Choose your own village

I’m lucky enough to be part of many villages – my Easter crew, writing group, school communities, bookclub group and of course, family groups. Not only do the lovely humans in these groups care for me, but they are also wonderfully interesting people with a variety of skills, talents and occupations.

I’ve been musing on the idea of creating your own old-fashioned fantasy village, full of people with different occupations. (Every now and then I dabble in a fairy-tale/myth type of story.) Who would you choose if you had to people a village of ten occupations?

Here are my choices:

• writer/librarian – to record the stories for prosperity and provide old knowledge and wisdom, to offer words for the unsayable

• cook/forager – to gather food, grown from the surrounds, and prepare it to feed the crew

• builder – to provide shelter and homes, fix things

• scientist – to research, experiment, offer news ways of thinking

• doctor – to heal, care, advise on all health issues

• artist – to provide colour, tell stories through art, provide beautiful objects of meaning

• teacher – to teach the young, guide their ways

• environmentalist – to care for the land, manage our resources

• psychologist/wise person – to look after our mental health, provide wisdom

• musician – to sing stories, reflect our feelings, create community.

Who would make your top ten? Would you choose two cooks or two environmentalists? Would you skip the artist but add a trade/barter specialist? Maybe you’d choose someone with a boat or wagon as a travel guide? Perhaps you need a spiritual adviser?

And who would be the leader? The doctor? The teacher? Or would your village value music so much that the musician would lead?

Would your village have been different before Covid? It begs the question of who is an essential worker!

Tell me about your village of choice – I’d love to know.