If you said to me, 15 years ago…
Sculpture by José Manuel Castro López.
“You are going to love hanging out with engineers,”
I would have thought you were crazy.
If you said (when I was a young editor working in NY book publishing),
In 15 years, you’ll spend each day relearning the engineer’s approach to problem-solving. You’ll learn to break Large into Smaller. You’ll always start with Known.
This engineer’s approach will put you at ease. It will make you a better writer,
I would have scrunched my nose and forehead in confusion.
I didn’t understand then that emotions, though rife with information, are transitory.
I thought diving deep into thoughts and feelings was the most important work.
When I say to NOW people (who used to be THEN people),
I love working all day with engineers,
They have my same forehead scrunch.
Change is confusing. Change is scary.
Now I say,
The human capacity for reinvention is limited by two things.
One: Exposure to new ways of thinking and being.
Two: An understanding of the self.
Then I nod.
Finally, nodding.
Dedicated to the software engineers and developers I’ve worked with who have helped me see things differently through rigor and patience. Thank you.
