I’ve done it again.
I’ve fallen in silly love with a word: bricolage (br
k
-läzh
, br
k-)
A word for heaven’s sake!
It’s French and means: the creative use of what’s at hand. It’s the equivalent of the Yanks’ and Brits’ “jerry-rigging” – a nautical term used once upon a time to describe the challenge of losing a mast or sail while at sea – sailors had only the materials and supplies at hand – no JIT or Just In Time delivery by helicopter!
What does bricolage have to do with resilience and optimism? Harvard Business School says (and I believe them) “Resilient people share three traits: acceptance of reality; a deep belief that life is meaningful; and an uncanny ability to improvise. …When situations unravel, bricoleurs [improvisers] muddle through, imagining possibilities where others are confounded.”
So – Do You Bricolage?
Here are four examples of creative improvising —
First: There’s the pure American, classic quote from the movie Apollo 13: “Failure is not an option,” announced Gene Kranz, Mission Control flight director. So the ground crew in Houston raced to manufacture a solution that required only the materials aboard the space capsule. And they succeeded.
Second: During my husband’s hospital stay, PattiAnn generously stepped in and conducted the weekend class sessions that I normally teach at the university. While we were reviewing the materials, she at her home, me at the hospital, both of us talking on land lines with computers as resources, realized that she did not have a document crucial to her success as the substitute teacher; I had forgotten to give it to her. As we puzzled through the problem, I realized that I had sent it to the students via email. But the hospital Wi-Fi was down so I couldn’t send it to her. Then it dawned on us – she could access my email box with her own Wi-Fi and my password. By using the tools at hand we were able to get that crucial document to her lickety-split. Problem solved.
Third: This is really a double-deck of bricoleurs — Kristin Crane, who created the clever photo featured at the beginning of this post, is a versatile artist whose carefully crafted travel journals are featured on Esty – “I’m a bookbinder with a special affection for making travel journals. I love making journals especially for a specific trip, and I love knowing my journals are traveling around the world to places I have yet to go.” See her bricolaged travel journals at www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5024729 and enjoy her blog at kristincrane.blogspot.com
Fourth: And then there’s “Esty”, a brilliant website that “enables people to make a living making things, and reconnects makers with buyers – the Etsy community spans the globe with buyers and sellers coming from more than 150 countries.”
Lastly, enjoy this wonderfully charming e-mail story that’s making the rounds: (by anonymous? Or claim it if you can, we’d love to give credit where credit is due.)
Italian Tomato Garden
Dear Vincent,
I am feeling pretty sad, because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. I know if you were here my troubles would be over… I know you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days.
Love, Papa
A few days later he received a letter from his son.
Dear Pop,
Don’t dig up that garden. That’s where the bodies are buried.
Love, Vinnie
At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left.
That same day the old man received another letter from his son.
Dear Pop,
Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That’s the best I could do under the circumstances.
Love you, Vinnie
Processing... 
Posts
Comments