Und jedem Anfang wohnt ein Zauber inne.

That's one line from a poem by Herman Hesse, and it basically says "every beginning is magical somehow". Roughly translated.

This, I think, is quite true. There's always something magical (and quite often also a little daunting) when something new is happening. There's this phase when an exhibition gets planned, for instance, when it feels like you will be able to do so many wonderful, stunning things. There's this time when planning a reconstruction where you look at all the possibilities, and all the things that could maybe be done, and there's so much to learn and to discover.

And yes, that is true even if you (or in that case, me) know that a good amount of it won't ever happen. Because, well, things happen, and there you go, here a little compromise, there a little budget oopsie, here a little health and safety, there a little political issues, and you find yourself with less and less.

The beautiful thing, though? If you play your cards right, you will still end up with something glorious. Sometimes something entirely different will come together almost magically. Sometimes an oopsie means you reconsider things, and find an even better approach. And sometimes... well, to be honest, sometimes you kill one of your favourites, and that sucks. But that, too, is a part of this job.

Why am I writing all this? Because I have had a request for a maybe-reconstruction, and I spent a good part of today, well, dreaming up possibilities. (And checking notes of past timelines, and work times. Gotta keep it real, and based on something documented, if doing a first estimate...)