Take Yale’s Most Popular Class: ‘Happiness’ for FREE

So, don’t say this blog never offered you anything! 😉  How about I save you $69,000 and spare you from having to leave your computer to take Yale’s most popular course for free? Yes, free!  And what if said course examined HAPPINESS!?!  Isn’t this something we already know?  It may be, but the real question, is it being practiced? The course may challenge your preconception about happiness, and you may realize, you already have all you need to be happy.  You” also enjoy some ‘tools’ that everyone can use in everyday life.  I offer this up to The Stoney Lake Reflections audience as a ‘continuing education course’ for Storer Alumni & Friends!  Enrichment for my audience, a group of beautiful souls.

 

The Class

“The Science of Well-Being” taught by Professor Laurie Santos overviews what psychological science says about happiness. This course has received a ton of great press for good reason.  Participants learn about what psychological research says about what makes us happy AND puts those strategies into practice.  The course is taught by Dr. Laurie Santos, 42, a psychology professor and the head of one of Yale’s residential colleges.

 

You may ask, why is Yale offering such a class and why do 1/4 of Yale’s student’s enroll?  In a recent interview with the New York Times, Professor Santos provided some insight as why students enroll in the class, “Students want to change, to be happier themselves, and to change the culture here on campus…With one in four students at Yale taking it, if we see good habits, things like students showing more gratitude, procrastinating less, increasing social connections, we’re actually seeding change in the school’s culture.”  In the same interview, Dr. Santos speculated that Yale students are interested in the class because, in high school, they had to deprioritize their happiness to gain admission to the school, adopting harmful life habits that have led to what she called “the mental health crises we’re seeing at places like Yale.” A 2013 report by the Yale College Council found that more than half of undergraduates sought mental health care from the university during their time there.

Students responded by signing up in bigger numbers than Yale school has ever seen, and now it’s going global and FREE to the Stoney Lake Reflections Audience.

What’s Covered?

• The first half of the course reveals misconceptions we have about happiness and the annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do.

 

• The second half of the course focuses on activities that have been proven to increase happiness along with strategies to build better habits.

 

Enroll

Classes take place via the Coursera platform.  I have taken many self-paced classes through this platform and overall, I have found the courses well worthwhile.  That’s what makes this course stand out even more: This course is topical, popular AND FREE!

•  FREE  https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being
• Classes begin April 30th
• Self-Paced
• Course Certificate is available for a fee, but you can take entire course for free.  See Coursera for full details on “The Science of Well-Being” taught by Professor Laurie Santos, Yale University.
• Coursera is also available in the Apple App Store or through Google Play

 

ENJOY!

Subscribe to Podcast: iTunes or iPhone

Did you know there is an easier way to listen to Stoney Lake Reflections?  I was looking at some stats recently and I noticed some anomolies in the data provided to me from iTunes.  This data showed that there is an area of opportunity for all of you!

While Apple is looking into their numbers, I wanted to make sure you are getting the most out of listening to the podacst.  To that end, I wanted to provide detailed instructions on how to subscribe to the podcast.

 

√ The Podcast will automatically appear in your feed when it is published!  One time sign up and always up to date!

There are 3 ways to listen to Stoney Lake Reflections.  I’ve listed the choices below, from easiest to more cumbersome.I personally subscribe to my favorite podcasts through my iPhone because it is always with me.  It provides a great break while walking the dog, waiting for someone, lunchtime, commuting, working (did I say that?), and  anytime you want to chill.

I’m technically inclined, but I wanted to provide a guide for those who this is the first podcast you’ve listened to or for those who prefer visuals while navigating phones.  No judgements here, I’m just glad to have you as a listener!  P.S. if the instructions still don’t help you, find a son, daughter or even grandchildren to help you sign up 😉

 

 

1) Through your iPhone via Podcast app (that’s already on all iPhones)

 

2) Through iTunes

3) Through a computer, and going to StoneyLakeReflections.com and checking to see if there are new episodes in the Podcast Category

 

 

I’ve attached a handy dandy visual guide to make subscribing easier.

