Individual J-Term: Brookwood Day 3

    Today was another exciting, rainy, and, busy day! It started off with a hearty breakfast of biscuits, sausage, and yogurt before heading off to the Print Shop. The Print Shop is one of Brookwood's enterprises, where they make handmade cards, t-shirts, and bags. Here, I got to see the Print Shop production process and meet the supervisors and citizens working there. This shop really got me thinking more about how easy it is to replicate the Brookwood model, and that is intentional! I learned about their bi-yearly Brookwood conferences to help others reproduce/learn from what they do.

    Once finished with the Print Shop, I went to Stone Casting. Here, out of concrete, they make outdoor sculptures. These could be used for gardens or yards, adding a nice decoration piece to people's houses! The process involves first pouring the concrete into pre-made molds. When dry, they sand the edges down. Finally, they coat them to help protect and prep them for further painting.

    Then, with the Stone Casting class, I joined them for Bloom Fitness. As mentioned in the last blog, we worked out various muscle groups through dance and song. After that fun, the workday was over, and we headed to one of Brookwood's activities, creating New Year's Resolutions. Led by Greggy, we went over what is a New Year's Resolution and what ours might be. After coloring, we would write down our goals for the coming year. This was by far my favorite activity, for it is a family tradition within my household. Inspired by my Grandma, we write 50 goals each year, reaching for our best selves!

        After creating our goals, we all headed to dinner. Today, I had the privilege of eating at the Tucker house, led by Ms. Homer. Here we had a lovely meat-lovers macaroni with rolls and a salad. Once done with dinner, I got DESTROYED in UNO. I never have been more utterly crushed in that game; I honestly am still in shock. I didn't know one could lose so wholly. Often, I wouldn't play more than 5 cards!!!

    Last but not least was men's basketball with Greggy and Anthony. Here, with around 30 other guys, usually more, but the rain prevented some, we practiced our basketball skills. This was a fun and interactive way to not only improve fitness but to practice hand-to-eye coordination. As I continue on through the week it is so fascinating to see how they integrate fitness and overall health within their activities. It leads to all citizens living a long, healthy, and fun lifestyle.

    Overall, my biggest takeaway today was how easy Brookwood's enterprise model is to integrate into other communities with special needs and how open Brookwood is to others.