day.
On the second day, Gomer paints another perfectly straight line, but only for ½ a mile.
The boss is puzzled by the reduced productivity, but because the line is otherwise so straight and perfect, he decides to give Gomer one more chance.
On day three, Gomer paints another perfectly straight line but this time for only ¼ mile.
The boss calls Gomer into his office. “Gomer, the first day you painted one full mile. The second day, you painted half that. Now, you’ve painted only ¼ mile. What is going on?”
Gomer looks at the boss and replies matter-of-factly, “I’m getting farther away from the pot.”