Click on the following link >>>>  HowToSubscribe

 

 

BONUS POINTS if you RATE and Leave a review for the podcast.  This can be done through iTunes.  Ratings and feedback help me attract sponsors and ratings at iTunes.

Preaching to The Choir !

Years Removed and Miles Away- Summer Camp Still Pays Dividends!

It will come to no surprise to readers of this blog, that our Storer community believes deeply in what our camp provides to so many.  Whether it is Outdoor Environmental Education or good ol’ summer camp, camp serves the greater good.  Our camp in particular has been providing character-building experiences since 1918.  Like I say in the Stoney Lake Reflection’s podcast opener, there are some pretty amazing people involved with YMCA Storer Camps.  That’s why I enjoy producing the podcast.  One aspect is recognizing some ‘amazing people’ and their contributions. Some of our guests are well known, others you may not be that familiar with.  But altogether, these people have been touched by camp and made great contributions to her history.  No matter the forte of the individuals, at the end of the day, it all benefits youth development.

 

The Stoney Lake Reflections Recipe

The recipe for the SLR Podcast is not exact and one that is hard to define, yet here’s a partial attempt to call out some of the ingredients for the SLR podcast:

1  part history lesson

1 part reminiscing

1 wink and a nod

Touch of dry humor- as needed

1 pinch of laughter

Sprinkle of tradition – to taste

A nod to history

1 spoonful of the present

1-3 parts philosophical musings

1 swig of zippy (oops, wrong recipe)

Lessons on leadership- as needed

Always stir in a healthy helping of Hope (for a prosperous and continuing future)

 

 

The Good

Throughout the Podcast, we also talk to specialists in their particular fields, from Naturalists to Outdoor Education teachers, Waterfront Directors, Citizen Archeologists to Equine Managers.  Specialties aside, the programs always should return to the central focus: serving children.  It doesn’t matter if the lessons are educational or vocational in scope, for the importance is enrichment of those we serve.  You’ll hear this theme time and time again.  And I believe it is not just one of a bygone era.

I’m hopeful current staff listen to these episodes and gleen at least one thing from them.  It could be an insight on history or the essence of what timeless principles ought to be practiced in the present.  As a young staff member I too was subjected to the tales of yore.  But as I matured, I came to realize that those ideals and principles weren’t half bad! 😉

Because of these amazing guests, other common threads surface from their stories: the power of love, community, faith, character development, and serving others.   It’s a great fraternity to belong to as our family spans many eras, but we have a common interest and principles we believe in.

 

 

When the Nostalgic Clashes with the Present Day

So many times in my professional pursuits, I have looked around a boardroom table and had a pretty good guess who did and didn’t go to a summer camp!  In my professional life as an Advertising executive ‘ad guy’ in some ways I couldn’t of picked a profession farther than some of the ideals cultivated at camp (At times I amuse myself and imagine what Abimbola would say to some of the stuff I’ve seen).  I’ll spare you the war stories in this article.  But I can say without reservation that the corporate world can be a very cold place.

I often think, perhaps naively, how some people may be radically different if they learned about teamwork and leadership in an environment like YMCA Storer Camps.  Then I wake up to reality.  In the interest of eating, I have a job to do.  I can’t help some of these people, but I can put into practice some of what I learned at camp.  How to lead a group, how to navigate around difficult personalities or situations, bring common sense to the fore (stretch goal) and move forward with our assignments that will help us attain whatever goal is before us.  And dont forget about Gumby-like F-L-E-X-I-B-I-L-I-T-Y.  To say at times I’m in conflict between professional goals and personal fulfillment is not a stretch.  I’m afraid this phenomenon is more prevalent than we think.  That’s the reality of facing bigger challenges as we progress through life (note: I think the challenge is better than the alternative).

