This week we visited the largest of the Aran Islands in Ireland. It has some phenomenal places and breathtaking scenery. There is a little grass and bracken, but we only saw one tree.
As we drove around, our guide told us that the stone walls all over the island were made to clear the land of rocks. There was no turf in this place. The locals for many years have layered sand, seaweed and ashes from their fires to form soil.
They use ashes from their fires but there are no trees. What do they use for their fuel?
Back in the days before electricity (only fifty years ago) the fishermen would go to the mainland and get peat. They traded their fish for peat and wool among other things.
With the wool they knitted different patterns into their sweaters (jerseys) so that if a fisherman was injured or lost at sea, the sailors could figure out which village the fisherman was from. They have created a style that is now replicated all around the world – the Aran sweater.
This got me thinking about how these people who live in a place with limited resources thrive despite their limitations. If they just sat in despair at the lack of resources, they wouldn’t last long on the island. But people have been living here for hundreds of years at least.
The people are resourceful and hospitable and creative and enterprising.
The Aran Islanders don’t have many resources so they have to be smart and intentional with what they do have. They are surrounded with water so they mastered the art of fishing. Fish is something that they could trade with the wider community.
They didn’t have soil, so they used what was available to create soil as best they were able. They used their resources entirely differently than I would, but then, I live in a nation with fertile soil.
If you have been through a hard time, you might find that you use resources in a different way to others. Be intentional about the resources that you have. Use your resources well. Don’t judge others for the way that they use their resources, their combination is different from yours.
When visiting students come to learn Gallic, the islanders host them in their homes giving the benefit of language practice for the students and the ability for the locals to learn of life outside the islands.
Where we can rub shoulders with those different to us it can be of mutual benefit. Be ready to learn and listen when you’re speaking with someone. It is okay that they see the world differently to you. If we were all the same, we would be the poorer for it.
I was amused last night. A quiet member of our travelling party ended up sitting at dinner with the loudest, most extraverted group from a different culture. She had a great time, laughing and enjoying the conversation but at times had to stretch outside her comfort zone to engage with them.
That is a really healthy interaction. Sitting in the uncomfortable and allowing yourself to experience people very different from you is quite a skill. The natural tendency would be to excuse yourself and walk away. The skill grows as you try it out and allow yourself to strengthen.
I stood at the top of a hill, looked out over Inismore and wondered if the idea for the patterns in the knitting of Aran sweaters was inspired by the stone walls sticking up in contrast to the landscape.
What you think of as normal might be quite unique to another person. At home, we don’t have a barren land, nor stone walls crisscrossing the landscape. Their landscape is beautiful and unusual to my foreign eyes. The way that they have reflected their island in art is creative.
You can take what is normal in your life and display it creatively to encourage others. It might not be their style and they may not engage with it, but it is unique and it is you and there are some who will connect with your story and see the beauty of it.
Right from early days the people of the Aran Islands had to trade with others. They had to find something of value that they could contribute and in exchange, they were able to bring back resources that they didn’t have on their own.
Interactions with others, community and exchange is a core part of a healthy life. If the islanders had remained isolated they wouldn’t have survived out there.
If you have an area of need, find something that you can offer and set out to make healthy trades. Do you have a listening ear? Someone might really appreciate that. Do you have a bag of lemons? There is someone who would love to receive those fruit! The give and take of community does not have to cost money. It requires bringing something to the table and connecting with someone who values your contribution. If you don’t find them at first, keep looking. There is someone out there for you to connect with.
The people of the Aran Islands are resourceful, hospitable, creative and enterprising. We can learn from their example and realise that there is hope even amidst a challenging circumstance.
These people have carved out a living from a harsh environment. When we are in a difficult place we too can still contribute to those around us. There is strength in overcoming obstacles to offer your contribution to the world.
