As I spend more time at home in this time of social separation I seem to indulge a little more…. I just re-watched one of my favourite films “The Last Samurai”.

Have you ever done that, watched a movie more than once? And if you did, did you notice things that you totally missed the previous time(s)? 

I don’t know about you but for me to watch a movie that I saw before is like going on an adventure to somewhere I have already been before.  It is never the same.  It is like visiting a friend – the same person but different.  Remembering the old times and laying down new memories. Delightful and enriching experience.  I feel the same about visiting places.  I like visiting places I had visited and befriended.  And there is always this moment when my old memories get re-pixelated by my new sensory experiences.  It is a little disorienting.  You know, kind of when after a glass of champagne, the room starts looking different.  You know it is the same room but… somehow… not quite.

Believe it or not, the first time I visited Venice I became really good at navigating the place by remembering shop window decorations. These were eye catching – easy to remember. It was fun and it worked: by the golden window with strappy sandals I knew I needed to turn left and by the shop with red scarfs I had to continue straight…. And yes, you’re right, beats me why I adopted this ridiculous strategy. Next time I visited I was completely lost (even without the champagne). And so, I was again in Venice but the place, or rather my experience of the place, was very different.

Over time, the city opened up to me. Or was it me who opened up to the city?

When I re-watch a favourite movie, it also feels like I need to open up, to allow myself to immerse in the experience – otherwise I would be just watching a movie – not embarking on an adventure. But why does re-watching a movie makes me feel terribly self-indulgent? Is it because if I watched it already then I should use the time to watch something new? Or, better still, do something ‘useful’?!

When I was young I was an avid reader. I started at fairy tales, followed by Greek myths, and continued on with novels. I read all the time. I allowed myself to open up, to let the words on the page morph into the vivid landscapes filled with people and emotions. It was as if I crossed through a Stargate and entered another space and time.

But now that I am all grown up I read less, I put that magic of exploring to the side choosing to be pragmatic and serious and disciplined. You know ‘duty before pleasure’ kind of life motto.
And that’s another reason why I felt self-indulgent today. Actually, today I played a little charade with myself. I told myself that I needed to verify a particular dialogue exchange in this movie. I do quote this dialogue sometime so I had to concur with myself that I did need to be accurate. And this way, I could pretend that I was pragmatic, serious and disciplined… just doing research!

And as I was watching, there was the mention of the Samurai’s way of life that seeks to savour every drop of tea, every breath, every moment of being alive. That became my inspiration for the day. I must have glossed over that part of the film when I watched that part previously. And today I was presented with this new inspiration front and centre. Hmm… I mused: “Thank you for the tip. I need to savour!”.

And for starters, I allowed myself to savour every moment of the movie. 🙂 It worked. By the end, I felt enriched, purified, and renewed. I emerged re-thinking the merits of indulging and savouring.

So, how can I continue to savour life? How can I open up to life so it opens up to me? How do I open up to others? I don’t know about you, for me, it isn’t easy to open up to people but give me an animal and I melt like butter. If you have a beloved animal you probably know what I am talking about. If you don’t, you might get a glimpse of the kind of magic animals can do from the large volume of articles, scientific and popular, about Animal Assisted Therapies.
So, if we need to open up to life in order to truly savour it, animals seem to be an obvious choice for a coach who can assist us in this task. In fact, when people connect with an animal in my hypnotherapy sessions, they emerge feeling more focused and more clear about what is important to them in life as well as feeling truly supported in living their life aligned with their values.

Animals love us without judgement. Animals do see the good in us regardless how well we try to hide it.

So, when you choose to savour life with greater and greater gusto who would you like to be your coach: a cat, a dog, a chicken?

PS
When you decide who will be your animal coach, do book a 20 min complimentary phone meeting with me for some pointers about how best you can structure your sessions with your animal coach.

Grażyna Witkowska - Kinesiology and Hypnosis

+61 415 29 83 83

[email protected]

 
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