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My thoughts before going to the EMP were excitement but nervousness for a new experience. I wasn’t sure what to expect, I had never been before. I wasn’t sure how to handle the assignment or if I really understood what I was supposed to do with it. I have had a stressful month so regardless I was looking forward to going to Seattle and getting away from it all.
That morning I picked up my friend Maegen (a fellow greener) and we went to get coffee, a wonderful start to the morning. We leisurely drove up to Seattle listening to music and swapping stories. I have known this girl since I was a baby so there is always a lot to talk about. It was so nice outside we had the windows down and our sunglasses on… the ride up to Seattle was a breath of fresh air all on it’s own.
I was a little stressed when we first got there because I didn’t know where everyone was meeting. Once I found everyone and formulated a plan for the day I felt better. As soon as we started walking around the different exhibits I understood how the assignment was going to come into play. I saw some of the concepts and virtues in the musicians that we heard speaking on the different video we watched. Then as the day went on I realized that I saw those same concepts and themes all around me… just in simple things like people taking turns to use the drums, people holding doors for each other, and in the simple interactions between families and friends.
It was such a beautiful day outside… I spent about an hour outside walking around. Maegen and I went and sat at the fountain and “people watched”. That was very entertaining. We went and sat in a Japanese flower garden and took pictures of the flowers. This was a positive experience and again gave way to locating the concepts in class to simply watching people and taking pictures in a garden.
The whole day was relaxing, entertaining, and frankly a nice break from the everyday routine. It also served to be a good chance to learn how to apply the concepts that we have learned in positive psychology to the “real world”. The “real world” is a bit more positive than I thought; at least at the EMP.