 

 

 

At the end of the day, all I ask is that my fellow humans be decent. I was once praised for my politeness, but was also marked down by the same observor on a performance review for not being forceful enough and at times, too polite[?] Yes, really.  But considering the source, I wasn’t surprised.  So the message was clear, nice guys finish last?  Do I always practice this beau ideal of being the best human I can be?  No.  Do I get frustrated with traffic? Perceived incompetence? Inpatient? Testy between meals-YES, guilty as charged.  But in aims to be driven, yet fair, that’s why I’ve always provided my teams a book to read entitled “The No Asshole Rule’ by Robert Sutton.  So the title is a little crude and wouldn’t make a good chapel, but you get the point of the book from the title alone.  Don’t hire jerks, don’t work with jerks, don’t let jerks poison the well.  Furthermore, those working with me are clued in to observe and practice the following principles and guidelines for my teams:

√ Don’t approach me before I FINISH my first cup of coffee. OK, half joking.

√ I’m not the best in the morning. OK, not really joking.

√ Always ask before calling a meeting “Do we need this meeting?”

√ Communication is fantastic (as things move very fast in marketing), but if you have an issue to report (problems), make sure you have solutions to offer, don’t just dump off ‘Problems’

√ Courteousness and decency go a long way.  I’m not looking for saints, but I am looking for decency amid a stressful environment filled with demanding clients and quick deadlines. Work is stressful enough.  Don’t negatively contribute to the team dynamics.

√  Be responsible for your work and comportment.

What Everyone Should of Learned

With camp in mind, the attached article spells out what this choir already knows.  If everyone had a place like Camp Storer in his or her lives, humanity might be more humane!  Or at least people would be more rounded and in tune with productive teams and beautiful souls.  The headline extolls what I learned long ago- The Summer Camp experience is better than SAT prep.  In fact, my college essay was written about my experience on Storer’s high ropes course.

So here’s some external validation to what Storer Alumni Know….Read On!

Overnight summer camps are better for your kids than SAT prep classes

 

 

 

Episode: 09 Clark Ewing

Download Episode!

Stoney Lake Reflections Show Notes

Episode: 09 Clark Ewing

---

What I have to say:

I visited with Clark and Marilyn in August of 2017. Jenni Lane 🙂 made all the arrangements for this interview to happen and for that I am grateful. The Ewings invited me into their abode in Saline, Michigan for an afternoon of great reflections.

For starters, Clark hasn’t changed a bit! As an interviewer I was on the edge of my seat as I listened to his reflections. At once I was a camper again, waiting to be entertained…and I was also that young staffer who absorbed any crumbs of wisdom from this camp giant (or is it oracle?). As an adult, I sat there in awe. It is impossible to separate the history of camp and this couple, without one, you would not have the other. This fact cannot be overstated and is not up to debate.

I’ll wait to publish more insights on my meeting with Clark & Marilyn in a devoted blog article.  But for now, I’ll let Clark tell his story in his own words. You will also hear Marilyn chime in from time to time, keeping Mr. Ewing honest! 😉

Enjoy.

Show Notes:

• Clark’s Swan Dive
• Swimming Docks and the many contributions of the Anderson family
• Recruiting International Staff and Internationalism of Storer
• Proudest individual achievement – work with the Toledo, Spain YMCA
• Tom Roy Venture Out guide extraordinaire
• The Games of Yore: William Tell, Hikes to town & Friday Night Boxing
• A fundamental shift of focus at YMCA Storer Camps, from sports to nature
• Expansion of Horses and Watercraft
• Roger Tory Peterson
• More Horses! And building barns
• Clark’s High Silk Hat!
• Important lessons learned at YMCA Storer Camps
• Clark’s one word to describe camp
• What camp means to Clark, Marilyn, and the Ewing Family

 

 

 

 

Clark & Marilyn

 

 

 

 

Clark & Marilyn Hall of Fame Documents:

Scannable Document on Mar 27, 2018 at 1_57_26 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Cherished Reunion

 

 

 

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Call SLR! 

