My truth - statement from Malin Z, former employee at Stedsans
This post - originally shared on instagram, is a description of what kind of workplace, Stedsans was, and Malin’s reflections on the lies being shared in the press.
It's been bubbling inside me for the past week. I want to say something. But what? What do I want to add to everything that has already been expressed in social media and newspapers about my former workplace Stedsans in the Woods?
A workplace that has meant an enormous amount to me. Where for 8 months I got to know myself in a way I had never experienced before.
Where, through physical tasks, many of them seemingly quite fundamental, I have come into contact with insights, feelings and abilities I didn't think I had. Such as my own endurance and ability to just "get things done". Even though it's something I judged myself not to be good at.
Likewise, the realization that things take time when done without all too modern shortcuts. And how foundational it is to carry that respect for time and space, for the earth, for the seasons, in your body.
I have also realized how much I enjoy being part of something that really feels meaningful. How nice it is to collaborate so that the big picture comes together, where the whole thing is about letting people take part in how it is possible to eat and live in harmony with our beloved nature. A manifestation based on the good intentions and hard work of two souls:
Flemming,
who I have run around the glass house with so many times, balancing with kombucha, wine, barrels and trays. And then danced with in the kitchen.
Mette,
who asked me "Are you scared?" when I was going to learn how to bake Danish rye bread and chocolate cake in their absence. And who didn't judge when I admitted that yes, of course I was; of course I was a little nervous. Which made it go away, of course, and the learning could begin.
Flemming,
who has a presence and energy that makes me want to be a more upright and honest version of myself. Where I let my "yes" be "yes", and my "no" be "no".
Mette,
who I have found myself in numerous conversations with where we have shared thoughts and intuitive "hits". Which have so many times felt like liberating confirmations of being on the right path and part of a larger community; not being alone in what you feel, think and believe.
Flemming,
who is the only boss I have ever been hand-fed by ("It tastes like bubblegum!" I heard and suddenly a pansy was in my mouth). And who also made me a treasure map with burnt edges once (so that it would be possible to find a hard-to-find producer among mountains and cows).
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“The past week has shaken me and many others considerably. I, who do not otherwise follow the news, have done so. And it is so clear, in my opinion, how the media exerts hypnosis over consciousness with their shocking headlines. So that focus, and thus time and energy, is spent on reading about situations and people from a very angled spotlight.”
What has been frustrating is that even though Mette and Flemming have given answers to questions, the nightmare seems to continue. Where instead they adjust the news somewhat and begin ignoring certain parts. But continue to feed and develop what still creates hatred and sensation. Which thus keeps people's focus on the story that portrays Mette and Flemming as evil and "fake"; that they would have fled suddenly without saying goodbye to us staff, abandoned excrement barrels and animals to die, and polluted the forest with environmentally harmful methods.
Now the tears come as I write this.
“No one deserves to be hanged in this way. And certainly not these two who have not compromised anything regarding the principles they have built their business with. Where they arranged for the means used to be biodegradable and that there was a system for allowing human excrement, slowly but surely, to be converted into compost.”
When they left, they certainly did not say goodbye; they said see you soon. They had plane tickets back to Sweden in March for the upcoming high season. My colleagues and I prepared so that everything would flow even if Mette and Flemming were not physically there for a while. And it worked. It was hard work, in the middle of winter and all, but we managed it together, and with Mette and Flemming involved remotely.
They certainly didn't abandon any animals to die; the cat and two guinea pigs they had privately got new homes in connection with their being away for a while. Unfortunately, a feral cat passed away while they were away, although it continued to get food as before. Which is of course sad, but it is very unfair to use its passing as something Mette and Flemming were responsible for.
What their financial situation looks like, and what choices they have made for various reasons throughout their lives related to it, is their own story to tell. But one thing is certain, and that is that it is human to make mistakes and to ask for forgiveness when one's choices affect others as a side effect. Which they did.
“It is also human to not always reach where one's vision pointed; to fail at something. And that should not be a reason for others to engage in denigrating the good and inspiring that has actually been achieved on the way.”
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My time at Stedsans has, as I hope my words convey, been transformative to say the least. In addition to feeling grateful for having gotten to know Mette and Flemming, I also feel deep gratitude for all the other people I have had the honor of meeting because of Stedsans; such as my committed colleagues, talented suppliers and wonderful guests. And I hope from the bottom of my heart that people's memories of the place have not now been "tampered with" and distorted because of the filter the media advocates.
When I myself look back, I feel both proud and happy to have been a part of what was. In a place where there was not only room for life forms with roots to grow. At least that's how it felt to me; that's my truth. And therefore also an angled one, definitely.
“But in a world where it is so easy, with a few clicks behind a screen, to express yourself from a place of hate, it feels important to contribute with a personal voice born from the opposite: compassion and love.”
