Stepping Off

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take – but the moments that take our breath away…

Stepping Off

We have just had a couple of days away camping and climbed Flinter Gill above the village of Dent in the Yorkshire Dales.

The view from Flinter Gill with toposcope

At the top is a Toposcope(!) pointing to the various peaks and fells that may be seen but also bearing a poem – “Smiling Along” by Kathleen Partridge.  The poem says so much that we believe in at Stepping Off, about getting away from the frenetic 21st century pace of life… and I thought I would be able to find it on the internet, but no! So I only have the middle verse which I can read from a photo…

“A good wholesome breeze sweeps the frown from my forehead,
Here is simplicity, fragrant and free;
It is enough to be living this minute,
To feel and to hear, to think and to see”

Kathleen Partridge Poem Smiling Along

If anyone knows the poem, please let me know, or I will have to climb Flinter Gill again!

Thanks to Julia Hall who found a picture of the whole toposcope on the web… here is the poem in full:

“Roaming the byways outside the great city
The sky seems to large for my little concerns
Worries are lost in the green of the landscape
A sense of wellbeing and wonder returns

“A good wholesome breeze sweeps the frown from my forehead,
Here is simplicity, fragrant and free;
It is enough to be living this minute,
To feel and to hear, to think and to see

“My values of living take on a fresh aspect,
With every green leaf that I notice unfurled,
Roaming the byways is good as a tonic,
I come home renewed to the work a day world”

One of the most valuable things we help people with at Stepping Off is getting their life into perspective and sorting out what is really important in life.

Sadly my Mother died last month and it has been quite a tough few weeks but what has really helped is that for the past few years we have lived near her and been able to see her and spend time with her.  I cannot imagine how I would have managed if I had still been living 300 miles away, putting work first and working 12 hours a day.

Getting off the treadmill and moving to live a simpler less stressful life was the best thing I have ever done and it really helped me get life into prespective.

The hardest part is working through what your own life’s priorities really are.  I guess we do not think about it too much – mainly because we are too busy ‘living’ and getting on with life.   When did you last ask yourself – ‘Who am I?’, ‘What do I stand for?’ ‘What do I want from my life?’, ‘What does success really mean to me?’

Now I find I may not have  as much money as I used to have but I do have a  more fulfilling life, I have more fun and more time for the important things.  Things like – having time for friends and family.

Stepping Off will be at the Vitality Show this year being held at Earls Court in London on 18-21 March.

Why I hear you ask?

Well because there was a fantastic show called the One Life Live show held at Olympia every year – and it is all about life change, career change, adult gap-years,volunteering etc.  Well this year it has been incorporated in the Vitality Show. So it will be twice as good!

So come and see us – we are in the One Life section by the theatre.

Also I will be speaking in the theatre on “Finding a Future that Fits” which will be a motivational talk outlining  some useful hints and tips to help you design the best future possible.

Come and listen on Thursday evening at 8pm, Saturday at 1.30pm and Sunday at 1.30pm. 

If you want to know more about the things I speak on have a look at Jo Hampson

See you there!

Our motto at Stepping Off this year is to “put procrastination in the past”!

How many times have you been here before – it is a new year – we are thinking of new year’s resolutions, we are all keyed up and motivated – this year is going to be different!

But is it?

Being keyed up and motivated is only half the story – the other half is understanding why you have been here so many times before and have never really achieved all you set out to achieve.

Identifying the things in our lives  that stop us from moving forwards and achieving our goals is vital if we are to live our lives differently.

So why not spend some time thinking about  -

1.  What are the things that are stopping us moving forward and living a happier life?   

2. Who are the people who are stopping us changing? – Have you ever thought that some friends and family members may have their own reasons for wanting you to stay where you are?

There are lots of reasons that keep us where we are – our own comfort zone for one.   But if you can name some of these reasons, think them through and then answer this question:  Are they real, are they imagined or are they just an excuse?  When you have made sense of them you can then dismiss them from your mind. 

Don’t let them stop you becoming the person you long to be, living the life you long to live!

Procrastination may well be one of these reasons. So make this the year you put procrastination in the past and make this YOUR year for change!

Return to Stepping Off website.

Remember how hard we worked at Easter ploughing a furrow and preparing the ground for our raspberry plants?

