Why build a roof over a bridge? It turns out that the structure is not designed to protect the traveler (who is out in the weather for the rest of the journey anyway), but to protect the wooden bridge from rotting due to exposure to the elements. If you’re going to build, build to endure.
What have you created that you believe will endure when you are gone?
Camels have been described as an animal designed by committee—an odd assortment of mismatched and rather unattractive parts. But camels are brilliantly adapted to their desert environment, from the humps that store water to the long eyelashes that keep sand out of their eyes. They might be designed by committee, but that committee did good work.
What have you accomplished working with others that you could never have done alone?
Cinco de Mayo honors a not particularly significant victory of the Mexican army over the French in 1862. Which makes the holiday an important celebration of Mexican heritage because…that’s how people celebrate it. Sometimes it’s more important to celebrate than to have a really good reason.
What do you celebrate, even though it may be odd, obscure or unimportant?
Sure, you could use a washboard to wash your clothes, but those of us with access to washing machines generally find them a whole lot easier to use. But nothing sounds quite like a washboard, when you play it with a guitar pick or drum brushes. How useful something is often depends on how you define its usefulness.
What do you like to use in some way other than what it was designed for?
We have places to go. Important places. And we’ll know we’ve gotten to these important places when we get there and there are important things to do.
Who goes exploring with you, whether by road trip or in conversations which take you to places you’ve never been before?
