Cows are big, strong and heavy, and docile dogs can also kill. Any kind of caution around things large or feisty enough to kill you is healthy.

Well, the standard recommended work hours would be 08-17 (8 AM to 5 PM), with one hour unpaid lunch, so 8 hours paid. And you can take those paid breaks, or even combine them with lunch. Most places (that don’t have shifts, scheduled appointments or aren’t school or health care related) allow for this kind of flexibility.

My current work place has 39 hours a week during the half year during or close to winter and around 37 hours during the summer or the months adjoining summer. Then again, most people tend to flex actual hours worked, e.g. working 4 hours on Monday and Friday, and working more hours during the same week or compensating for it later. But you HAVE to take at least 30 minutes of lunch, and the workplace tries to enforce the paid breaks as well. So some, like me, take an hour off for lunch, but use our half hour unpaid lunch and add on breaks 2x15 with pay (which is billed to our clients, as we’re legally entitled to). So I can show up anywhere between 06:30 and 11:00 (as long as I don’t have deadlines or meetings) and decide how I want to dispose the hours of my time on schedule.

And I get 7 weeks off, paid, every year. And pad it out with overtime so that I work maybe a week of overtime and get two weeks extra off for holidays.

Not all Nordic countries. The main standard work weeks in Sweden are 40 hours for office work employees. Our collective union agreements for most office work places I know of agree on at least half hour unpaid lunch and at least two 15 minute paid breaks each work day. Every place I worked for had flexible hours, which meant I could choose between turning up between 7 or 9, as long as I didn’t miss meetings and worked 40 hours a week at an average, based on monthly calculations. And any overtime was compensated with double time off and/or monetary overtime compensation.

This will of course be different for shift work or nurse/doctor positions. But I’ve never worked an 8-16 job.

Yup, (non-slippery) chop sticks are the absolute best for most crisps or cheesey-sticky-powder related snacks.

Lacking chop sticks, wooden tooth picks or barbecue sticks will do in a pinch (or stab).

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Mindfulness for me, now, is to be aware of myself and my surroundings. It started with meditation during a one year chronic pain remedy program, and helped with learning to deal with all the noise that comes up (pain, stress, intrusive thoughts). To not ignore them, but to observe them. Detach myself somewhat and just “look” at it. This helped me to eventually do this during monotonous activities: brushing my teeth, doing dishes, combing cats, vacuuming, even emptying litter boxes. Then to external activities where I am observing the things outside and inside me: waiting in line, sitting on the bus, hiking, drinking tea at a café.

When I exit the state I feel a bit more refreshed. If I need more, and have the ability, I will go and sit in my favourite spot and meditate deeper.

I disagree regarding lying down for bed. Never teach your body to associate the relaxation of meditation with sleep. Unless you only need it for immediately before you sleep to calm your mind.

I can now have mindfulness while doing activities (not driving ofc). Your body will do what you teach it, and I’ve stopped falling asleep meditating when I removed it from bedtime.

Yes, the world needs more meditation.

The long ass skinny one is great for pickle jars on the dining table. We love pickles.

The herring one, well, it’s called “sillgaffel” in Swedish. We do use it when we eat pickled herring, but also for olives and other small delicacies served in small bowls instead of using tooth picks to pick them out.

The “sandwich” one is accompanied by a “sandwich” knife, and are intended to be used for appetizers, and according to an older friend, single sandwiches with ham and (sometimes melted) cheese would be served as appetizers occasionally.

There are dessert forks as well, but they are rare. There are proper crustacean forks too that I would like, as they’d be useful.

There also are supposed to exist fish forks (and fish knives) in the series as well, but I kind of stop before that.

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Omg, I just found out there are two more forks I don’t have! Going to waste a month tracking them down… (Ignore me, this reignited my sometimes-pastime of completing my cutlery, just wanted to share some of my joy.)

How do you feel about forks in the same slot?

Although, I have to admit I keep these in three separate slots.

Houses right on the sea shores or partially submerged by sea water.