Wild raspberries growing nearby

Well having nurtured them all summer – watering and feeding them and trying to protect them from the Shap weather (!) they are finally bearing fruit.  Not many as yet – as this is the first year.  Also they were  present from our lovely neighbour Alexand she bought us three varieties – which all bear fruit at different times of the season.  Some early and some later in the year.

Molly and I with our first raspberry!

Also with the raspberries we transplanted two gooseberry bushes and two blackcurrant bushes and a redcurrant bush.  These are growing well but no fruit yet.

Raspberries with leeks planted in between!

In addition we were also given a few leeks to bring on so I popped them in the ground – in between the raspberries and right at the end where I had about a square metre I planted some seed potatoes and a parsnip!!!   I am new to this and just thought I would have a little fun and see what happens.

Potatoes and parsnip doing very well – very exciting!

It is several years since I worked for myself running the smokehouse.  We used to get up early everyday – work quite long hours and mostly 7 days a week (farmers markets at the weekend).  Since then having downshifted a second time we still work for ourselves but  as we run courses and do lots of ‘bit’ jobs it is not regular and certainly not regular in terms of hours.  So….

This getting up early every day to drive into the city for jury service has come as a bit of a shock!  Whilst I am enjoying the ‘change’ of doing something different – and even quiet enjoying the routine – I am not at all sure that I could go back to being employed full time.

In fact Georgina made a comment the other day that we may just be unemployable!  Only in terms of  when you work for yourself for a long time  it might make it difficult to work for anyone else full time.

It is funny how precious time is – even when you have quite a lot of it.  I am used to having a really good work/life balance (actually the work/life balance is weighted towards life rather than work!). So being out of the house 9 hours a day is making me remember life before downshifting even though in those bad old days I was out of the house between 12-14 hours a day.

OK – looking at it that way – perhaps two weeks on jury service really isn’t so bad!

When you lead a hectic life and work long hours being called for jury service can be a nightmare.  However when you downshift – something like being called for jury service is actually quite interesting because as you live life in the slow lane you have more time for these things.

Yes, it is inconvenient but I am not stressed about it.  I am not worrying about work – trying to fit work in around sitting in court.  I am actually quite enjoying the experience.  Meeting new people and doing a new thing.  Without the stress – being shut in a room all day with books to read, coffee to drink and people to chat to waiting to be called to a jury is really quite relaxing.

Getting loads of reading done!

One of the great things about leading a quieter, simpler life after downshifting – is that when you do go out and do something different – it is really exciting.

We have just come back from a short break in Paris.  Fantastic – we haven’t really had a holiday for a couple of years (mostly because life at home is pretty good and when you live somewhere so wonderful why would you go away?)  But away we went….  Paris was great – but oh so expensive – 12euros for 1/2 a litre of beer – that’s £10 a pint! and the cheapest bottle of wine we saw on a menu at even the smallest of restaurants/cafes was 22 euros!  You have to be kidding!

Anyway we didn’t let that stop us – we ate lots of wonderful meals, we walked for miles and did lots, saw as much as we could.  We even got given a free ride down the Champs Elysees in a MacDonald’s rickshaw and given a free ice cream.  It was a heart stopping moment when I thought the guy was going to take us around the Arc de Triumphe in the rickshaw.  I am brave – but not that brave!

We had a great time – but as always as George says “East, West – Home is best” and she is right.  Lovely to have a break away – but also lovely to come home.  Heavens – Am I losing my sense of adventure?  Surely not!

It is just great to enjoy the simple and quiet things in life as well as all the crazy times.

After last weeks fishing I realised how it is all to easy too become complacent.  Here we are talking about having a good work/life balance - and we do, but I realised that I have slipped back into that ‘pottering’ mode when you potter around the house doing chores and forget to table in time for play.

So yesterday we booked a ‘play day’ and went riding at the Cumbria Heavy Horse centre.  It was wonderful – fantastic weather, great scenery and a thoroughly enjoyable two hours riding on the fells between the coast and Coniston.

I was lucky enough to be given a full Clydesdale to ride – called Hamish.  He is nicknamed Eeyore as he has a rather soulful look but he was lovely – a real gentleman and a pleasure to ride.

Hamish and me!

Here we are after a long ride in the heat of the day both looking  a little warm!  Hamish of course had a hose down.  Me? – Well we went off to the beach for a picnic and a splash in the sea – and it was wonderfully warm.

Then we took the scenic route home via Coniston and Ambleside and stopped for an ice cream.  What a great day – these days should be enjoyed more often.   Note to self!