There’s a Crack in Everything

There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.

Nancy quoted Leonard Cohen in the card she wrote to me last year. I had heard and loved a few Cohen songs but did not know about this one. I looked up and listened to the song on youtube and ever since then this quote has stayed with me.

It was on my mind when I took this photo of our messy, dusty tool shed in Port Melbourne.

A few things in the past couple of days have jolted my memories and made me want to hear Cohen’s throaty voice singing the song again. This time, I found this footage from his recent tour.

Singing at the age of 75, Leonard Cohen exudes quiet charisma. I see grace and wisdom, distilled from years of experience, search, and reflection. As one of the youtube comments puts it, I watch and listen in awe. Then a drop rolls down my cheek.

But there’s more than Leonard Cohen that brings it out. The song means so much to me now, because you quoted it to me when I needed it the most.

2010
02/05
CATEGORY
Life
Music
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Three-Way Communication

For the past two weeks, I worked on an assignment in an industry where safety is of paramount concern because errors can lead to catastrophic consequences. This industry is all about redundancy equipment, fail-safe mechanisms, and various human error prevention tools: standard operating procedures, self-checks, peer-checks, parallel checks…the list goes on and on.

To ensure clear and accurate communication, industry professionals use three-way communication when giving and receiving instructions. For example:

Supervisor: Start steam pump XYZ-288.
Operator: I understand that you want me to start steam pump XYZ-288.
Supervisor: Correct.

Shaped by years of experience in the safety-oriented industry, a veteran says he even uses three-way communication at home. “What kind of scenarios at home would require three-way communication?” I ask, puzzled.

“Well, it’s in fact surprisingly useful since miscommunication is the most common cause of marital strife. The husband often says ‘Why didn’t you tell me about it?’ and the wife would yell, ‘I did, but you were not listening!”

So here’s how three-way communication can be used at home.

Wife: Remember to take out the garbage.
Husband: You want me to take out the garbage, honey?
Wife: Yeah.

But be careful not to arch your brow or show any patronizing expressions, advises the veteran in the industry. Otherwise your wife will yell again—
“Don’t you dare use that three-way stuff on me!”

2010
01/28
CATEGORY
Work
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