Week 32: Spring
Lesson 26: Say Yes to Adventure!

When it feels right, I say Yes to adventure!

Getting to the Heart of the Lesson

Sometimes we get so caught up in tasks and time that we lose sight of other things that are really important. This is made more true by social media, electronic devices and the heightened speed of communication. It is important to re-balance ourselves – to go outside, view the world from other and new vantage points, and say “yes” to adventure (planned or spontaneous!).

In this week’s story, you will hear from Zoe. You might recall that she is a good student who takes her work seriously. She also loves Alma, her tree friend. This week’s lesson is about learning the importance of balance. It is about trusting our inner wisdom to help us find our inner “yes” around tasks at hand. Sometimes, even when there is important work to do, the first priority is rest or play. Recall a time when the answer to a problem you had been trying to solve simply came to you while you were in the shower, on a walk, or after waking from a dream.

Getting outside, befriending those who are more- than-human, and going on adventures is restorative and necessary for us to be our healthiest self.

Teacher Reflection/Activity

Some reading and a 10-20 min exercise (more if you have time and wish to take it) so you are able to experience the teachings offered through this week’s lesson.

Is there something to which you have been wanting to say “Yes”? Is there an adventure you have been itching to take? This is the week to make it happen (or at least schedule the date, book the trip, etc)! It does not have to be your dream vacation. It can be reading the book you received on your birthday, checking out a nearby park or restaurant, or trying a new class at your gym or community center. If planning this week’s lesson is keeping you from saying “yes” to an adventure right now, perhaps this is the week you should trust that a break from your task-at-hand is precisely the thing that will allow you to be an even better instructor for the children this week. Really! Breathe. Feel into your “yes” and go for it. Happy Adventuring!!!

Read through the lesson before your time with the children. Decide which Activity Exploration will work best for your class (There are usually two options; choose one.). Just below the heading, “Children’s Lesson and Story” you will find the preparations checklist for this lesson so you can collect any needed materials or make arrangements to support your selected activity.

Sacred Text Quotes

Hebrew Scriptures. Genesis 2:2-3 (NRSV)

And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

Christian Scriptures. Mark 6:31 (NRSV)

[Jesus] said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

Buddhism. Sutta Nipata 261

A good, all-round education, appreciation of the arts, a highly trained discipline and pleasant speech; this is the highest blessing.

Wisdom Quotes

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony. ― Thomas Merton