Today was our second day of mindfulness. The theme today was personal growth. We started the day by writing in our journals writing about what our goals were for the next hour, day, week, year, and decades. Then we did a guided “become your best self” meditation so we could focus and get ready for the day. Next, we went on a walk meditation where we started on the sports fields, walked on the forest trail, and ended at the main entrance.
After that was our tea time. Last time we had Genmaicha tea from Japan, but today we had Caykur Altinbas Black tea that Mr. Baumann brought from Istanbul, Turkey. It had a little bit more caffeine than the Genmaicha and was grown near the Black Sea. As we drank our tea, we watched a documentary called Happy (2011) that was about being happy and how people found happiness in life in different places around the world.
After we had lunch, we had mindfulness moments outside. Most people played basketball while others played four-square and some just enjoyed the sun. Then the Middle Schoolers returned from their activities. There was a 9th grade vs 8th grade basketball game, and the 8th graders won. The 9th graders remained mindful and pleasant in their defeat. I think in the end everyone grew a little bit personally by finding something to about themselves to work on. – Josh