New Feature: Call and leave a message in sixty seconds: Your Favorite Place at Camp and Why

858-367-7298

StoneyLakeReflections@gmail.com

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MUSIC

In Episode:

Theme:

‘Stoney Lake Reflections’ Sing-out & Intro- Performed by Singer/Songwriter Cori Strell:

Intsagram: @coristrellmusic

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/cori-strell

iTunes:https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/cori-strell/id1155651660

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cori-Strell-Music-1174158396011014/

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Stoney Lake Reflections is a trademark of Dustin Smith. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. http://www.stoneylakereflections.com ©2018 Dustin Smith; All Rights reserved

 

Quick Look: Storer’s Outdoor Environmental Education Program

Many have heard about STEM as an education movement and most definitely as a buzzword over the past decade or so, and if you may have missed what it stands for, it stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Those fields of education are being focused on now more than ever because of the economic trend that manufacturing and skilled labor is being overtaken by a wave of automation and robotics based workers. This means the ability to problem solve, code, and program are going to be prioritized in the job force. Our curriculum is working to reflect those movements by helping campers explore and become problem solvers. Children working through our program often will observe and hypothesize about why certain phenomena happen. The power of children playing and observing can be seen at Storer Camps everyday.

 

Our campers come from varied backgrounds, from the farm to the city and everywhere in between. We develop all students to become stewards of our earth. The environmental programming precedes me by a large amount of time, but it is possibly my favorite part about camp. The enthusiasm which students learn about renewable energy, preventing food waste, and local ecology is inspiring. There is a camp garden which is managed by Tia Black that helps us show how to farm responsibly and how to use compost from our dining hall that becomes the feed for the plants that will then nourish consumers.

We have a classroom, The Net Zero Experience, managed by Kevin Knapp, that walks students through various energy ideas including the carbon cycle, circuit building, latent water and energy usage, energy conservation, problem solving for world situations, and career opportunities in energy. The Net Zero Energy Experience is fun for students because it is completely hands on and interactive. My personal favorite activity in the Net Zero Experience is an interactive display that features a bike pedal and three types of lights, all which require differing amounts of electricity to power. The participants get the chance to use the bike pedal to see which light takes the most of their mechanical (pedaling) energy to power. It is a lot easier for students to then quantify how it takes more energy to light an incandescent light compared to an LED light. This makes a lot more sense to a child than reading a home energy bill. We often hear from the leaders of schools that attend Storer Camps who speak about how their students continue to limit their energy use and food waste in school and at home long after their visit.

 

 

 

An aspect to my job that is new is developing an advisory board for our STEM outdoor environmental education program. February has seen the finalization of who is involved as founding board members and the scheduling of our first board meeting in June. The goal of the advisory board is to include other educators from the surrounding community and abroad to help guide our program. We have selected highly thought of professional educators with various specialties to lead our program. Storer Camps strives to be on the leading edge of educational change and with this group we will have the tools needed to provide continuing excellence.

 

 

 

 

---

Thanks Curt Reigelsperger for sharing this piece.

 

Episode: 08 Clark Ewing

Download Episode!

 

Stoney Lake Reflections Show Notes

Episode: 08 Clark Ewing

---

What I have to say:

I visited with Clark and Marilyn in August of 2017. Jenni Lane made all the arrangements for this interview to happen and for that I am grateful. The Ewings invited me into their abode in Saline, Michigan for an afternoon of great reflections.

For starters, Clark hasn’t changed a bit! As an interviewer I was on the edge of my seat as I listened to his reflections. At once I was a camper again, waiting to be entertained…and I was also that young staffer who absorbed any crumbs of wisdom from this camp giant (or is it oracle?). As an adult, I sat there in awe. It is impossible to separate the history of camp and this couple, without one, you would not have the other. This fact cannot be overstated and is not up to debate.

