Reflections on work, life, and the little things that make a difference
This column lingers on the small moments that quietly influence how we live and work. It doesn’t seek to resolve everything, but to offer perspective – and maybe a little space to breathe.
The Difference Between Building & Becoming
The other day someone in Huntly told me about their project to replace the back fence of their property. The old one had weathered its time and the obvious solution would have been to build a tall, solid barrier and be done with it.
Instead, they chose something slightly different. A low fence was installed first. It was measured, planned and completed within days. You could step back and see the work done, and there was something satisfying about that kind of certainty.
But to complement this, a line of trees was planted – and this was a different process. There were no immediate results. Just small saplings, spaced carefully along the boundary. They needed watering, watching and adjusting. Some struggled at first and one or two even had to be replaced. Through winter they appeared almost unchanged, and through summer there were small signs of growth.
It took nearly a year before they rose high enough to provide the privacy originally sought. And when they did, the result was something a high fence alone could never have achieved. The natural barrier filtered light rather than blocking it. It created softness instead of shadow. There was privacy, yes, but also air, movement and life.
Listening to that story, I began to notice how often we approach everything in life as if it were a fence. We plan, measure and act. We expect the result to follow quickly and predictably. And for lots of things, that works beautifully. A proposal can be sculpted or the schedule can be organised precisely.
But other parts of life don’t respond well to chisels and straight lines. Trust doesn’t grow because it is declared and confidence doesn’t appear because it is demanded. Those things behave more like trees where conditions respond to patience, and growth unevenly progresses over time.
A Thought to Carry With Us?
This story helped me reflect on how often frustration comes not from failure but from misidentifying what we’re working with. When we try to sculpt what needs growing, or leave untouched what actually requires shaping.
So perhaps the quiet wisdom here is to ask, before we begin… “Is this something to build, or something to cultivate?” The answer may not change the goal. But it will almost certainly change the way we wait for it.
