I have returned wanting to do thing differently. I want to feel closer to my community, I want to choose happiness and share it too, and I want to be kinder to our planet. This is my vision, but vision without action is merely a daydream, so it is time to start something. I have an idea, and I’m hoping you will join me. It’s a way of connecting, creating and caring for the environment all in one. It’s an idea that has me smiling, so I’ll share it with you.
Ingredient 1 – Be Creative. I crochet so I don’t kill people. These are the words on a mug that was a present to a dear friend. She took no offence from the gift, saw no questioning of her mental stability nor felt I was implying violent tendencies, because she too knows the truth about the emotionally healing benefits of creativity. My friend and I have been known to sit together with yarn and cloth spread around us, stitching our way to a new achievement. In a world where so much of what we do is just getting by, we manage to experience the joy of carving out time to do something that yields a positive, tangible outcome. For a few hours, we check out of the roller coaster ride of deadlines and deliverables and let our world compress to focus on the task at hand. We are wrapped in a warm blanket of mental calm through creativity. Give it a go.
Ingredient 2 – Get Connected. Creativity is a meditation of motion and productivity, and as my friend and I weave wool into beanies, we are also weaving conversation and connectedness. I want to share that experience with more people, so I will be opening my home for people to join me. There are no skill based prerequisites for this gathering, but a sharing of knowledge will be welcomed. I am not very talented and my creations are flawed, however the process is wonderful. I hope I can teach some people while learning from others, and along the way, build a community with no barriers to entry.
Ingredient 3 – Have a Cause. I am responsible for a lot of the harm done to the environment. By accepting responsibility, I am forced to take effective steps towards making amends. I have started reducing my consumption of single use plastics and at the same time diverting old clothes and material from landfill. Last weekend I proudly took my home-made produce bags, formerly a t-shirt, to the supermarket to fill with fruit and vegetables. It may seem small, saving just a few plastic bags, but I will do it again next week, and the week after, and people will see what I’m doing and maybe think about making changes themselves.
Method: Boomerang Bags www.boomerangbags.org The first step is to build a community (that’s you!), then we gather unused material (sheets, clothes, anything suitable for a bag), next we make bags (don’t be intimidated by this step – we will do it together) and finally we put the bags to use in the wider community. Simple!
What do you think? Will you join me?