individual views

The adult barked at this young seal for posing! Typical adult no sense of fun!!

 

Had a number of interesting conversations in last couple of days. Looking at the way communities are working in Shetland, certainly on the mainland at least. There is a great feeling of openness, both the landscape and the people. One discussion was about how public transport works and certainly have noticed that a number of more remote bus stops have car parks so that those who live more remotely can travel by car but then use public transport for journey to work. Yet there are issues for young people who find it difficult to interact with friends from school because the public transport reduces after a certain time and for a teenager to have to ask parents for a lift to a friends 20 miles away is obviously awkward. Is this where facebook comes into 'real' life? Also what efforts are made by the social and cultural groups to enable participation - does last nights 'Orpheus in the Underworld' production make an effort to involve young people?

 Do activities in the outdoors present a sufficient challenge to encourage young people to make the effort, for example one friend's daughter loved her power boat course with the local lifeboat coxswain but how many others couldn't attend? Many families know great walks, stunning scenery, wildlife are on the doorstep but get in at night and just 'close the shutters'. How many others do as the local bar man said and 'forget that what they can see isn't common to the rest of the population' (he was talking about the seals and otters on the beach outside!) Mindfulness isn't just recognising but appreciating. Made even harder of course as sometimes you have to really work at it.

         

How many seals can you see?

Another discussion looked at who was new and welcome and who regarded them as 'incomers' or 'offcomers'. It seems that for most it doesn't matter, everyone who stays is an islander, a Shetlander. Yet when asked why people come and stay, why they move, the most common reason was safety. Surprisingly for me at least, strong community, low crime, good local authority services all came before the natural environment and our enjoyment of it. Yet is the because as highlighted earlier this is taken for granted? More questions I think.

Working in the community

Today we're engaging more in island life. Firstly assisting with teaching a mindfulness course in a local village. Then lunch in the 'church' cafe - an example of community again with the church building providing venue, the GP and Minister waiting on tables, locally produced and cooked food and community members and visitors all eating together.

The community of Walls - West Shetland

Yet while the community is apparently strong, there are issues of SAD, seasonal affective disorder from the long winter night and summer midnight sun, the difficulties of young people finding work, buying homes, getting an education, simply meeting with friends from school yet miles apart. All the time within surroundings of outstanding beauty with rugged landscapes, abundant wildlife and the ability for your senses to go into overload with the sound of crashing waves and bird call, the sight of otters, seals and wales, dramatic sunsets and sunrises, the touch of the wind and feel of temperature, the smell of the sea breeze and taste of salt and herbs in the air. So how does being mindful of this abundance of natural riches help in a modern yet sometimes isolated society?

Good Morning Shetland

Arrive in Shetland on time at 0730. Time for a walk (both for us and the dog - Jess seemed very pleased to see us when we rescued her from the ship's kennels!) through town and around the headland. Amazing, a capital with a narrow mainstreet, few high street chains, parking for free and a fantastic path round the bay with fresh winds, stunning views and basking seals at the side of the path!

The old and the new in Lerwick Harbour

Wherever we look there are 'big' views. Out to see, across the moorland, simply the sky. Old Shetland, Fort Charlotte, narrow lanes, but contrasting with a Tesco (with a car park with waves breaking over the wall!) which has apparently meant the closure of local grocers and bakers.

So we move to our first campsite, a community owned site in Skeld. This is a small site at the side of the harbour, with a launch point for the kayaks but also the chance to get a shower and dry kit afterwards in the building which the local community raised 100,000 to provide in order to attract people to the area, incuding of course ourselves but also a former London accountant who purchased a building to turn into a creamery and now produces a fine range of cheeses. The volunteer who sees us park up comes to welcome us, provide keys to the shower building, provide the elctricity hook-up and tell us about the walks, seals and otters,

 

Stunningly clear water

 

Launch from the beach

Already we can see that the people here are shaped by the land, the sea, the weather (always windy), farming, fishing, and working together. Just raising the money for the campsite is an achievement yet there are notices of community events, volunteering, activities. What contributes to such community cohesion and strength?

