As we look at the ongoing spot fire lockdowns around us, we felt it was a good time to reflect on what we’ve learnt a year on.
That as South Australians, we are the luckiest on the planet. We’ve always used it as a tagline #luckycountry which seems inappropriate to use now with so many worldwide still suffering. Especially when it forced us back to the family farm, which is always where we would rather be. Work initially drove us to the city, into what we thought we needed. A hectic busy stressful back to back rushing anxious existence and Covid has now made it truly possible for us (and many others) to reshape our lives exactly as we would like them.
We start and end the day with cockatoos and kangaroos. Pet ponies, sheep and millions of dogs. Happy wagging tails and beaming backpackers who work here enjoying their rural step into solitude a million miles from covid ravaged homes.
We’ve learnt not to worry and to slowly peel away from the ones who worry us. The stress of extreme business and financial pressure for most of last year really showed us our own true colours and also many others who we worked with. That we will get through it, we will be fine. And happily actually even better than before. To be endlessly thinking of plan B, C, D and E. And not to stress about it, just enjoy it. To be really true to who we are as a brand and to bring it back to the core of why we started it in the first place. To have fun again, cut the crap and just simplify it into a joy and surround with others who intrinsically get it. It’s so true, no pain, no gain. We went through an incredible amount of pain. Cancelled orders, mountains of stock. But we got through it and it taught us valuable never forget life lessons.
It also gave us back time. Slow days of you tube yoga mornings, wonderful stacks of recommended reading to get through and Netflix series. (Outlander, Schitts Creek anyone?) Watching the grass grow literally on our farm. It was special and wonderful and a beautiful time with our tiny best friend and family. I got a year back.
My biggest lesson ongoing is empathy, kindness and most of all patience. Our suppliers in India and China and Europe are directly in the firing line. No problem ever of ours can really ever eclipse what they have gone and still going through. We have space, fresh air, a government and a system that supports us into our old age. We truly are the lucky country and l aim to enjoy every minute and truly make each day one I am grateful for. As trite as it sounds it is the rainbows, the sunrises, the ladybirds, the moon and the stars in a clear open sky. Fresh home cooked food on the table and happy small moments with family and friends. A job I adore and am so grateful others enjoy it.
We don’t need to be the biggest or the best. We just need to have fun doing it.
Love From,
