The Crane

I wake up every morning, not to the sound of an alarm, but to the sound of construction. A far cry different from my childhood wake ups of birds chirping and my parents talking. But not an unpleasant way to wake up.

As a child I didn't think of anyone or anything else but myself. I figured the world revolved around me, and that's all there was to it. After many years of life, heartbreak, tragedy, love, hurt, etc., thinking that the world revolves around you is foolish and painful. So now I think of it in regards to everyone around me. Which brings me to my point.

One of the main pieces of the construction around me is a gigantic crane that is across the street from me. It is huge. It has grown since we moved in here, but we haven't figured out how. My fiancé and I have watched and waited to try to see the crane man leave his post. Or arrive at his post. We've made up stories for him calling his wife telling her he would be late as thunder, lightning, and rain bombarded the crane. I've woken up at 6am and tried to stay awake and stare at the crane to see him climbing. I'm not sure why this is so important to me, but if anyone is a crane operator out there. Is it scary climbing up there? Do you bring your lunch with you so you don't have to make that climb more than once? Do you spy on the apartment buildings around you? How terrifyingly beautiful is a lightning storm from those heights?