“She picked up the jar of mayonnaise. Twisting the top, she felt its hidden threads turn smoothly beneath her hands, unlocking the grip of metal on glass, and felt a sudden pleasure at the way things worked, at the way one neat circular motion did exactly what it should. A ripple of admiration for the whole mechanized world of gears, cogs, ratchets, levers, pulleys–the physical systems that made things work.”
–Roxana Robinson, Cost
I feel this same pleasure myself, and even call it “the pleasure of things working as they should.” When I put envelopes into a mailbox, or when my family goes through our morning routine without a hitch, I feel it.
Do you recognize this emotion in yourself?
