Keep on doing

A few weeks back (October 4) I posted the story, The Tiny moving the Mighty. I also sent a version of this story to a Tasmanian online news journal so “the locals” could have a read of what I thought was a good yarn. Well, the feedback was mostly negative.

An example:

I think I missed the point…… was this story about rich people in a luxury liner burning tonnes of fuel an hour, your property “Windgrove” or selling a sculpture? The relevance of your significance fails to impress.

After spending a couple of days digesting the pros and cons of having gone public with this story, I lay down under a non-Australian tree.

Looking up into its luminous deciduous leaves I felt a moment’s twang of home sickness for the trees of my youth; for those shading tree climbing giants that sheltered a shy boy in northern Michigan from the taunts and ridicule of his peers.

The feeling passed, but it did make apparent to me the necessity of knowing how to remain grounded and certain of one’s truth when going public with it. It was a reminder that no matter how motivated we feel to changing the status quo, or doing what we feel is the right thing, there will always be others who feel that what we are on about is utter crap.

This past Sunday I hosted an Australian Open Garden Scheme day at Windgrove and, with the help of my friend, Miche Marion, spent a leisurely 8 hours sitting outside chatting to the 45 or so people who had driven from as far away as northern Tasmania to get here. Nothing big or grand. No fancy tents or display tables. The feeling among all was that, although tiny, something good was happening here at Windgrove.

The only slight complaint was a good natured grumble from a visitor who had used the outdoor toilet I had built for these events. The toilet, she said, needed a bowl of water and towel for people to use. Flicking her fingers as she walked away, I turned to Miche and said: I don’t know about you, but my mother taught me not to piss on my fingers.