Naturally Mindful heads North

So on Sunday we headed North in our mobile office / kayak carrier / catering wagon / bedroom otherwise known as our campervan. Firstly to Perth where we spent two nights on the campsite at the side of Scone Palace, where Scottish kings used to be crowned (Macbeth, Robert the Bruce et al). This was a tale of contrasts a campsite at the side of a park full of rare pines, red squirrels and deer, yet people are sat there in caravans with satellite dishes, colour TVs, and more!

 There were real red deer not just this willow one!

Then Scone Palace itself, owned by the Earl of Mansfield and a clear study of privilege, with apparently Europe's 'best' collection of ivory statues, descriptions of hunting trips, stuffed bears, ermine robes and then father and son at Eton, daughters attending international debutante balls and the RACMA Rally of Scotland roaring through the grounds. Yet apparently the Earl's estates do provide protection of landscapes, breeding grounds, employment, it's just that consumption / consumerism seems so apparent. Yet just commenting like this seems a paradox, yes the campervan is used for work, but also for pleasure. Yes it does cost money to own and run, simply to fuel but this means we save money on hotels, are able to support local farms where we pay to stay. Yes I'm writing this on my laptop but I'm paying a local provider for WiFi. Practicing mindfulness to me may mean choosing to do or not do something but doing so by being aware of the impact of my choices, unlike the former Earl and his Elephant hunting and ivory collecting!

One key thing I am noticing as we move North is how welcoming people are. From the young girl serving in the Kinnear Inn pub in Scone (local pubs are important for community life) to the woman in the tea shop  (Hetties in Perth - great choice of teas and cake!) all seem to go out of their way to greet us, help and inform and wish us well on our journey, and this seems genuine, not the insincere 'corporate' 'have a nice day'.

A so further north to the Northlink ferry from Aberdeen to Lerwick.

 Leaving Aberdeen

We're on the ferry, again everyone welcoming - but not the forecast. Gales 7 - 8 with sea rough to very rough. The captain (Captain Scott - should we be worried) says that when we round Fraserburgh it may get a little 'bumpy'. This appears to be sailor speak for hitting waves that will sound and feel like hitting a concrete wall as the break not over the bows, but over the bridge!! Hence all the bar windows (the deck below the bridge) have steel shutters across them, apparently for all winter crossings, and no-one is allowed out on deck! And yes my dinner doesn't last though thankfully neither does the storm, it's now a calm sea (or this just now that we're entering harbour in Lerwick 14 hours later?).

Great thought from someone who made a difference to his industry

While at times Apple computers were accused of poor treatment of workers in factories and feeding the consumerist boom they also took a lead in improving environmental performance and brought us tools that mean we don't need to travel to meetings, we don't need to buy CDs etc, etc.

However Steve Jobs, who died yesterday made a difference in other ways too, he encouraged people to believe they could be different as in these words from the Stanford University commencement speech

'Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.'

Mindfulness practice involves listening to your heart, not being scared of change because that is the natural cycle of things, nothing is permanent everything changes.

Mindfulness in Nature and Ecotherapy are closely linked. I regard the key difference as being one of guidance. Mindfulness in Nature can be undertaken by anyone, anywhere, anytime - yes even in a city at night! It is a matter of being awake to what is going on around you, being aware of yourself and your connection to the bigger world that we are all part of. Ecotherapy can be a way of developing this mindfulness, certainly the ecotherapist would be encouraging you to become mindful in (and of) nature. The ecotherapist shouldn't be using the natural environment as simply a 'bigger office' but should be highlighting the therapeutic effects of engaging with and supporting nature. There again who could fault anyone for wanting a 'bigger  office' like the one we're using above (Harter Fell in the Duddon Valley, Cumbria)

Seasons changing

It's October and we can sit at home worrying about the nights seeming longer, the dark drawing in, the chill in the air, or we can appreciate the fantastic earlier sunsets, later sunrise, stunning golds, reds and browns of the leaves. Watch flocks of geese in 'Vs' overhead calling to each other. Feel good to be able to appreciate all that life brings.

Engaging with the day

Have you ever noticed that when getting outdoors and feeling the breeze on your skin, the rain in your face, the chill to your fingers and the movement of your hair it's hard to maintain the view of the issues in your mind before you stepped outside?


So maybe the answer is to get out more rather than dwelling inside your head.