Compound members are delighted to welcome a new member, plus one!. My brother, and soon to be compound neighbor (Lord willing by December-when his house is supposed to be finished), is now betrothed. This will bring the total compound population to seven adults, one child, three dogs, and three cats, in less than a year. This will be on less than one acre of land.
Recently we were visiting a friend on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. She and her husband live in a wonderful big old house on maybe five acres. They are surrounded on all sides by farm land-creating a sense of borderless bucolic bliss. The social dynamic of the compound was called into question on occasion-gently, but sincerely. I value the opinion of this friend and so I've pondered the possibility of difficulties.
I will at this moment take responsibility for all of this. I want the compound, and I'm excited about it. I wouldn't say I've coerced anyone. I've laid out practical reasoning at every turn. But, I must admit, without me, the compound would not be. Because I've solicited and secured input and consent, the success of the compound will be a shared success. Because the compound could not have happened without my motivation (or harping depending on who you ask), I will be blamed completely for its failure.
So I take each question to heart, as I try to answer sincerely. But the truth is, I don't know if it will work out, or how really. I know what it can be, and I know what I hope for it. But the compound is a family, and at the end of the day they work, or they don't. Some work well. Some work satisfactorily. My immediate family has always worked well. I figure the compound will at least come off satisfactorily.
I've been reading The Little Prince to my daughter lately. That little guy had a serious opinion about harmful plants. He uprooted every baobab tree on his tiny planet in an effort to save it from certain destruction. His planet was, by his description, a sphere with about as much square footage as we have on the compound. (There I go talking in numbers.) The fact the he and his flower could not see fit to live there in harmony does give me pause. But alas, they were intense individuals…. His key to relative success was to remove problem trees before they became an insurmountable problem.
As I was mowing my lawn today, I came upon a patch of sand spurs. These are a species of grass that grows like most, by root, by runner, and by seed. The only problem is that their seeds are covered in a spiky husk. They look like a Lord of The Rings version of the worst kidney stone you can imagine. I have worked diligently to rid my lawn of this scourge. However, I've been busy with the building of the brother's portion of the compound. Obviously I've been forfeiting territory. Allowed a foothold they will spread like wildfire. They are well suited for our dry sandy little island. As I was pulling them, I could not help but think of The Little Prince. I thought, what a splendid metaphor! I will blog about this. All you nay sayers! The compound will work. We will weed out problems early and thoroughly.
But then, as I realized that the battle with the spurs would never be won on my effort alone, I began to think in grand communal terms. I actually had a vision of all compound members stooped over ridding our Eden of spiny nuisance. Then I realized, what if my brother and wife are sharing a spur that I don't even know about? What if my dog upsets my sister-in-law's dog, thus upsetting her with me. What if my brother and dad are sharing a conflict that I am not privy to? What then? The sand spur is a real bitch, but at least they are transparent. They wave in the fall breeze and seem to stare up at you saying, "Hey man, I'm here to wreck your yard, you got time to pull me out, because I literally have all the time in the world." What if the issues that might undermine the compound are not so forthright in with their intent to ruin.
I'll admit, this has me a little freaked out, but the potential rewards still outweigh the potential downfalls. I guess because the success of the compound has a little more to offer than a sweet lawn.
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