I’ll wait to publish more insights on my meeting with Clark & Marilyn in a devoted blog article.  But for now, I’ll let Clark tell his story in his own words. You will also hear Marilyn chime in from time to time, keeping Mr. Ewing honest! 😉

 

Enjoy.

 

Show Notes:

• Clark’s passion for flying
• World Service Day – And the Tower Dive (And he says he’s not a showman!)
• Favorite place at Camp: Miami Beach / Indian Point
• Kids learning how to swim at Camp Storer
• Children with special needs being served at YMCA Storer Camps – A Long History
• Special Mottos at Storer – Recollections and Significance
• Building Facilities and Buildings at Camp
• The power of love at camp that permeates throughout
• Children and developing a work ethic
• Spiritual values at Storer
• Chapel: Job an example of character and belief
• Learning lessons during trips, controlled risk
• Special relationships with other camps and sharing trips

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clark & Marilyn Hall of Fame Documents:

Scannable Document on Mar 27, 2018 at 1_57_26 AM

 

 

This is a Piper like Clark’s

 

 

 

 

 

This probably closely resembles the flight

instruments found in that era of Cherokee

 

Cherokee Cutaway Schematic

---

Call SLR! 

New Feature: Call and leave a message in sixty seconds: Your Favorite Place at Camp and Why

858-367-7298

StoneyLakeReflections@gmail.com

 

 

---

MUSIC

‘Stoney Lake Reflections’ Sing-out- Performed by Singer/Songwriter Cori Strell:

Intsagram: @coristrellmusic

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/cori-strell

Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/4tp4dwHUsqggPykYmJyssf

iTunes:https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/cori-strell/id1155651660

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cori-Strell-Music-1174158396011014/

 

Stoney Lake Reflections is a trademark of Dustin Smith. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. http://www.stoneylakereflections.com ©2018 Dustin Smith; All Rights reserved

 

What Michael Rowles taught me about Spaghetti

Sometimes life-lessons spring from the most unexpected places.  And those lessons are recalled as randomly as they first appeared.  Or sometimes an object triggers the memory.  In this case, spaghetti.  Without fail, when I think of cooking pasta, I quickly recall the many spaghetti dinners cooked while taking campers to hills 1 & 2 for an overnight.  In concert with that culinary memory, I remember what I learned from Michael Rowles when preparing this meal.

 

As much as I liked the ubiquitous (and obligatory) foil-dinners, during the 90s, a new meal tradition was born with the advent of the spaghetti dinner.  This ‘new’ meal simplified things greatly.  The roll of foil, carrots, onions, potatoes, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper were replaced by one food-service bag of tomato sauce (it resembled a large bag blood), dried parmesan cheese, a bag of dried pasta, one ‘man with beard’ tool, and two pots.  The roll of brown paper towels (same ones used in the bathroom dispensers) was still used.

The overnights became rote, as we did a dry run during staff training.  Then every session, we would repeat this tradition of leaving North Center, canoeing across the lake (much as our camp forefathers did) for dinner and sleep.  For the Long-termers, this was a dry run getting the campers used to pitching camp, as they would do on their way to Mackinac Island.  Typically, Two cabins would stop by the Venture Out building, double-check the manifest, ensuring all supplies were in order, including tents, food, cooking utensils, sundries, and a first aid kit.  Next stop, the path leading out of South Center, past the climbing tree, then hills one & two.  Hill one had a pump, and the fire circle there was used for cooking for both groups.  Hill 2 did not have a pump, but was more open for great nighttime stargazing.  Both campsites provided an ‘out of camp’ experience for the campers as they were no longer in a cabin or going to a dining hall to eat, but ‘out in the wilds’.  As an adult, it’s a pretty controlled environment.  As a camper, it was something unique with a sense of adventure.

