In rock climbing, just before the climber begins their ascent, they ask of their belayer “Belay?” If the belayer is ready to belay, they reply, “Belay on”, and the climb begins.
Yesterday when Amanda and I were ripping large pieces of plywood on a table saw together (she was serving as my catching table), we decided that we needed a similar safety protocol when it was time for me to turn on the saw for the next cut.
“Sawing?” I would ask, making eye contact with her.
“Saw on.” She would reply, looking me back dead in the eye.
On went the saw with it’s wood chomping blade spinning madly near our tender little fingers. Dozens of cuts were made with no blood spilled. A good day’s work.
Thoughts and Such 