Who Dunnit? Who Missed It?

This weekend I was lucky enough to spend it with family. We had a lovely weekend away and participated in a murder mystery evening. It was something fun and different to do and a great way to spend an evening. We all thought it was good fun and everyone loved it. There were 10 of us on our table and we had to work as a team to try and solve the murder. This story played out in between dinner courses and it was a great way to keep your attention. Our table was lucky as we had a few members of the team who were picked to interact and be part of the show. This was hilarious and made the night even funnier.

Throughout the whole night it was important we paid attention to all the clues given as the interactive experience continued. You couldn’t sit there on your phone or let your mind wander, it would have meant you missed something important. It wasn’t just about what you heard you had to keep a close eye on the characters too. All of us where glued to what was going on.

Once the show was over, we had to make a decision as to who the murderer or murderers were. So it was like herding cats trying to get the table to decide but we got there in the end and submitted our answers. All rights answers were put in a pile and a winner was picked. Yay! It was our team and we won 2 bottles of prosecco to share between the 10 of us.

Keeping to the theme, I organised for us to do a murder mystery treasure trail the next day whilst walking around the town. Armed with the clues and a list of suspects, we had to work out at each stage who wasn’t the killer. It took about 1.5 hours in total to complete, scoring off a suspect with each clue.

Now the route we took was a circular walk and one which we had done on many occasions. However, as we had to look for clues and pay attention to what was around us, we saw more than we usually do enroute. Looking at the ground, at the houses as we passed and on the information boards designed for tourists. We found relevant information to help us and scored off the suspects.

Reflecting on it, we were like kids running around, looking for clues, with a spring in our step and an inquisitive mind. We learnt about local history and laughed as we didn’t see what was obviously staring us in the face. Some of us got the clues, others didn’t but we all had our moment. At the end of the trail, we had solved the murder and relaxed with a cuppa and lunch.

Meanwhile the dads of the group had been out whisky tasting and found out all about its history in the local area. Once again, for two whisky lovers, they were learning despite having drunk many a whisky previously. At the same time, they were also paying full attention and being in that moment. Now they may have gotten a wee bit tipsy during the tasting, but they weren’t sitting there on their phones (I mean they need to know how to use them for a start) or thinking of something else. Oh no, they wanted to be immersed in this experience.

You may have been somewhere many times before, but doing exploratory activities whilst in a familiar place can help you to see things differently or learn something new. Equally doing something requiring you to pay full attention will ensure you stay in the present, enjoying the fun you are experiencing.

We rush around from place to place, barely slowing down to properly sight see, we usually have a start and end point in mind and can be quite tunnel vision to get there. We don’t look left or right or even up – but we are pretty good at looking down or straight ahead. So the next time you are out for a walk or exploring a new area, really pay attention, take in all the sights, sounds and smells. Take a notebook with you and jot down some of the things around you, or if you are artistic, why not stop and do a quick drawing. Enjoy the area and try to see it in a different way, each time you go.

Thank you for reading and have a great week. Make sure you always take some time to look after you.

Love Emma xx