My
wife is incredible. I’m not saying that in case she reads this.
(Actually,
that’s true. I’m not worried about her reading this. But since
I know most of you can’t keep a secret and will rat me out in
a heartbeat, I’m better off having safety measures in place. Fact
remains, however, that I’m not saying this in case she reads this.
She is just incredible.)
When
it comes to packing, you could take a number of oddly sized boxes,
that together exceed the volume of a van, and she will have them
organized, stacked and ready to go. And she’ll do it not only
by arranging for everything to be placed in the van, but placed
in a way that allows her to put her seat back so she can nap during
the drive.
She
is incredible.
But
that talent comes with a kryptonite. An associated weakness.
While
she will get all of the items into the car, she will never notice
the weight of the boxes. In short, she would give no thought to
hitching up an entry-level compact car to a trailer with a dozen
full-grown elephants inside.
That’s
a bit harsh. And I’m obviously exaggerating to make a point. Still,
the general concept remains. If you have one box filled with bubble
wrap and nothing but bubble wrap… and an identically-sized second
box filled with enameled cast iron Dutch oven cookware… and both
of those boxes would fit on a shelf in the basement, she will
not be questioning whether or not that shelf can support the weight
of either box.
Here’s
the twist though… how many of us would?
Terry’s
efforts aren’t a mistake. The second box fits on the shelf… put
the box on the shelf. Done.
Often,
I have problems with the width of saw blades. I’ll carefully measure
the board I’m about to cut. Tape measure, small pencil mark. Start
again, tape measure, check location of pencil mark. Get the straight
edge to make the cutting line, grab the saw, come back to the
board, and put the saw down. Check the length needed again, then
check the measurement again, and finally grab the saw and start
cutting.
The
problem that comes with all of that extra double-checking? Every
so often I find my board is off by the width of a circular saw
blade.
There
are plenty of people that might try to explain the error of my
ways. I get it. They mean well. But I’m not so sure it would help.
You could tell me about adding a tenth of an inch or just making
sure which side of the line I place the blade as I start to cut.
In the end, I’m still going to be more concerned about making
sure I can get from one side of the board to the other following
the line and not making a crooked cut.
Similar
people… like me… want Terry to understand the weight of boxes.
Similar results.
It’s
a special talent to be able to see every portion of a scenario.
A lot of it comes from experience. The bending of a shelf or the
gap between two boards can teach a few lessons for future application.
Some of it comes from instinct and natural talent. More than anything
else though, perhaps, it comes from having the intelligence to
pause and look things over.
Stocking
a shelf or cutting a board is a small thing. There are other moments
where you might not get a second chance, and the results are a
bit more lasting. That intelligence factor? Well, it’s nice to
understand the concept, since you won’t always have the extra
boards to cut a second piece.