The Love Boat
Perhaps I would move much faster in the direction of our life changing plans, if daily adventures and quality time shared with others who live in our universe of interests and affections were not so vital to me. They may be a kind of escapism, which time and weather allowing even belongs to the season. But they are also certainly healthy and necessary. I don’t know, without them we might give up moving forward due to boredom, apathy and deep sadness. Yes, I do wish to set off, but I also want to live joyfully the reality here and now, and not from a greater moment of achievement onwards.
Yesterday I invited a teenager with whom I have developed a lovely mutual teaching-learning relationship, over the past 8 years, to test our latest community project; For now, I call it The Love Boat. It was born on an old whim of my inspiring upstairs neighbor, that of getting a swimming pool for the hot, sunny days, after much brainstorming with both our partners to avoid buying plastic and wasting water. We finally agreed to get a bathtub from the streets and to build a mobile box made out of pallets we could find for it, as long as the water would be used to water the plants after each bathing session. It will collect rain's water as well. My other inspiring neighbor, her partner, brought the tub. My own irreplaceable partner and oasis master designed the plan, adding a layer of gardening to the design; they started the main structure together, but then it was time for the neighbors to leave for their summer holidays, so we kept working on the project on our own. He built the box all around the tub on the frame on wheels by cutting, screwing and hammering the pallets, putting pieces together, and I painted the whole thing with linseed oil for wood protection afterwards, which has become my main garden task apart from hosing. As for the budget, another neighbor, who also co-founded the compost bin and the earth for the latest raised bed, also sharing some gardening tasks, has already donated the bottle deposit from her birthday party in the garden, which inaugurated the communal use of the bathtub, that time still as a giant ice bucket. But we still have to share the remaining costs by all four of us project authors. We try to always share information about ongoing projects and hope that more neighbors want to come by, also during Spring, Autumn and Winter, to join costs and responsibilities on a regular basis, anytime. And that they enjoy the common achievements too, together or in turns, for the rest of the summer and all those seasons that might come.
Here we are, glad to cool off in a self-made water tank with reusable materials for communal human usage without wasting water, but saving it, while expanding the soil-less part of the ecosystem, i.e. creating more green mass for pollination and feeding possibilities for some species. It’s going to be a beautiful life’s island for a variety of beings. And who knows what else, possibly the breeding ground for some more performative process or upcoming event…
This was a powerful celebration of good communication and community practices, individual will and long-term investments. Oh, happy days! To be continued at the backyard.
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