The Sum

May 8

There are the parts: tiny little pieces. Intricate, beautiful, or slapdash, cobbled together with grit and ingenuity, if not beauty or any sense of craftsmanship.

There is the whole: the system all together, functioning as one unit, a ‘thing’ that can be interacted with. The business and everyone in it, the car and all it’s systems, the verse, chorus, and bridge of the song.

You may find yourself drawn to the details: the hand carved wood of the table. The thoughtful welcome email from a new subscription. The tone of the guitar or loudness of the drums as they song kicks into full gear. The zip-ties stepping in, playing understudy to a metal bracket. The person in operations with 4 different full time jobs.

Of course, a bootleg iphone recording of a song played on an out-of-tune guitar can still rip the tears from your eyes. Each hammer of a blown out, non-existent suspension can get you up the hill. A careful observation of your own memories may reveal the best meals you’ve ever had were cheese and crackers on the floor of an unfurnished house.

Which is not to say that less thoughtful things are more beautiful or more desirable.

Just that the parts of something often bear no correlation to the whole.

Which would you rather master?

Morning Reading is a daily email to help center yourself, reflect, and prepare for the day. It’s sent with love from your friend, Zach in Austin, Texas. He even drew the logo himself.

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