Move Fast and Break Things

My father was a brickmason. As a teenager, I spent many summer days working as his assistant. I despised almost every moment—the heat, the drudgery, and my father’s company. My attitude was much like Mark Twain's, who wrote, “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.” Looking back, I am ashamed of my adolescent disrespect for his hard work, skill, and meticulous attention to detail. One incident stands out vividly. He and his crew had just completed the hearth and chimney for an imposing multi-story home. A critical error in the blueprints caused the hearth to be misaligned by several inches, a minor flaw that compromised the living room’s aesthetic balance. The homeowners were adamant that this mistake be corrected. Unfortunately, moving the entire house would have been far easier than relocating the chimney. The only sol...