365 Jobs, Day 26: What We Want (Part One)

Cross-posted from my new blog, 365 Jobs:

Monday, January 26, 1987

My son, Will, says he wants to build something and needs my help.  Let's bear in mind: he's in nursery school. He's 4 years old. 

He goes downstairs to the basement workshop.  I follow.  It's his first building project. 

From the scrap pile he extracts a one foot 1x6. 

He wants a hole exactly in the center of the 1x6.  Little hands, big power drill.  Together we hold it.  Vroom.

Next from the scrap pile he extracts a 6 foot narrow strip of plywood.  With two hands choked up on the 16 ounce hammer he whack-whack-whacks a single nail through the hole we drilled in the 1x6, attaching it to the narrow strip of plywood - not to the end like an airplane but somewhere near the center. 

The 1x6 spins on the nail. 

"What is it?" I ask.

"It's what I want," Will says. 

Satisfied, we go upstairs.