conflict (what we say versus what we do)
uncomfortable word ‘conflict’ it conjures up negativity and turmoil.
i have just been given a handful of rest days in the sun/shade courtesy of covid, funny gift but strangely welcome.
time to think whilst busying my hands with gardening, clearing, cleaning.
so, here's the thing, i have a small garden, hugely valued and cared for but compact, nonetheless.
And so a few weeks back, me and Mr Woadden sat in it and discussed moving, cause that’s what you do right?
You get to a certain age, (teenage kids, enjoying a hand cream, and reaching for your reading glasses you know the one) and you do a mental inventory of where all your hard work and energy has got you and you decide, of course this is not enough, I need, wanted, expected more, and down the Rightmove rabbit hole you go.
we only dipped our toe in.
Just 24 hours was enough for us to decide nah, this is not the place for us, this is not where our happiness lives.
What I saw was not 4 bedroom detached homes, with bigger gardens, problem solving utility rooms, and garden rooms we can hide the kids we actually really love being with inside. Instead, what i saw was hours of my life spent, agonising over floor plans, transferring thousands of our hard-earned money to legal firms, days I could be out walking, swimming, eating, drinking, catching up with old friends & family swapped for priming window cills, tip-runs, and cutting short conversations with my kids to get back on Pinterest.
No brainer.
So, we choose to stick with what we have, to remember why we loved it when we bought it all those years ago.
We choose the harder route. To take time to understand what's not quite feeling so good about it, listen to its faults and ailments and then figure out how to care for it, to bring it back to us and let it deliver on its promise to give us shelter, and the space to grow (up and old) in.
So back to my garden thinking, with this new ‘unlocking of potential’ mindset we have recently tried no less than 3 new types of garden furniture, from modular corner sofas, to outdoor egg chairs, each one being frustratingly re-boxed to provide yet more work for delivery drivers.
Yet over the past few days I have pottered and pruned, scrubbed existing garden furniture, washed paving stones, trimmed and trained climbers, letting the space reveal itself to me, slowly. Each effort rewarded with a fresher eye and renewed affection for my own things.
What was needed was time, understanding, consideration, effort.
What wasn’t needed was ‘stuff’
Hence my conflict (stick with it!)
I sell ‘stuff’
But what if ‘stuff’ isn’t always the answer?
And so, I sit in quite a conflicted place, realising that my beliefs have shifted further than I had noticed, interesting though and pretty exciting!
Since the beginning of the wn store 2 years ago it has been a value of ours to showcase local makers, artists, ethically sourced products, to encourage
you to #choosewithcare. we launched the green labels earlier this year highlighting the older items in the store more easily.
We have had huge success with the pre-loved clothing events proving that many of you share our values around caring for things a second time around.
But I don’t think we are doing enough.
I want to do better.
We have to do better.
I am writing this in the shade of my small yet perfectly formed (now!) garden on what is likely to be the hottest day we have ever experienced in the UK.
I don’t want to contribute to this anymore, I want to find ways of bringing the skills, experience and energy we have to unlock the potential of your homes, in the most environmentally gentle way we can.
This kind of shift requires consideration, and this will take some time.
We are going to close our doors for the summer and figure out a better way to retail and support you all in getting the very best from your spaces.
I am really excited to do this, we will share our thoughts as we go, and I can promise you we will be back full of energy and real conviction, and not a hint of conflict!