 

 

Arriving at the campsite, groups were assigned different duties.  There was a group formed to erect tents and a group in charge of the fire (wood gathering) and a group assigned meal prep.  With the new spaghetti menu, things were streamlined versus the prep needed for foil dinners.  It may seem trivial, but it did make a big difference for the counselors.  Getting through prep was much faster and getting to dinner was faster as well.  Diners didn’t have to herd a dozen foil packets around hot coals, fight about whose dinner is whose, or accidently dumping someone’s meal (no more hot grease packet flipping!).  And hungry campers no longer had to navigate through burnt hamburger, charred onions, raw carrots and potatoes. Or more like, counselors didn’t have to forgo their own perfectly cooked foil dinner for a camper’s whose contents were partially sacrificed to the fire gods.

Spaghetti dinners utilized the same hot coals to boil water.  Beyond that, the meal only required a ‘Man with Beard’ potholder to move the pot. Recipe: Boil water, dump pasta in said boiling water, and warm up sauce. Voila, a hearty dinner, Grazie!  Despite how easy this meal was, I was making things hard for myself.  Little did I know, things could be easier, until Michael shared a little piece of wisdom.

 

As I was his JC, I referred my self as the ‘stable boy’.  And if you knew Michael, he impishly enjoyed calling me that.  He delighted in calling out, “Oh, Stable Boy” in the same tone as a prince would call for his fiddler’s three.  The term was used in jest of course, but was just part of our dynamic and ongoing repartee.  In my naiveté, I proceeded to sully a second pot, filling it with cold sauce in preparation to some fire warming.  Quickly, Michael shook his head and said something like ‘Oh, Stable Boy’ in mock exasperation.  I of course wondered what I was doing wrong as this is how I’ve always done the spaghetti dinners.  As the pasta was cooking, I’d warm up the sauce, what’s the big deal?  Well, he pointed out what we call today, a life-hack.  He pointed out to me what I was doing was fine just as long as I like cleaning two pots back at the VO room the next morning.  I was still puzzled. I always did it ‘This Way’.  He forced me to think about it.  It wasn’t a matter of a ‘right way’ or a ‘wrong way’, but there was a smarter way.  This magic moment was born from a mundane task. He shared with me a different perspective on doing things. (You mean my way isn’t always right?)  It was a good lesson in perspective and being able to creatively problem solve.

 

Even if its as mundane as making a pasta dinner for campers.  Use one pot, not two (even though we were issued two pots).  Now this lesson does not go in the record books as a major epiphany or even a true game-changer.  But I learned to be open to other people’s way of doing things.  Damn if he wasn’t right.  Boil the water, add pasta, when cooked, drain water, add cold sauce to hot noodles, voila- a one pot feast ready to be served.  It also limited pedantic requests for varying degrees of sauce…everyone was served the same amount.  In fact, I don’t recall complaints of ‘this has too much’ sauce or requests for less. And the next time we did an overnight and had pasta, I was always glad I only had one pot to clean early the next morning, not two.  In subsequent years with different teams, I passed along the Rowles Method of preparing this overnight feast, and without exception, everyone had that ‘oh, duh’ moment of how silly it was to use a second pot.

You maybe thinking ‘that’s not a big deal’ and it is not. However, as I get older, I’ve learned to appreciate the small things more and more.  And to this day, I share this story on perspective.  In daily life, we often get caught in our own rote duties, not taking a moment to stop and think things through and ask, is there a better way to do X, Y or Z.  Or do we only focus on doing A, B, C because that’s the way we’ve always done it.  My small epiphany is offered as food for thought.

 

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Note: This isn’t the only thing I learned from Michael!  He was an amazing person and taught me so much.  I’m sad he’s no longer here to share in the laughter years later, but I know he lives in the people who remember him fondly.  He’ll be looking down at the 100th celebrations and we’ll take a moment to remember him.