The Bait Shack

Stephen Betts of the VillageSoup recently published a photo of the last remaining bait shack in Rockland.  It was built by Sulo Grundros many years ago.  This tumbledown old shack was the first office of Station Maine.  It had a door then, and windows.  The char was from a fire that destroyed the old Rockland Boat, where many beautiful boats were built back in the day.

There was no heat in this little shack, and no insulation to keep the heat in once we brought in the wood stove.  We wore our coats and gloves when we stuffed envelopes for mailings.  But it came with dock space for our gig.  It came with a great deal of encouragement from our community and from the early risers at Journey’s End offices who watched us row out at sunrise.

I guess I’m showing this by way of illustration.  Station Maine had very little to start with.  A borrowed boat, a bait shack, a handful of very, very enthusiastic adolescents.  From these humble beginnings we built the program that not only built us, but built generations of kids who followed.  We were told it couldn’t be done.  No seed money.  Insufficient population.  Insufficient business training.  We persevered because we knew we had to if we wanted to build the vibrant program that we ultimately did build.  We are stronger, each of us who have pulled an oar with Station Maine.  But I think there is an added level of pride for those of us who began a program in this shack and built something worthy.

Find your dream.  Whatever it is, embrace it.  Talk about it.  Plan the work and work the plan.  Then find your bait shack.  However inadequate, it will give you a wonderful sense of moving forward towards changing the world.