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Growing Gratitude

Growing Gratitude

Community partners with local author for interactive story walk
Sunday, November 1, 2020
“There was a focus on trying to see the bright spots, looking for the things we have gratitude for. To help our mental health, instead of focusing on what we haven’t been able to do. One of those things is the trails, to be out there on the trails.” – Dana Washington Youth Services Director Community Action

In the old days before the internet, kids roved the outside world. They camped, they climbed trees, they engaged in playground-wide games of tag.

Then came the internet and the proliferation of handheld devices, forcing an even greater disparity between the amount of screen time and green time children experience each day.

Then the pandemic hit, causing school closures and quarantines, meaning that children who would normally spend time outdoors in playgrounds or at recess were suddenly even more restricted than before.

Parents, caregivers and educators all began to express serious worries about the effects of excessive screen time on the mental health of their children.

“We kept hearing from our youth advisory committee and the mental health coalition that [children] were reporting feelings of anxiety and social isolation,” said Dana Washington, San Marcos’ Youth Services Director with Community Action. “We started looking at ways to change that.”

After listening to parents and health care professionals, Community Action teamed up with Parks and Recreation, the San Marcos Public Library and children’s author/child psychologist Dr. Jon Lasser to make a plan: a way for families and children to get outside into nature in a way that is both meaningful and safe.

The Grabowsky sisters take to the trails for a little green time. Photo submitted by Dana Washington

This is how the interactive story walk ‘Tales from the Trails’ first began. The first story walk will center around Dr. Lasser’s book, Grow Grateful, and will be active at Spring Lake Natural Area throughout the month of November.

“It made sense,” Washington said. “We need to connect in a safe way, in a way that encourages that learning externally to technology.”

Research suggests that feelings of isolation and anxiety decrease when people are outside in nature. In addition to the physical benefits of being active, there are emotional benefits as well.

“We know that there are many psychological benefits to having connection with others in real life,” said Dr. Lasser, who is the program director of the school psychology program at Texas State. “There’s nothing like face to face real person interaction. Getting outside is a great way to reconnect in a meaningful way. But it’s hard to do during the pandemic.”

The partnership between SMPL, Parks and Recreation, Community Action and Dr. Lasser gives families a way to enjoy park trails in a way that is safe, interactive and fun, but in addition to that, Dr. Lasser’s book, Grow Grateful, will give story walk participants the opportunity to discuss gratitude and the things for which they feel grateful.

“One serendipitous thing is that this happens in November, the time of Thanksgiving,” said Deborah Carter of the San Marcos Public Library, and one of the event’s coordinators.

“Gratitude is a tough word to define, even for adults,” Dr. Lasser said. “We also wanted to get beyond the idea of saying thank you just to be polite. We wanted to dig a little deeper. ‘What is that feeling when someone does something for you? It’s tough to take abstract concepts with little children and make them tangible.”

But this is exactly what ‘Tales from the Trails’ aims to do.

“When we talked to our mental health coalition,” Washington said, “there was a focus on trying to see the bright spots, looking for the things we have gratitude for. To help our mental health, instead of focusing on what we haven't been able to do. One of those things is the trails, to be out there on the trails.”

The Grow Grateful selfguided story walk will take place along marked stations on the Spring Lake Natural Area trail. “It will follow arrows and the pages of the book,” said Jessica Ramos, City of San Marcos Recreation manager. “We want families to be comfortable. The fact that we’re doing this over a whole month means you can pick a day, even a week day, to go out and do it.”

As the year winds down and coronavirus continues to impact our lives, the partnership of these organizations hopes to continue the ‘Tales from the Trails’ program into the future, providing meaningful green-time interactions to San Marcos families.

Washington added, “When we talk about partnering, my position is part of a community partnership: A collaboration between SMCISD, the city, Community Action and the university. We see the value of programming for our children, rather than it being a solo effort, it’s really a community effort.”

San Marcos Youth Services Coordinator Catherine Marler said, “Our vision is that we can continue this, maybe doing it monthly. A different story and a different natural area. We see this as being something we can continue to offer.”

Copies of Grow Grateful are available at the San Marcos Public Library and online, Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Additionally, Tales of the Trails participants can enter a contest to win a signed copy of the book by posting photos on social messaging sites with the hashtags #GrowGrateful #TalesOnTheTrails. Copies of photos must be submitted to Catherine Marler at cmarler@ sanmarcostx.gov no later than Dec. 1.

For further information, check out the San Marcos Public Library’s event page or the City of San Marcos website at sanmarcostx. gov/Parks-Recreation.

For more information about Dr. Jon Lasser’s books, check out his website.

San Marcos Record

(512) 392-2458
P.O. Box 1109, San Marcos, TX 78666