My Downshifting Journey

I should preface this by saying I have in no way completed my downshifting journey but for some while I have been on one and am committed to going the whole hog! I’ve mentioned my dreams before - to have my own rural patch with hens, rescue rabbits, wildlife galore and a very simplified life working very part time. This journey will probably cross many posts, but for starters I thought I’d share 3 people who were influential in my downshifting dream:

Person A – is a very good friend I met @ University. She is from a Mennonite family, although is not a mennonite herself. Her parents live a very simple life with no TV, no radio or newspapers, no heating in their home or modern conveniences. Everything is hand made. Needless to say, she has many wonderful skills like the ability to quilt which have really enriched her life in many ways. When my friend finished University she was adamant that unlike the rest of us, she was only going to work part time. She studied nursing and as the student graduating with the highest average had many lucrative American health care agencies making offers left, right and centre. She decided instead to stay, taking a job at a local hospital, 2 12 hour shifts a week. Everyone, particularly her grandparents (the non Mennonites) were appalled – didn’t she know it took money to get a mortgage, buy a car and afford vacations? She held strong. For the last 5 years since graduating she has continued to work 2 12 hour shifts a week, she has had many working holidays – planting trees in rural Canada for 2 months, staying at a residential children’s camp & being the camps nurse for children from deprived urban estates to give them a taste of the countryside. Apart from that she has taken many voluntary holidays – taking a year sabbatical to work in Africa, doing several shorter projects in African and Caribbean HIV clinics. She has committed to doing volunteer respite care helping a family one weekend a month who have 2 children with down syndrome. I have never heard the phrase “I can’t afford it” uttered from her lips. Her pay is about £15, 000 = $30, 000 a year and by far has the richest life of us all. She doesn’t buy stuff, only really what she needs. She continues to take an art or history or language class each semester. She volunteers weekly and has by far a very very very blessed life. Her small home (she rents) is basic but nice and homely. She has savings in the bank (about 1 years income) and a small, reliable car.

Couple B – I met through work, downshifted after the birth of their first baby, they’ve since had 2 more. They both, while educated to the highest level (Dr and Professor) work very part time – about 12 hours a week. They grow all their own fruit and veg, spend the weekends canoeing with their children, have a basic home filled with music & laughter and enjoy camping holidays across the world with their children each summer. They cloth diapered & breastfeed all their babies for 2 years, don’t buy elaborate gifts or have elaborate parties for their children and are perhaps the happiest family I know. The children are always happy to play in the garden, sit & read books, listen to stories on the radio (they don’t have a TV) or look through old photo albums. While their children excel in school, home is about being together, they don’t do any flash cards or extra work linked to school, they simply talk to their children about politics, life, the environment and anything and everything else.

Couple C – 2 Dr’s – combined income of £160, 000 = $320, 000 a year. They have 2 children in private school, a £1 million = $2 million house in one of the most sought after areas in the UK. They drive BMW’s, have a gardener, a cleaning lady, an ironing lady and while their children attended nursery full time (10 hours a day) from 6 months of age, they also have an evening and weekend nanny or au pair. The children are perhaps the unhappiest children I have ever met. They scream, kick, hit, throw things, demand money and things all day long. They never say thank you, bully other children and control everything that happens in the house. They buy everything convenience and without hesitation. They have minimal savings (which considering their income is very sad indeed) and live the busiest life with constant activities for the children & parents, constant work and constant holidays. In one year they may have 2 weeks in the Bahamas, 1 week at Centre Parks, 1 week skiing in France, 1 week in Ireland and 1 week in Spain. Yet, despite the copious amount of home help and time cutting devises, they are exhausted, have little energy and never seem happy.

These three families have had a very obvious impact on me when I was choosing what sort of life I wanted to lead. Can you guess which one I chose to do everything in my power not to be like, despite the fact they have what the world would consider “the perfect life”?

In my next post I’ll talk about what I’ve done so far to be able to downshift and how I plan to do even more to achieve my dream!