My husband has left his office job to become a plumber.

I am thrilled, because I think this will make him 10,000% happier than he has been for the last 13 years I've known him. But what's interesting is that, on his training course, there are many men atound his age who are leaving office jobs to retrain. He's met many other men his age leaving office jobs to retrain in other trades, too. And when I tell people about his job change, it's not unusual for someone to say, “Oh, my brother / cousin / former colleague has just left their job to go into a trade”.

I'm wondering if there is a shift happening. Are more people wanting to work with their hands? To get back to making rather than consuming? To be connected to the fabric of life - plugged in to what makes our lives function - rather than separated from it all?

I've seen a lot of women rediscovering making, crafting, growing, creating, and it's interesting to see men seem to be on this journey too.