Buildin g our lives together

based on a wealth of happiness

My wife Millie and I have reached a strong understanding that our happiness is not determined by chasing after financial wealth, despite decades of an education and culture that seemed to reinforce the idea of vast sums of money being everyone’s life goal. We have often come home from a walk through a forest or a bicycle ride around our village of Greytown with feelings of elation, achieved from a simple investment of personal time, a conversation built on optimism and a very deliberate purpose; being together. Or more simply, money doesn’t make us any happier. But being with each other, especially in a natural environment, does.

Most recently, the act of sowing tomato, bean and basil seeds collected from last season’s harvest has been a simple effort that makes me very happy. I know unexpected weather events and insects will challenge the joy of growing our own organic food from scratch. But if you’ve ever snapped a fresh pod of peas off the plant or plucked a strawberry warm from the afternoon sun and eaten it immediately, you’ll agree it makes the effort completely worthwhile. Home grown fruit and vegetables taste like happiness.

Everyday cycling has become an aspect of our lives Millie and I almost take for granted. We’re fortunate to live in the Wairarapa valley and only kilometres from our cafes, restaurants and pubs in the village of Greytown. That means we can collect a few groceries as we need them, bike to our retail businesses, have our meetings and dine with our friends without any carbon footprint to fret over. Parking is a never a concern, and that little bit of regular exercise keeps the spare tyre at bay for me, and the age- defying beauty of my wife intact. Riding our bikes together feels like happiness.

A benefit of staying put in our own country for a few years now is a much deeper appreciation for our natural environment; watching the seasons change, hearing a huge variety of bird song and smelling nature’s morning spring freshness. We take this for granted in NZ but international travellers will know that it is rare and wonderful. Giving the huge Californian Redwood that grows on our front berm a regular hug is a theatrical act I provide for Millie’s entertainment. Being in nature is where we are designed to be, and we’re rewarded for that by feeling happier.

One of my favourite natural history writers is John Muir and he wrote “when one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” I love the truth of this and I’m inspired by it as we design our offer at Blackwell and Sons. While perfection is still our goal, we’ll keep trying for continuous improvement in the meantime. Our ‘buy it once’ approach to product selection puts quality and workmanship at the top of the criteria list so our customers can be confident that our merchandise should last their lifetime. If we pay a little more now, we certainly save on replacement cost and landfill waste in the long run.

We’re also working on sourcing products from an emerging group of local specialists to support our fellow New Zealand business owners and reduce transport costs. And we’re encouraging our trusted suppliers to change their packaging across the board, replacing anything that can’t be composted or recycled. Because everything we do is connected to the rest of the world. It makes me happier to know that our customers support this effort to be better planet caretakers.

The gifts we give each other are part of our Christmas tradition. Let’s choose gifts that enrich the lives of our friends and family through quality over quantity. And let’s consider that their real value lies not in their cost, but in the long term happiness they help create.

Millie and I, Shane, Michelle, Trish and Young Adam wish all our Blackwell and Sons friends the happiest of Christmas seasons.