when we fail we succeed

When we fail we succeed. I am constantly learning this.

Because we fail, we can learn, and because we fail it causes us to think. Naturally it seems like the yin and yang to evolution. Making things happen. Seeing the birth and death of an idea...over and over again. I am sitting in a meeting in the middle of a cafe with Harold, Dian, Suparti, and now Sasha. So many conversations going around right now. Sasha a marine ocean specialist studying coral reefs here in Bali, has a skeptical look. They always have a skeptical look on there faces. I am learning this body language daily. I have to slightly go off tangent and say that I have felt more skeptism from expats of 10-20 years plus here in Bali, versus the local Balinese. I think they want me to suffer how they have suffered. Who am I? This girl from California...to have it easier than them. Tough love. They have good intentions...but it's like you have to earn your street cred around here. More than at home. You need to know what the reefs look like, where the bay's are...what the local history has been of each area as far as government, tourism...etc. It's alot. I have a story about that later....so back to my meeting. Basically we are trying to get credible advisories on our team. So Sasha naturally has alot of questions concerning what we actually hope to do and also if he really views our cause as worthwhile. He's a scientist, so he wants to protect the environment. Who are we to know what is best for mother nature? What species are we planting. There are many and we cannot just transplant polyps that have a faster growth rate. You need to plant diversity. What concrete are we using to anchor these artificial reefs? Different concrete's/ substrates are poreous in different ways....these are things we must think about. Why not use limestone? It's very natural to the area. Limestone mixed with concrete and dead coral...create a free form anchor. Something with nooks and rough edges, so that the coral has texture to adhere naturally. So simple, but yet...never thought of it. Everyone just makes a concrete block. Of course! It should be more organic, like it is something weathered by a local storm or years of growth.
I think we need hydro-ponic coral reef nurseries using electrical currents. Some of the local reefs have been rehabilitated using this method...it's faster...but you need to run a wire out to the reef. So...where are we getting the coral? So many questions to ask and answer to others. Maybe the best thing is for nature to run it's course. Our job is to do the least amount of harm....but the harm has been done. Done in many forms. Watershed toxicity, tourism, coral bleaching, etc. Oh my god. I think we talked for four hours straight without a drink of tea, water, juice. Nada. The government alone can take up hours. My brain hurts.
So....we may have failed to recruit the scientist (he has his own ideas)...maybe not...time will tell. Maybe I will just pick his brain about the coral species names. But, I have learned alot in just 4 hours of talking away and this is priceless. Gotta love it all. It's nice to mediate the discussion. Sit back and see everyone trying to think of what is the best action to take.