People get so mad about small public annoyances but miss the quiet focus around them. It's like we're trained to notice the loudest thing in the room. There's a whole other layer of calm happening if you just look for it.

Wait, how do you even spot a ground-nesting bee?

Honestly, that seems like a pretty normal amount of takes for something that tricky.

Wait, what if you're working with something that fights back though? I had a teacher who always said "let the tool do the work" but on super gunked up or rusted metal, that feels wrong. Sometimes you gotta lean into it and fight a little at the start to break through. Letting the tool glide only works once the surface is ready.

Have you ever seen those plastic lobster traps after just one season? I pulled an old one up off the bottom of Casco Bay last year and it was like a solid block of mussels and seaweed, you could barely see the wire. It's wild how fast a surface becomes a home.