“The most valuable thing we can do for the psyche, occasionally, is to let it rest, wander, live in the changing light of room, not try to be or do anything whatever.” ― May Sarton

 I’m writing this on the last day of our spring break.  We had two weeks off, and for reasons that are a whole story in and of themselves, I couldn’t travel off island.  So here I’ve been—all too aware of the last time I had so much time off of work and how I ended up in a not-so-awesome mental space.  But this time was different—I made a very deliberate choice to engage in “conscious escapism”.  Usually, escapism is a mechanism to avoid dealing with reality and the feelings associated with reality.  Conscious escapism, in contrast, recognizes the feelings and emotions followed by temporary solace in your activities of choice.  

For me, that has meant that every day I’m still practicing mindfulness and meditation, but then I just sort of “checked out” for the majority of the day by watching telly or reading.  I did spend some time working on projects for my return to PLU because I’ve missed that work and it nourishes me in a way that nothing here does.  I had a short trip up north and spent the night at another volunteer’s home so we could go to the cinema and then the beach the next day.  This week, I rented myself a little studio up north and basically just watched TV and enjoyed AC for 2.5 days.  Someone once asked me how you find places here since there are no street names or numbers on houses.  This picture holds the answer—this is the message I got from the owner of the studio:

I consumed what can either be called a ridiculous or impressive amount of telly over the past two weeks.  My usual go to activities are outdoor or active in some way, but here those aren’t really an option.  But truth be told I love watching TV and film—but even for me, the last two weeks have been something else!  I include the list here for my own record of this feat and for your entertainment, LOL.

Amie’s Media Consumption
Print
All the Light We Cannot See
Oryx and Crake
The Year of the Flood

An Immense World--still reading this one

The New Yorker--always so many issues to catch up

Television
What We Do in the Shadows: Seasons 5 and 6
Dying for  Sex
Mid-Century Modern
White Lotus: Season 3
Adolescence
Drive to Survive: Seasons 6 and 7
The West Wing--Season 1 done but let's be honest, I'm watching season 2 today

Film (I realize in making this list that these are all rewatches, LOL)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Kicked a Hornet's Nest
Rushmore
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
The Royal Tennenbaums
The Darjeeling Limited
Alien
Aliens
Revenge of the Sith--I had to--IYKYK
A New Hope
The Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi

This is a picture of me enjoying Drive to Survive while wrapped in a soft blanket at the studio.  I never get to use a blanket at home—such a treat!  

My conscious escapism gave me everything I needed-- I return to school tomorrow refreshed and ready for these last months of service!