midnight ramblers

Occom’s razor is a philosophical thought that revolves around simplicity. The gist is: the best solution is often the simplicist. It’s an idea I try to consider and incorporate wherever possible. Recently, I observed the department of transportation systematically rip up the asphalt on my street. Throughout the waning hours of the sturgeon moon, the DOT left 44th Drive steaming and smooth. In chatting with the Glendale based crew, cigarettes always visible, one operator expressed his satisfaction in maneuvering the battle tested finishing roller. Why? For its simplicity. “It never breaks down and does its job.” The machine’s counter read over 76,000 hours of use, shattering Malcolm Gladwell’s ten-thousand hours. “This guy is bulletproof,” the operator exclaimed, beaming with pride, “it’s probably older than you!” To which I grinned and nodded in admiration. There was beauty in the DOT’s midnight machinery dance. For the most part these men at work pridefully embraced my curiosity. They moved with cathartic precision, fraught-fully attempting to finish and return home before dawn. Stopping to observe the seemingly mundane is an exercise I relish. Sometimes it allows me to appreciate the disregarded aspects that make our lives pretty and smooth. Sitting on the sidewalk under the full moon watching the finishing roller amend the imperfections of the summery pavement brought upon a brief but welcomed reprieve of calm gratitude to the complexity of life in the city for something as simple as a paved street.

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