Watching them build the new bridge over the river made me think about our job differently

I was down by the river walk yesterday, just watching the crews work on the new span. They had a big crawler crane, maybe a 400 tonner, placing these huge concrete segments. What got me was the wind. It was gusting pretty good off the water, and I saw the load start to swing. The operator just let it hang there, dead still, for what felt like a full minute. He wasn't fighting it, he was waiting. He let the crane and the load find their own balance in the wind before making the final move. I've always been taught to correct a swing right away, but this guy had the patience to let physics do the work. It was a total lightbulb moment about control versus force. Has anyone else had a job where waiting out a condition worked better than trying to muscle through it?

3 comments

3 Comments

taraanderson11d ago

A full minute just hanging there in the wind? That would have my heart in my throat. I would have been fighting it the whole time.

taraanderson11d ago

Honestly, just go limp and let the harness do its job.

robertb473d ago

Let the harness do its job" is my new life motto. I usually fight things so hard I end up tangled in my own jacket.