Nothing New: Final reflections on my attempts at buying nothing new for almost a year

As the autumn is slowly coming to its end and the winter air sneaks into our house through nooks, crannies and keyholes, I am bringing out our old coats, hats, scarves and jumpers and I am bracing us for the winter. In fact I am surprised how long we’ve managed to survive just with our summer jackets, running around with bare necks and heads uncovered. It’s been by all means one of the warmest Novembers I’ve experienced in the UK.

The year is almost over and I’ve been thinking about the journey that I have taken through embracing the Nothing New Project and how much I’ve gained because of it. (Almost) all the goods that I’ve bought this year were not new, but the direction my thoughts have taken me in were new to me. To be truthful, I’ve started liking myself a bit more towards the end of this year as I felt I’ve been a part of something meaningful… maybe even a small part of a big social change. I hope I was. I hope I still am.

If I had to list one thing that I’ve learnt or re-learnt through this project, I would fail at the task, as it’s just impossible to encapsulate the outcome of this project in one line. It would never do it justice. I can hear some of you saying: ‘But come on Alicja, give us three things, three things that you’ve learnt from the Nothing New Project. How would you encourage others to go about it?’ My answer would be: Try to do these things:

1. Engage
2. Maintain
3. Connect

Engage with what you have. More often than not we crave for new things because we forget about the things that we already have. We walk through our rooms oblivious to their contents. There are books that are unread, films not yet watched, CDs hardly ever listened to. Give those items your attention. You have probably bought them with a strong purpose of engaging with them. Give yourself time to do it. The Nothing New Project made it very clear to me that buying is not becoming – that the act of buying something does not change us; it does not make us something else other than just a consumer. To change we need to engage with what we’ve invested in. Only our efforts lead to creations which bring about change. Having a house will never equal having a home if we don’t breathe life into it.

Maintain. This is something that I have had the biggest problem with for as long as my mind can recall. I rush from one job to another, from one project to another, from one occasion to another and my mind is so scattered that I’ve hardly ever given time to the maintenance tasks. Maintenance means to “keep things in being”. To do this we should repair, preserve, clean and conserve what we already have. One thing is to possess something, it’s quite another to give it a long and good life.

Connect with people. Search for or create communities where you can share, swap, circulate items. Enrich others. Sign up to Freecycle or other groups to keep things out of landfill. Use libraries, toy libraries, tool hires. We really don’t need to possess everything. Realistically, we do not have space for everything. In her beautiful post Surrender Sash Milne, the initiator of the Nothing New Project, wrote “Make every transaction an opportunity for human connection. With connection comes relationships, with relationships comes community.” This to me is the core message of the Nothing New Project. Often we hide in our homes with things that we have, with things that could be shared or offered to others (not only goods but also time and talents). When we show to others what we have, who we are, we realise that we have a lot and collectively we have everything. It’s so easy to feel unloved, it’s so easy to feel lonely when all we do is anonymous shopping, and then hiding and hording.

The Nothing New Project made me reach out and learn. I’ve started two groups in my communities and joined another. One of the two groups is doing really well, the other one… will be too (one day). You don’t always need to start a group, just attend the events that are going on in your area already. You are showing your support and openness for friendship through that. Be ambitious for your communities. Just because it must start from someone. Could it be you?

I’ve been following Sash Milne at Inked in Colour and her Nothing New Project for months now. I’ve embraced her ideas because they are simply great. Pop over to her blog for wonderful insights, great photography and writing.

Thankful Tuesday

Do you remember the times when friends or neighbours would call on you with a parcel of nutritious food when you or other members of your family were unwell? Well… these times are not over. A friend of mine with her two-year-old has just turned up on my doorstep with some warm and homemade lunch knowing that I’ve been coughing and sneezing for the last few days. Experiencing kindness feels wonderful. It’s uplifting. It’s inspiring.

When things like that happen, all of a sudden, you see that there are other ones that you can be grateful for. So I thought I will take an example from Katie at Life With The Crew who is running a series of Thankful Tuesdays and I’ll share with you my highlights. I am grateful for:

– my friend who made me feel that I’m looked after
– all homemade remedies for coughs and colds, including the foul ginger, garlic, milk and honey drink;
– a quiet afternoon without a headache (but with a cup of coffee and a novel);
– music that’s always able to cheer up the chores;
– my son’s early morning dance and giggles that disarm even the most tired of parents;
– clothes that just need some ironing and not replacement;
– my hard-working husband whose dedication to work and his family permits our growth;
– life led with passion;
– and for all of you who take the time to read this. Thank you!

What are you grateful for today?

Pop over to Life With The Crew to be inspired!

“Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work”

Whenever I feel slightly vulnerable, I search for words that would give me strength. I look for speeches that inspire me and make me feel less fragile. People have a capacity to hurt us but also to plaster our wounds; they can let us down or surprise us with their generosity. I love being surprised and inspired with people’s good heart, with their ability to sacrifice a bit of self-comfort, a bit of self for greater values, for community, family or friendship. I am painfully conscious of the fact that only actions will make me a better person, only actions speak of me. There are moments however when I feel very tired, when I feel too disgruntled to continue doing things and it is then that I most need to be inspired, I need to be convinced again… in order not to give up. These are the speeches that inspired me lately.
1. Patch Adams (Movie, Parts 8/10 and 9/10 on You Tube)
2.The real Patch Adams.
I’ve come across these words by Ann Landers the other day: “Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.” I hope I am not making a mistake by having another go at a project that will take a lot of effort to complete – in January I am resuming my doctoral studies. My research is not related to medicine, but I relate to the doctor in the videos when he says “Sir, I want to be a doctor with all my heart. I want to become a doctor so that I can serve others.” I am trying to fight a state of terrible insecurity right now. Last time I started my research I had to stop it as my body collapsed (pregnancy efforts and research was just too much for me to bear). In January I’ll be entering the research stronger in body but with trauma. I fear and I question but I want to do it…with all my heart.

Observing the city, imagining people

I’ve always had a lot of respect for History and Education and that is why I like visiting Oxford so much. An opportunity came last week for us to go there and so we did. I must admit when I am in Oxford I breathe deeper, my senses are sharper and I walk around the city all happy.

I imagine these brilliant minds committed to their subjects, devouring their books, excited about learning and discoveries, often terribly frustrated about their lack of progress. I imagine great debates and seas of questioning, heavy timetables and a rush to complete the next book chapter or lab work. I imagine all this and I like my thoughts. My soul approves of this daydreaming.

Last week I was walking around the city again, and again I looked up at the buildings and I sighed in awe and admiration. My toddler shouted in contentment too… at a few very attractively deep and murky puddles that he saw on the university ground. ‘Right. Reality check,’ I thought to myself.

Look up and down (and sideways too).