Posted: by Jo Thursday, 28 May 2020 @ 13:24
As we start to come out of lockdown and life starts to return to more like normal, it is a good time for reflection. For me, those reflections relate most to being outside.
Once restrictions were lifted, my husband and I drove down to the New Forest area for the day, for a beautiful walk along the coast and a drive through the forest. We saw a few dog walkers and families out for a stroll, enjoying the beautiful weather and the new freedom.
I was extremely grateful to be outside in such a glorious part of the country, and loved seeing so many wetland birds that I haven’t seen for years – lapwings, plovers, egrets and coots. I recalled all their names from my childhood membership of the RSPB.
So, one of my most important lessons from lockdown – as with many people, I am sure – has been a new-found appreciation of the joy of the natural world.
I don’t know when I lost it, as I was a very outdoorsy child – spending hours in our local woods, playing at a disused chalk pit, and going on weekend adventures in a country park. But as I reached university and then my 20’s, boys, alcohol, parties, dancing, and going to the movies took over, and my life became more about socialising than about being outside!
Now, with many, many hours spent in our back garden, and long river and country walks around Stratford and the Cotswolds, where we live – I have once again become a country girl at heart. I don’t miss big cities, shopping centres, or busy streets, and am instead rediscovering the joys of a slower and more outdoor life. I hope to take this lesson with me into our new world, as life returns to more normality.
Not that things changed that much for us, here at Mantra. The website has been extremely busy throughout this period, and we have loved working flat out to get orders out the same day, where we can. Many more people have discovered us, and we have received such amazing feedback from so many who are new to the brand.
Our Lockdown Heroines campaign, in early May, proved very popular, with us sending out more than 100 free necklaces for people to gift to a Lockdown Heroine of their choice. I hope this helped spread positivity and optimism during these tough times.
And some of our mantras have really struck a chord with you all. Our Phoenix Necklace, ‘Always, I rise’, has temporarily sold out as it was so in demand, and our Anchor, ‘I feel calm, safe and grounded’ is also flying.
Our larger ‘myMantra’ pendants have proven extremely popular during lockdown, with many of you choosing to have your own words engraved, bringing you comfort and inspiration. From ‘For everything, there is a season’, to ‘Dream big, never fear, the world is yours’, to ‘Love and be gentle with yourself’, we have loved seeing the heartfelt and powerful messages you are writing.
We have recently added Rose and Yellow Gold versions to our plain ‘myMantra’ Bar Necklace – the one where you have your own word or short phrase engraved. We already had these colours available in our ‘Breathe’, ‘Love’, ‘Happiness’ and ‘Peace’ designs, but not the plain one. One lady had ‘Stay strong’ engraved on hers – a powerful reminder in times of difficulty.
We also have 6 new bracelet designs to launch shortly, as we have created a new beaded chain which works brilliantly as a bracelet. Look out for our Compass, Family Tree, Hamsa Hand, Dreamcatcher and Elephant launching soon as bracelets, as well as Chloe Brotheridge’s Solar Plexus Chakra design.
The new reality of this year will still be very different for us, without the joy of face-to-face events where we usually meet so many of you. But we feel we have got to know many of you virtually over these past few weeks, as we have had dialogue about engravings, special birthdays, personal messages, and helping you choose the right gift. Please do continue to email, message and phone us – we love to know more about why you choose a particular mantra and who it is for, to help us keep improving what we do.
So – a huge thank you from me and the Mantra team for keeping us so busy during this lockdown period. I hope we can all return to work, school or a more normal life with a sense of eagerness, courage and enthusiasm, whilst remaining vigilant and careful. But most of all – I hope we can take some learnings forwards with us, for how we might change something for the better as a result of what we have learned.
For now – take care, and stay safe.
Jo x