Willing Things into Existence

When I was really young, I would occasionally take over my friend’s paper route when he was busy. Not being much of an early riser, I never got to eat breakfast on mornings where I delivered the paper. That, of course, was a problem that could easily be solved, if I just had a toaster on my bike.

So I made one. I had no idea what I was doing, so it worked by shorting a 9 volt battery, which created heat. The bread would get a little bit warm, and then my automatic butter melter would melt some butter on the bread. It wasn’t a Dualit, and it consumed a 9 volt battery every time, but it made my substitute paper-running a little more fun.

For as long as I can remember, I knew that if something you wanted didn’t exist, you built it. One of my earliest memories with my very first friend, Brian, was scheming to build a spiderman-style web slinger.

And now, of course, I still do it. My ideal blogging platform didn’t exist, so I’m building it with my friend Todd. Neither did my ideal RV, so I built that, too. Then there’s Cruise Sheet, the island, and any number of other things.

I know exactly where I got this habit– my parents. My dad was always building things, including decks and rooms, out of wood; my mom sewed us all sorts of clothes and costumes and made food from scratch. I learned that if you wanted something to exist, it was your responsibility to make it so.

Once in a while I meet someone who isn’t like this, and it stuns me. It’s like they’re driving a car up to a speed bump and then turning around. And not because they’ve decided they can’t get over the speed bump, but just because they have no idea that cars can go over speed bumps. Some people don’t realize that they can create things.

Or maybe they do, but they don’t realize that you don’t need to be an expert to do it. I certainly wasn’t when I built my toaster, or my RV, or Sett, or the island. The most indicative qualification you can possess is a willingness to try and some level of determination.

Since you read my blog, it’s pretty likely you’re already the kind of person who wills things into existence. This post isn’t for you. My hope is that a few people who aren’t already like this will think about it and give it a try. Maybe cars can go over speed bumps, after all.

If that’s you, getting started is easy. What do you wish existed? Whatever you think of first, unless it involves interplanetary travel, just start building it. It may not come out any better than my battery-burning toaster, but at least you’ll build the habit of trying to create things.

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Photo is the David in Florence. You’re not supposed to take pictures of it.

New Sett redesign coming soon! Can’t wait to show you!


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