Okay to Deviate

1. Most engineers live in fantasy land. At least most engineers I work with, and for the record, this certainly includes myself, and the engineers I work with, although we are learning our way into the real world. 

2. It's amazing that anything works. How in the world I have a 22 year old minivan with 323,000 miles that still runs well I have no idea. The complexity of a machine as simple as a car is astounding. Car doors never fail to amaze me. They open and close so smoothly, the rubber seal never falls off, the metal never interferes. Amazing.

3. What actually works, versus what we originally thought was possible is always interesting. In other words, it's possible to run vehicles without bolts and zip ties or the glue holding everything together. How long on a new vehicle before little trinkets like bolts start to go missing? I have no idea but I am continually surprised how well things like my van continue to run in a state of disrepair. 

Is it okay to deviate? Clearly no, it was designed a certain way for a reason, and clearly yes, missing a bolt on my radiator and spare tire haven't slowed me down the last four years. The exact answer is somewhere in the muddy middle. You can guarantee that no one comes out of the mud pit looking nice, but everyone comes out wiser.