They say it’s the final hurdles that are always the trickiest and the same can be said for this year’s campaign.
You see the irony of being the organiser of InterNational Downshifting Week is that my work / life balance gets knocked right out of kilter for April and it rather goes against my personal grain in many ways, not least because the children have their Easter holidays to enjoy and my fingers seem to be superglued to the computer keyboard…
Right now, I have two choices. I can either keep my head bent down over the computer for the next few days and just as I enter next week, I’ll be packing a case and heading off around the country for the trip, or, I switch the computer off and enjoy some of the break with the ones ‘I love’.
You see, I’ve really done all I can do at this point to spread the word about the Week and must now trust in the universe, Google Search Engine Optimisation and the passed-on words of my great downshifted and knitting chums to spread the mesage further, allowing me to go away with the kids for a few days for some urgently needed paddling, sandcastle building and general ‘smell the roses-ness’….
I’m plumping for the latter.
The trouble is, when you are truly passionate, achingly so, about banging the drum for something so very important, you run the risk of full immersion and if you let it take you under, there’s a serious danger of drowning.
…that would leave me no good to man nor beast…
I can hear you yelling, ‘Delegate missus, get somebody else to do it!’…. but that’s an issue too. You see, downshifters by their very nature don’t earn a lot of money and I am a very proud downshifter…with an annual income some would consider to be spending money on a wild week away.
Any avid followers of Downshifting Week’s 7 year progress will testify, despite the fact that she has tens of thousands (I kid you not) of visitors, she doesn’t do ad’s, she sells you nothing, she asks for nothing in return, so there’s no revenue to be made here either….and that will always be the case.
Downshifting Week exists to encourage you to slow down your pace and lean towards the green. To help you see and connect with the enormous wave of souls who are feeling the same way as you! They also want to pull back from mass consumerism, they are also sick of the fact that they don’t see their partners, they are also sick and tired of ‘Keeping Up With The Jones”…they are basically sick and tired of the whole thing.
When you find out other people are giving a positive embrace to living with less, it normalises the process. It makes it more socially acceptable. It gives it a wider appeal and it encourages people to take those first tentative steps in the direction of simple, green living….a journey we could all do with taking….
That’s basically why I put the campaign together in the first place, to signpost people and to give them a hook to hang their (not so) crazy ideas on…and it’s worked a treat…..I regularly receive communication from strangers around the world and apparently ‘my words’ have set off on a more sustainable direction…you’ve no idea how much that makes my heart sing.
But of course, zero revenue brings with it obstacles for spreading the word. No advertising budget, no staff, no money for leaflets or posters, or snappy little ads on the telly or radio.
You could say this gig is about as organic as I am (I mean in the literal sense you understand, I don’t eat totally organic food, I don’t have the budget, lolol)….
This year, I’ve nurtured the concept of The Community Blanket. It’s an idea that involves knitting and sewing and I had it about 2 years ago (it does take a while for me to get some of my toys out, I know)…and I’ve been so inspired by the plethora of knitting/sewing/stitch n bitching groups there are up and down the country who have taken kindly to making a few. Seriously, this ISN’T a dying art. Thankfully, it’s a national obsession and I think it’s a little undersung. Hopefully, the media I’m planning to do during the tour will set the record straight and make it seem a little ‘sexier’ and appealing…
I wanted to pull the threads of sustainable living together and combine it with knitting and sewing for many good reasons.
As peak oil (the end of cheap oil/petrol etc) continues to affect our everyday lives by wrenching up the prices we pay to fill our cars and heat our homes, not to mention the knock on effects of shipping food, being clothed and so on) we will need to be more resilient than ever before.
This isn’t a situation that isn’t going to change – everything is going to get more expensive and we are going to have to get smarter at making our personal and our community ends meet.
I suspect this year will be the last year I tour for Downshifting Week. It’s a self funded trip and it’s going to be a costly one on petrol alone, however, I’ve been offered beds and food by my amazing simple living chums around the country and that love and warmth is uplifting to my soul and my coffers – to all of you, I extend my heartfelt thanks….I shall be a grateful acceptor of anything you proffer.
I feel like the Dalai Lama, which is another funny point, because in recent months, I’ve felt more tuned in and pulled towards the Buddhist way of thinking, being more spiritual, more centered, taking the middle path and using meditation as a means of relaxing and pondering; I’d love to perfect the art of meditation…it’s a great means of ditching our mental stresses….
But also, Buddhists are very accepting of what is presented to them, they have no expectations and they trust in the universe to provide.
…and so do I.
I know I have the ability to uplift, encourage and evoke positive change – this ‘child of an alcoholic’ always tries to have a ‘glass half full’, pardon the pun and if my inspiring words get people on the right green track, then my job has been done well.
Believe me, as a writer, author and occasional presenter on the radio, I shan’t be planning my retirement on the proceeds of, any time soon! So I will continue to find ways of doing things more cost and time effectively and I’ll throw my wordy pebble in the pond, hoping others will take up some of the concepts when the ripples wash over them.
And on that note, I’m signing off to go pack a small bag in readiness of taking the kids away to the seaside for a few days and I’ll leave you with a tiny wish list.
If you like what Downshifting Week is about, please tell a friend, in fact tell lots of your friends and ask them to pass the word on too.
If you think you could get involved in the Community Blanket Project, get knitting my lovelies and drop me a line to say where you are and what you and perhaps a small group of your friends have managed to knit! It’s not time critical, you can do it anytime you like!
If you have space on your websites, please lift the ‘What Are You Doing To Celebrate IDW’ button, stick it up for the next couple of weeks and link it to this site.
If you’d like me to talk on your local radio station, please find out their contact email address and send them my press release (it’s on the other page missus), I’d love to hear from them with an interview request.
and…if you have contacts with any other press or media, tell them to have a peek at the site too….there’s much ado here and a little downshifting has the power to make your whole world change colour if you want it to.
Thanks for reading.
Lots of love,
Trace x x x
