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Recreation
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City of Roswell
P.O. Drawer 1838
Roswell, NM 88202-1838
(505) 624-6700
Fax: 624-6889 |
THE LEISURE INCIDENT
Chapter Seven - "Ghosts!"
By Kim Elliott, CLP
Recreation Director
City of Roswell
Sometimes it seems like the year, and years, pass by much too quickly. We wonder,
"Where did the time go?" What did we do with the time that we had? There does
not seem to be much that we can do about time as it passes us by. Yet maybe there is!
Parks and Recreation - The Benefits are Endless!
How does the beneficial aspects of Parks and Recreation help us as time passes? Let us
look at three ghosts of time - Time Past, Time Present, and Time Future
The Ghost of Time Past helps us to remember. We remember the good places we lived, the
good people we knew, the good times that we had because of these people and places. What
made them memorable?
If we are really honest with ourselves, our memorable times past are mostly because of
positive leisure experiences. We remember the fishin’ hole, the difficult ski run,
the tree we sat under to contemplate life or kissed our first love, the feeling of being a
part of the team, the beauty of a sunset or sunrise, playing checkers with a friend,
besting our previous time for a two mile run, and many, many others. Because of that
experience, we also remember that we felt better the rest of the day, were more productive
at work, or maybe said a word of encouragement to a neighbor.
If we are honest with our selves, we remember that our past experiences benefited not
only ourselves, but, those we interact with on a day to day basis.
The Ghost of Time Present helps us to realize that time can not be stockpiled. We can
not borrow it from others. It is ours to use, or lose. The main question that we have with
the Ghost of Time Present is, "Are we using our time wisely?"
It is important to develop a good balance of work and leisure. Both are essential for a
healthy lifestyle. Developing a good balance between work and leisure provides for life
satisfaction which increases our quality of life. Self esteem, self reliance, personal
development and growth are a result of a good balance. A positive sense of accomplishment,
creativity, adaptability, problem solving and decision making are the result of a good
balance. Good physical and mental health, personal appreciation and satisfaction are also
a result of keeping both work and leisure in perspective.
What are the results of having this balance? In a nutshell, we are healthier and enjoy
life more, making it easier for those around us to put up with us.
The Ghost of Time Future helps us prepare for what lies ahead. We can put together our
worst case scenario, and, we can develop our best case scenario. Realistically, because of
unknown factors, we will probably fit somewhere in the middle of both our worst and best
scenarios. Having a proper attitude toward leisure activities will help to remove some of
those unknowns.
One of those unknowns is our health. Developing a healthy lifestyle leads to a life
with better quality. We feel better. We live longer. We can steer away from certain types
of health problems. We enjoy life in general much more because we are healthy.
Another unknown is the economy. Anything we can do to promote the communities health
and well being also promotes the economic vitality of the community. A healthy community
is more productive and spends less on healthcare. Industry looks to relocate in healthy
communities. The Leisure industry itself is one of the largest industries in New Mexico
and impacts greatly on the overall and local economies of New Mexico.
Keeping our environment safe and available for the future is a definite plus that also
impacts the economy. By the proper planning of parks and open spaces, the future well
being of our communities can be well established for many years to come. Communities
benefit by preserving our natural resources for the next generation.
In many ways, the Ghost of Future Time is the most important. We can not change Time
Past. If we strive to produce a future that the community can be proud, we are also
working to make Time Present a better place to live. Making the Ghost of Future Time a
pleasant ghost to be around means that we must make a commitment to the Ghost of Present
Time to properly plan for the future. We can make the future a better place to live.
Parks and Recreation - The Benefits are Endless...TM
Make it so as you commit to a new year.
