THE 'INSTANT GRATIFICATION' GOLD PAN
I Knew I Was Onto Something When My Wife Said "WOW!" The Moment Of Truth Instant Gratification Watch the BATPAN DEMO VIDEO here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_DBPA881x8 You can ORDER BATPANS & GRIZZLY SCREENS here: www.shop.batpan.com
You see, my wife is not exactly a fan of my obsession. But she has been reasonably pleasant about my crazy pursuit of the elusive yellow stuff. I taught her how to read a river and how to pan for gold before we were married. I tried to infect her with my gold fever, but she was immune. For over 30 years she has smiled and sighed as I brought home tiny gold nuggets and buckets of black sand. Over the years I've occasionally convinced her to give it another try by showing her pans of all sizes and shapes as well as sluices and rockers and dredges and various crevicing tools. None of them got more than a half-hearted, "That's nice dear." Don't get me wrong, even though she is not entirely supportive, she is a good sport. We spent our 30th wedding anniversary in Alaska where she spent one day helping me pan out enough gold nuggets to fill a necklace pendant that she wears with pride.
But recently there was a disturbance in the force, a tectonic shift occured in our relationship, a new ray of hope appeared when I demonstrated my latest invention --the BATPAN. (My dear Cathy has put up with an endless array of contraptions with which I intend to change the world. I'll share later how the convergence of ideas from old mining books and exotic rare-earth magnets came together to produce the BATPAN.) Now back to that defining moment. I invited my sweet partner to see how my BATPAN works. She was familiar with the odd-shaped pyramid because for months I kept it near our bed for fresh analysis each morning before the daily cares of life squeezed out my creativity. Now it was the moment of truth. She reluctantly joined me outside where I had filled a large tub with water. I scooped up some diggings I had carried home from my favorite placer spot on the Wild Ammonousic River. Then I began the usual stirring and shaking, but after about 20 seconds my gold-panning world changed forever. I tipped the BATPAN forward and there it was for all to see. A few grains of fine gold lay concentrated in one little spot. And then I heard it -- a distinct, hearty, all-approving, "WOW!" Next she said, "That was so fast." I couldn't believe my ears. A double affirmation. My gold-panning AND my inventing were both approved in one sweet moment.
Suddenly all of those fruitless days of trying to entice friends and relatives to join my madness flashed before my eyes. Most of them endured only the first pan or two before wandering off or asking how much longer we were going to stay. They tried to be patient, but they couldn't keep themselves from asking, "Is that gold?" or "How about that, is that it?". And I could hear myself reply for the umpteenth time, "No, if you are doing it right, the gold will be the very last thing you see in the bottom of the pan after you have washed out all of the lighter stuff." Now, in a moment, in a flash, with that one 31-year delayed "WOW" everything is changed. I can now see all those A.D.D. kids, grandkids, wives, cousins, and co-workers actually enjoying gold-panning. To persuade others to join our beloved pastime we don't need a better way to teach patience, we just need some good ol' instant gratification. And instant gratification is what the BATPAN delivers. "Wow!" -- "That was so fast." -- How sweet it is.
Feel free to contact me for any questions at bruce@batpan.com -- Grace & Peace
