Growing up, I got to spend a few weeks each summer at my grandparent’s house in Maine. Located about a half mile bike ride away was a small, protected cove full of crabs, sea glass, drift wood, and sand – a perfect play pen for my brother and I.
Flipping over tidal pools rocks in search of crabs was a full-time job. We got pretty good at it. One morning, though, everything changed.
Without planning it, we arrived at the lowest ebb of a full-moon tide. We had never seen the water that low… or that many perfect rocks to flip!
Wading out under the watchful eye of our father, we started our exploration. The first two rocks hid a few little crabs. The third, however, produced a new sight: a mottled-red flash heading backwards from under rock – a baby lobster!
The next rock produced the same thing! And then another! By the time the hour was up, we had seven baby lobsters, four pinches on our fingers, and a new appreciation for the Cove. For the next few summers, we were glued to the moon and tide schedule, planning our forays to the land of lobsters – net in hand.
Fast forward a few summers. We wake up to our father laughing at the morning paper – not a normal occurrence. The first page story: after spending a lot of money, Maine universities discovered that baby lobsters head close to shore in order to grow into maturity.
Umm… all they had to do was ask a couple of Georgia boys and we would have told the same thing!
‘Duh’ Studies
The modern world is often finding out things we already know. In recent years, studies have shown separating technology from kids at camp increase their empathy and connection with the world. We’ve ‘learned’ physical exercise is a great thing for you. Video games and phones are additive.
We’ve also learned that gratitude, pride and compassion are important for your health. From a recent David DeSteno NY TIMES Article:
What these findings show is that pride, gratitude and compassion, whether we consciously realize it or not, reduce the human mind’s tendency to discount the value of the future. In so doing, they push us not only to cooperate with other people but also to help our own future selves.
Feeling pride or compassion has been shown to increase perseverance on difficult tasks by over 30 percent. Likewise, gratitude and compassion have been tied to better academic performance, a greater willingness to exercise and eat healthily, and lower levels of consumerism (and) impulsivity….
If using willpower causes stress, using these emotions actually heals: They slow heart rate, lower blood pressure and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. By making us value the future more, they ease the way to patience and perseverance.
Perhaps most important, while these emotions enhance self-control, they also combat another problem of modern life: loneliness.
Ask any camper at Weequahic and they’ll tell you the same thing: the more gratitude you exhibit, the better you feel. They’ve been practicing this for a lot of years and have tons of evidence – better relationships, happier moments, and a huge reduction in anxiety and a lot less loneliness.
Gratitude, Attitude and Courage
GAC does not have to last only at camp. Think of coming to Weequahic as your re-charging station and these weekly blog posts as minor jumpstarts in the process. Yes, it’s a lot easier to get the full experience at camp when everyone around you practices the same way. Yes, it’s harder at school because not everyone has learned the power of practicing gratitude, choosing your attitude, and developing courage.
All of this is not to say you can’t live in a GAC way year-round. You can. It’s a choice to remember what’s important. And, how you act on a daily basis? That’s up to you, too.
Duh, right?
Have a great week!
