On Cables, And The Great Untangling That Was Not

People ask if we untangle cables. We do not. A tangled cable is a living thing, a nest of intentions, and one does not simply separate its parts. One sits next to it. One honors it.

Sometimes our clients insist, and we gently place a paw on the knot. The knot tightens. This is not failure. This is the cable telling us that it is already complete.

Last month a client had a tangle of 23 chargers, none of which fit any device he owned. We pulled them all off the desk in one slow movement, and the pile settled on the floor like a sleeping octopus. He thanked us. He said he felt lighter. He was now missing three feet of cable.