January 24 2024

Notes by Om Shreejay

Review: 

Last week we heard the story of a boy who had no home, money, food, clothes and wanted to be happy. He thought that happiness would come with wealth and so he worked hard for it. One day he discovers a precious jewel that was in his dirty old jacket the whole time which made him happy. 

This shows that as we strive to be happy, we think that happiness comes from the outside in things, but the place we forget to look is within ourselves, where we find that happiness has been within us all along and can be accessed easily.  

Lesson from last week’s RAW – The simple things in life give us the most happiness. Give more than you take to invoke joy in both the giver and receiver.

We continue to learn about how to relate to the world and invoke joy within.

Story: 

Kiran worked at an ice cream factory and when he was done with work, he went into the freezer to inspect the ice cream. Suddenly the doors closed behind him, and he was locked inside with no one around. Cold and alone, he waited in the freezer. 

He started to think about the things he liked, and a curious thing started to happen. The things he thought about just magically appeared there e.g., TV, Snickers, favorite book, blanket, jacket, hat etc. As he got colder, he felt weaker and weaker. His mind began to drift to the people and beings he loved e.g., his wife, daughter, parents, puppy etc., but they didn’t appear. He found himself surrounded by all the things he loved but no one he loved. He grew sadder and sadder thinking about all the things he wanted but was unable to share them with others. 

As Kiran felt like he was going to take his last breath, the security guard arrived, and he was saved. He asked the security guard how he decided to come to the freezer at that time. The security guard told him that Kiran was the only one at the factory who greeted him every day unlike others who treated him like he was invisible. He remembered that Kiran greeting him in the morning, but not in the evening before leaving, and so he was concerned and came to the freezer to check on Kiran.  

Lesson from Story: 

When Kiran was locked in the freezer, he realized he could get anything he liked, but not the people he valued. As he got close to his last breath, he realized that the people he valued were more important than the things he wanted. None of the things Kiran had could help him get out of the freezer. The person who saved him was one he had developed a relationship with just by being kind to him. 

Relationships with people are far more valuable than things ever will be. We can create and buy things, but people and relationships take care to develop and maintain, which is also why they bring us so much joy. When we are sad, the things we have may not make us happy, but a sibling or a friend can lift us out of sadness and bring us joy and happiness with a simple gesture of kindness. 

If your friend accidentally breaks a toy you love, realize that your friendship is more valuable than the toy. Value your relationships more than your things.

Activity: 

First Friend Dwija had us play a “would you rather” game. Would you rather –

• Spend time with your family and friends or get a new pair of clothes?
• Play with a toy by yourself or have a play date/hang out with your friend? 
• Have a sleepover with a friend or play with your iPad/device on your own?
• Go to the movies with friends/family or get a new pair of shoes?
• Be happier with friends/family or toys/devices?

RAW:

Say hi to someone you don’t know in a safe place (e.g., at school) and smile!

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Notes by Saamya Deo

Review

Last week we learned about a kid who faced a lot of challenges. All he wanted was to be happy. He thought he could get this by getting things he didn’t have. Food, a place to live. One day he is chopping wood and accidentally rips his jacket. A priceless jewel falls out that had always been there and he is finally happy!

We are all trying to be happy. So we buy more things. We learned that we  forget to check inside of ourselves to find what we are looking for. Spoiler alert, it is always inside of us. 

To practice this we did a guided imagery. It didn’t cost anything and it made us smile so much! It was in our minds the entire time. “Being happy doesn’t take much” – Sumanji

Story

Kiran worked at an ice cream factory. One day, he decided to “go check on the ice cream”. He walked into a huge freezer when the door closed on him. He was locked inside! He screamed and yelled for help but no one came. As he sat there, he thought about all of the things he loved. They suddenly appeared! He then started to think about all of the people that he loved. His wife, his daughter, his parents and even his puppy! The ones he had happy memories with. The ones that he wanted to share all of the stuff in front of him with. But, they didn’t appear. He became very sad. Suddenly, the security guard came in to save Kiran from the walk-in freezer. He asks why the guard had come. The guard said that every morning and night, Kiran said hi to the guard in the morning and bye to the guard at night. This morning, Kiran had said hi but he had never come to say bye. So the guard had known that something was wrong. Kiran was so happy! 

Lesson

In the walk-in freezer, when Kiran was surrounded by stuff he liked, he realized that he wanted the people he valued more. To share the stuff with them and to spend time with them. 

A person helped him get out of the freezer, not a stuffed animal. People are more valuable than other stuff ever will be. 

People bring us more joy because of how much effort we put into being kind and compassionate. Our friends cheer us up and make us feel so good because of the relationships that are maintained.

Practice

First Friend Dwija played a Would You Rather game with us. 

She asked us if we would rather . . . 

• Visit an amusement park with loved ones or buy a new pair of clothes?
• Buy a new toy or hang out with your friends?
• Have a sleepover or watch on your ipad?
• Go to the movie theater or buy a new pair of shoes?

In the end, would you rather be with loved ones, or by yourself?

RAW:

Say hi to someone you don’t know!