What does it mean to win by a nose?
16-11-11, by
Every year the Credo community goes on a Cup day picnic down by the Yarra and this year saw 20 or so folk gather in the laneway to take our trolleys laden with wonderful things to eat and drink over to our spot by the river. We chose a nice piece of flat grass, close to the playground and set out our blankets hoping the overcast sky’s promised rain would hold off, and it did (thankfully). This gave us plenty of time to toss the frisbee and have a hit of cricket in between snacks and conversation. No one was quite sure when the race was on so we actually missed the start as we casually wandered up to the big screen in Fed Square - but we were there for the photo finish and to see Dunaden win by a nose.
This then raised for me the question : “What does it mean to win by a nose?” To barely succeed. You’ve got to feel for that horse who came second right?
As a community development organisation Urban Seed receives funding from a variety of sources and with each we have accountability and reporting responsibilities where we let our supporters know how their contribution to our work has been used and its effectiveness. It is sometimes hard to provide measurable results – Do numbers of participants in our programs actually help in understanding the work that we do? It is a particular measure which tells a story but on the ground the story might be supporting someone through rehab and the long process of find a place to live. Or helping someone with court warrants get to a place where they are able to take responsibility for their actions and turn themselves in and then going with them while they do that. How do we describe that win in a grant acquittal? Sometimes backing the people we connect with every day can be a long shot, not necessarily great odds but we take the bet anyway... and sometimes a dark horse comes from nowhere and teaches us anew that the capacity for change sometimes arrives unexpectedly.
The margin of success is a small one - we may not win by a landslide, or even a length, but we often win by a nose – and that is perhaps the more extraordinary thing – searching within yourself for the strength to stretch beyond your reach. Someone with a gambling addiction sharing jam scones by the Yarra instead of taking a punt on the Cup? That’s a win.
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