Das Geschenk

Earlier I spoke of Gifts, but I didn't really mention mine, so here goes.

Like a composer who can hear music in his or her head just by listening, and let it flow out their fingers on to paper to form a score, or a sculptor who can look at a slab of granite and 'see' the statue inside waiting to be released from its stony prison, I 'see' the way things work together, the relationships between devices mechanical and how they interact with each other, and often, the reasons why they are not working as they should.

It is not easy to describe, but it goes something like this: I let myself unfocus from the real world around me, and look with my minds eye at the problem I am trying to solve. I imagine that I must look like a kid daydreaming in school with that thousand-mile stare that sees nothing on this world.

I still do see, of course, and I'll often walk about as I imaginate; I know I must see, because I don't run in to stuff, but I don't really pay much attention to the outside world. It is odd to be looking at the real world, but actually see the bits I am working on displayed sort of transparently, floating in my field of vision.

While doing this, I feel like I am in a trance. I am alert, but my awareness of activities outside of myself is diminished. I can see how things will need to be shaped to accomplish a task, how they will need to move to achieve a goal. This is very much a 'daydream' state for me. Often it helps to move my hands as though they were the parts I am trying to noodle out. The kinesthetic motion of my body is translated into visualized motion in my head.

If I take one of those stupid skills tests, the areas I'll do well in are the ones where you are asked to look at several flat patterns and determine which one will create a given shape, or the questions that involve which of these patterns is most like that one or what is next in a given series. I don't believe I am exceptionally smart, but maybe somewhat above average.

I work on two separate levels. The first is the concept level. This is where most of the 'Outside the Box" thinking happens for me. I am often looking for new ways to accomplish an ordinary task. I usually start from an ideal result and try to reverse-engineer a solution, keeping in mind design points or objectives which I have defined at the start of a project. These can be anything from developing a less expensive process, making a task less labor intensive, incorporating new materials, setting limits or boundaries, increasing efficiency, or creating a new product, to solving a recurring maintenance issue or redesigning to accommodate the unavailability of original parts (this is becoming an increasingly inconvenient situation). Always, simplicity is a given. It has been my experience that needless complexity has resulted more failed design than any other single cause. For me, simplicity is beauty.

Once I have a concept that pleases me, the nuts and bolts have to be made to work. Sometimes reality interferes with concept, but the fun part has to do with available technology. Because there are so many advances in materials, power and control happening every day, the designs have to re-evaluated with respect to new information and new technology. Making the system work is one thing, making it easy to build is quite another. I try to always keep in mind the strengths and weaknesses of the people who will execute the design, and often seek their input at this stage. Talking with the people who have to do the work - early and often - can save many headaches and a bunch of time. I must trust others in their areas of expertise to be effective in my role. I have a tendency to be a bit anal at times, and this really comes in handy when doing the detail work. I like to get the screwing up and fixing out of the way before the building starts.

Because my talent is focused pretty much in the mechanical arena, there are specific disciplines that are crucial to my success. The first is basic physics. The concepts of mass, inertia, speed, acceleration, torque, friction, gravity, momentum and energy form my building blocks; mathematics provides the tools I need to plan and analyze, to choose which of so many options will result in the best compromise for the situation. Cross training in chemistry, hydraulics, pneumatics, electricity, electronics and computers has also been essential to me.

I am fortunate to be able to work in a situation that takes advantage of my Gift. I enjoy going to work every day, and they pay me to do what I would gladly do for free. Can you believe it? They even provide me tools which are beyond my means, and which make me better and faster!

My most abiding personal trait is curiosity. Always has been. I have to know the 'why' and 'how' of stuff. I can watch people work, plants grow, animals forage, even paint dry for hours with an eye to extracting every bit of information there is to be gained from the processes I observe.

My biggest resentment is that I did not have a mentor in my youth who could say to me "Look, this is your Gift, this is what you love and this is what you are good at. Here are some ways you can use this Gift. Go. Take advantage of what you have been given." But there was no single person who had an opportunity to observe me and give me direction. The end result for me was some needlessly wasted years.

Here is a bit of advice. If you are still wondering what you are to do with your life, take a long look at the things you enjoyed doing as a child, especially the things you pretended to be then. You know, the things that caught your fancy before others began stepping on your dreams. This is where you will find your purpose and your fulfillment.

When I look back (Yeah I know, that's a big waste of time), I can see so many instances where I used my Gift as a youth, solving problems that baffled the adults around me; it seems like it should have been obvious to me, but seeing the obvious is not necessarily one of my Gifts.

So what do I like to do when I'm not working? I love music, both playing and listening; painting with watercolors; photography, especially fine art images with an emphasis on the unusual or unexpected perspective; flying; sailing; driving fast cars fast; meeting new people; but perhaps above all, learning. as I said before, I have to learn.

I can guarantee you that when I die, if you listen carefully, at the end you'll hear me say something along the lines of "Now, isn't this interesting!"