“Sheltered and isolated by the water that is at the same time an open possibility. A possibility one never considers.”
It was the summer of 2016, and I had the opportunity to spend time on 2 islands… Martha’s Vineyard and Shetland. The first in solitude, the other with a group of strangers, some of whom would become incredible friends. While staying on Martha’s Vineyard, I turned to the television for a little noise to distract myself from the abrupt shift from a busy, chaotic life filled with work and children to the now long days of quiet. I’d been so looking forward to the solitude but the drastic transition was more than I had anticipated. I found myself watching a documentary about how waste water is treated on the island.
Where does all the waste go when one lives on an island? This question quickly snowballed…
Where does the drinking water come from?
What about the food?
And the garbage?
My travels by foot and bike around the island came to have a new purpose. ..To consider what it means to live on an island. How dependent we’ve become…
Fast forward 3 months to Shetland and again… the same questions. Food, water, garbage, waste, electricity… my mind was on overdrive (in a very good way).
This spring, I noticed a post on Instagram by @shetlandwithlaurie mentioning a very tiny island off the coast of Shetland where her great, great (maybe more greats) grandparents used to live… Oxna. It is now uninhabited… I was captivated.
Where did the food come from? Fresh water? Waste? How did they survive the harsh winter?
I contacted Laurie and asked her about about Oxna and her ancestors.
Fish and root vegetables, that’s what they ate … they worked hard all summer to prepare for winter.
I asked her what it must have been like to be so isolated. Her reply has continued to capture my imagination.
“You are thinking about this from a modern perspective. Those that lived on Oxna were thought of as ‘very well off.’ See, the fishing on the other side of the island was some of the best and those living there had direct access. The sea was the highway and they could easily get to places others might not be able to. Those living a mile inland on the main island were the ones that were isolated.”
The sea as the highway…
our perspective has shifted.
What was once considered a highly regarded place is no longer.
I have spent many a walk pondering my conversation with Laurie. Islands not only require one to think about how humans survive (food, water, shelter)…
but provide a canvas to ponder “perspective”…
“… the highway of the sea.”
This year’s illustration for Project Peace was inspired by Oxna. The croft hoose sits on an island…
Peace tip #14
Perspective is an important attribute of peace. Island living and the story of Oxna provide perspectives we might not have considered as part of "peace in place.” The perspective of how things used to be and what was valued. As well as not taking for granted how our basic needs are met (e.g. food, water, shelter)…
Perspective and peace… how are they related?
Updates:
Today marks the end of week #2 and another gift-away. My dear friend, Susan has generously provided a give-away again this year. And it is filled with islands treasures… some small-batch yarn from the Isle of Skye, a pattern to knit a croft hoose, and a copy of the Shetland Wool Adventure journal published by Misa Hay. I was fortunate to work with Misa in 2018 when I visited Shetland to create a university study abroad on “Sustainability, Nutrition and Nature.” The study abroad experience was inspired by my first trip… “where does the food come from and the garbage go?” The “journal” is all things wonderful about Shetland.
How to on the give-away: Leave a comment related to today’s post by the end of Wednesday. Email me if you would rather not comment on the website (thehealthyknitter at gmail dot com). I’ll announce a winner on Thursday (Day 17) here on the website. If you are the lucky recipient, you’ll need to send me an email so that I can get your address. Plus on Day 17, there’s a little something for everyone!
Thank you again to all who are reading, following along, and commenting. I genuinely appreciate the level of engagement this year. It certainly helps to keep me going in the early mornings when I write knowing that people are reading.
If you want to learn more about all things Shetland, I highly recommend following Laurie Goodlad on Instagram (@shetlandwithlaurie) or her website.
