Expe Training

When I was in charge of a cabin of fifth grade girls at an overnight science camp we had a bedtime ritual called Rose and Thorn. The rose represented their favorite thing about the day, and the thorn represented something that they didn’t like. We sat in a circle on the cabin floor, and each girl would get her turn to share.

These girls — these fifth grade girls — NEVER had a hard time thinking of a rose. Often, filled with joy and gratitude for the new experiences, they produced small bouquets of roses. Many struggled to produce a thorn.

As we get older and gain more responsibility, it is easier to get caught up in the thorns.

The health and wellness journey has many potential thorns:
-Getting up early because it’s your only quiet time to meditate
-Commuting to a fitness facility
-Finding a spot in a crowded class or workout area
-Packing a gym bag
-Having to redo your hair because you got sweaty
-Looking at a weight stack and wondering if you’ll be able to complete ten reps
-Still smelling like chlorine after taking a shower

The list can go on and on. Some of these thorns, with the proper prospective, can turn into roses. One of the thornless girls in my cabin wisely explained that things that were thorns for others weren’t thorns for her because they helped her in some way — thorns that help are actually roses!

Some thorns are sharper and cut deeper than others. Some thorns are and will forever be thorns. However, even in our darkest moments there are still things we can be grateful for.

What is your rose today? Do you have a thorn that you can transform into a rose?

Thank you for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy week!

Helping others has always come naturally to me. If you need help, I’m your girl. Asking for help is a totally different story. It is something that I’ve struggled with. Luckily, my time as an outdoor education teacher taught me that asking for help is an important life skill that can be cultivated and developed.

As part of my training as a teacher at a science camp, I shadowed a couple of veteran instructors as they facilitated an initiative game. Initiative games were interwoven into the science camp’s curriculum to help set the stage for collaboration, experimentation, and inquisitive thinking. The intention of this particular game was to show the value of asking for help, but the students and new teachers didn’t know it at the time. I was as clueless as the timid third and fourth graders.

I watched as the veteran teachers prepared for the initiative game. They spread out a tarp, handed out blindfolds, went over some safety and behavior rules, and instructed the students to crawl around the tarp blindfolded until the students were able to touch the stuffed animal. Students were told that if at any point anyone needed help all they had to do was raise their hand. Once everyone’s blindfolds were secure, an instructor announced that the stuffed animal would be on the tarp. The instructor stepped onto the tarp still holding the stuffed animal, and the game was on.

The students crawled and they crawled and they crawled. At first they calmly made their way around the tarp. By their second or third time searching the tarp’s perimeter and interior, I noticed them becoming agitated. Finally, someone courageously raised their hand. The instructor who was holding the stuffed animal walked over to the student, touched the stuffed animal to their hand, and told them to go take a seat next to the tarp. Eventually, more hands were raised until a final determined bunch remained. These final few scoured the tarp several times before raising their hands.

While this was a lesson for the students, it was also a good lesson for me. As I watched the students crawl around the tarp, I wondered how long it would take me to raise my hand if I were in their position.

How many times in my life have I stubbornly crawled around in circles, wasting time and energy, when assistance was right there if I had just asked for it? Don’t be afraid to ask for help. We all need a little help sometimes. Success is there for the taking, and success can be achieved.

What are your experiences and experiments with asking for help?
Thank you for reading! I hope you have a safe and healthy week.