My mindful practises have expanded over the school holiday break and I am now embracing slow living. Slow living is kind of like mindfulness, but it is really more focused on grounding and re-setting yourself than needing to be mindful.  Lord knows that I spend a lot of time in mindful contemplation, so the idea of just switching off every now and again, or just doing something for the utter joy of it certainly has great appeal to me also, and nothing provides more time to meander and marinate than a school holiday term break, so I've been embracing the slow with both hands. 
To be totally honest, I actually do crave slow, even though I am often moving at break neck speed and over filling my life to the brim with exciting adventures and opportunities. From time to time I just have to escape everyone and everything for a few days and I will find myself searching for slow rather than mindful ways of being. And one of the best things about slow living is that it totally fills my hedonist bucket because there is a lot of 5 senses stimulation involved in slow living, and who doesn't want more of that action?
Still not sure what slow living might involve? Well here's a list of ways to kick your slow cooker into gear:

• Spending 15 minutes outside with a good coffee in the morning.
• Eating by candlelight.
• Not using your phone/Ipad/device for an entire day.
• Picking out a new books at the library/ bookstore. 
• Selecting a new gin/ whiskey or wine at a tasting.
• Picking fruit/ vegetables or herbs. 
• Listening to an audio book in the bath. 
• Making your own pizza - base and all. 
• Watching the sunrise or sunset. 
• Writing in a journal.
• Having a long breakfast or brunch and making it from scratch. 
• Giving someone a really long hug or cuddling on the couch.
• Having a candlelight shower.
• Sketching, painting or modelling without purpose or plan. 
• Wearing your cosiest clothes all day. 
• Making a pot of soup and homemade bread. 
• Cutting flowers from your garden and arranging them. 
• Hanging at the farmers market and tasting something new. 
• Listening to music or watching an old classic movie. 
• Handwriting someone a letter. 
• Reading in bed. 
• Knitting, sewing, crocheting or stitching something. 
• Changing the linen on your bed. 
• Finding a new cheese at the local deli. 
• Sleeping in and having breakfast in bed. 
• Planting vegetables, herbs or flowers. 
• Baking biscuits or cupcakes.

Getting the idea now? Slow and steady, deeply enjoyable, filled with sensorial joy and just what one needs when they are on an early spring break. Ah, slow living, if only all the days could be so marvellously gentle. 

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN
Release Date: 1948
Rating: PG
Running Time: 83 mins 
If you haven't yet had the joy of seeing this cult classic, do yourself a favour and take a look. Considered the 'OG' of the horror/comedy genre, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is a treasure-trove of classic horror iconography and mighty fine example of old school slapstick comedy. 
Baggage clerks Chick and Wilbur are given the unfortunate job of delivering two large crates to a 'house of horrors' wax museum. Unbeknownst to them, the contents of the crates is none other than Count Dracula in his coffin and Frankenstein's monster, both of whom awaken and with the help of a femme fatale named Dr. Sandra Mornay, begin to exact a devious plan. 
There are few things to really love about this film, the first is seeing Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula, Glen Strange as Frankenstein's monster, Vincent Price as the Invisible Man (keep your ear open for that one) and Lon Chaney Jnr as the Wolfman. The other thing that I really enjoyed was that they chose to make the real villain behind it all a woman, which wasn't a plot line utilised a lot back in the day, and last but not least; well how can you not love a bit of Lou Costello? With his over acting, wheezy, bumbling gestures and silly carry on, he totally steals the show. For me, this is the finest offering that Abbott and Costello have made together and it shouldn't be missed. 
FINAL SAY: I've had this brain for thirty years. It hasn't done me any good!
4 Chilli Peppers ​

I have been sharing two sessions a week of mindfulness with my fellow co-workers. These sessions run for 20 short minutes twice a week and offer the staff an opportunity to engage in a range of mindful activities, meditations and contemplations. I have loved researching and running these sessions and find the undertaking of them deeply enjoyable. As you would well know, I adore the practise of mindfulness and being able to share that passion with others has been extremely joyful for me. 
So far we have engaged in:

• Tai Chi
• Gratitude 
• Sound bath
• Clay Therapy
• The Sound of the Bell Practise
• Contemplative Drawing 
• Mind Body Spirit - candle meditation
• Energy Exchange
• Mindful Walking
• Mindful Eating
• Yoga
• The Four Stones Meditation
• Music interpretation through Art
• NSDR - No Sleep Deep Rest
• Self Worth Meditation
• Slow Art 
• Qigong
• Becoming Whole Meditation
• Colour and Chakra Therapy
• Self Belief and Self Talk Contemplation

Through creating these two small sessions each week, I have really dug down, exploring the possibilities and the opportunities to engage in mindfulness in meaningful ways that are not only accessible for the complete novice, but also interesting and entertaining as well. Some sessions have generated up to 14 staff members, others only 3 or 4, but in all honesty the numbers of attendance are neither here nor there to me, it's that fact that I get to share a practise with others that I am genuinely invested in and completely believe in. 
Mindfulness does work, and better yet, it's not a religion or a fad or a doctrine, it's just a way of being and it does deliver profound and long lasting results. Anyone can do it and anyone can benefit from incorporating more mindfulness into their lives. I wish that delivering mindfulness sessions could become my full time job - is there such as a thing as a mindfulness consultant? I must look into that, I would just love to help others to find their bliss every single day - what a marvellous and meaningful job that would be! 

​PINK FLOYD - THE WALL
Release Date: 1982
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 95 mins 
A mixture of live action visuals speckled with various styles of animation, Pink Floyd - The Wall delivers an assault to the senses with its extraordinary surrealist soundtrack and controversial and political storyline. The movie delves head first into some emotionally and challenging territory by exploring themes of rejection, depression, oppression and exploitation, in startling and creative ways.
Rock star Pink is driven to madness by the pressures of his stardom and the traumatic events of his life. In order to survive he constructs an emotional and mental wall around himself, which leaves him numb and seeking escape. 
Pink Floyd - The Wall  is truly timeless, I've seen it at least once every decade since I was 15 and every time that I see it, I experience the material in a new way, and I can assure you that the message that it delivers is no less affecting now than it was in the '80s.
A very young Bob Geldof plays Pink with a convincing level of mania and the entire experience is unforgettably affecting and also disturbing in the most psychedelic ways; it's a definite must see movie experience that you won't forget in a hurry. 
FINAL SAY: I have become comfortably numb. 
4 Chilli Peppers