Hand to Mouth
Sometimes it’s hard to find the words to express something. Or sometimes there’s so much to say it feels like you should rush to get it all out. I think I move my hands more in both cases, turning my palms up to juggle imaginary balls or trying to turn a large dial that isn’t there.
It’s one thing to have a casual conversation, but it seems like more of the body gets more involved when things get interesting or difficult to describe. It’s like we want to try to grasp it physically with our hands—to take it apart, spread it out, turn the pieces over.
Like it would somehow be more efficient, more expressive if we could just take hold of it and let our hands tell our mouths what to say.
Trays: Unsung Heroes of the Home
Because simple tools are usually very effective tools.
There could be other simple technologies that are more overlooked and under appreciated, but it’s hard to think of one. Trays belong in the pantheon of simple machines, along with the lever, pulley and screw, but somehow Archimedes missed it.
Trays embody one of the principals of luxury: they enable us to more easily enjoy food and drink in settings that aren’t the kitchen or dining room table.
Breakfast on the porch? Bring out the coffee, juice, bacon and pastries on a tray—done! Lunch in the shade of a tree in the backyard? On a tray, complete with lemonade. Drinks on the patio? A tray will carry the two-drink minimum for the evening along with pretzels and a cheese ball. S’mores and whiskey by the campfire? A tray gets it done efficiently and you won’t drop the chocolate in the dark and lose it or spill the whiskey.
DO NOT SPILL THE WHISKEY!
Trays: allies of the hands; steady and stable; useful and versatile.
Apprehension
Often times, when we’re talking about something or looking at it we’ll say, “Let me see that.” Of course, kids will subsequently taunt each other by saying, “See! You can see it!” and holding the item just out of reach. Because what we really mean when we say, “Let me see that” is, “I’d like to hold that and examine it more closely.”
We are extremely reliant on our vision to inform us about the world, but seeing something doesn’t always communicate everything we want to know about it. We can infer what something might feel like by looking at it closely. But the texture, weight and balance play off of each other to give things a certain feel. We can see how big something is, but that’s different from knowing how it fits in our hand (or not). The percieved quality of a luxury item can literally be weighed in our hands.
The word “apprehend” has two meanings in English: one is to arrest someone for a crime, but the other is to understand or perceive. The root of “apprehend” is the Latin prehendere: to lay hold of. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.