Welcome back to Martha’s Mindful Madness, the column where I, Martha Gazzard, tell the friends I have bullied into reading this article about the time when I hung out with one of my other friends. So far on my journey, I have gained a deeper appreciation of what it means to relax, and this has only continued with this week’s guest. Please welcome to the stage, Maxim Knowles! Most often seen strutting around Sidge in the baggiest trousers ever made, Max is a powerhouse of music production, committing to the bit, applying sociological theory to the music he listens to, and overall being a very good person.

This week, as with every week, we embarked on a trifold journey of zen, navigating this stressful and confusing sea of life with the art of mindfulness as our North Star. We sang, we went to the gym, and we got bladdered. At the end of the day, as we reflected on our success, Max said that it had been one of his favourite days in a while and, reader, I must agree.

“I kept holding the microphone so close to my mouth it sounded like a demonic jacuzzi” Mr Knowles and I decided that for our first activity, we would do something we had been meaning to do for over a year – write a song. I must admit, I felt worried that I would look a fool in front of my much more experienced and knowledgeable friend. To his credit though, Max was the best person I could have made this ‘song’ with, and he never made me feel silly or ignorant, especially when I kept holding the microph.