Blog Summary #1

I Leisure, Therefore I am.

Ladies and Gentlemen: time for a blog summary. I have had the opportunity to do quite a bit of blogging, and in addition, my AHSC Leisure Education class has provided me with some thought provoking material. Here is a piece of my mind:

Leisure is easier said than done. I know this because I am taking a university class to leisure educate myself. If it was so easy then everyone would know how to do it, right? However, we do not. Point proven? I think so.

My own leisure education started with trying to define what leisure was. I wrote that “Leisure is something that I do because I want to do it, not because I have to do it.” I thought it was a pretty good first attempt, *pat on the back*, but realize that it fades when put next to the “state of mind, freely chosen, that results in intrinsic feelings of happiness, satisfaction, pleasure and or enjoyment” definition that we worked out in class. What I find interesting though, is that my blog entries (and what I write about in regards to leisure) fit into that definition. My leisure brings out those exact characteristics, and is the reason why I do what I do. See, I have always recognized leisure as an important aspect of my life, but probably on more of a superficial level, meaning that I would not really question, ponder or enquire. What I have come to realize, is that leisure is a science, and that I will benefit tremendously from exploring and widening my horizons. By educating myself with leisure I can properly make use of it. I am sure there is a correlation between life satisfaction and leisure, and who would not want to have the best quality of life possible?

So far, the leisure education class has brought me increased self-awareness and leisure awareness. I am starting to pay attention to what kind of role leisure plays in my day to day life, and how my view of leisure changes with what I learn from my studies. A perfect example would be how I used to view leisure and work as two distinct entities because of time. It would be work time or leisure time. Datillo states that “leisure does not require a special timeframe in which to occur…that leisure can be experienced whenever”. By applying that I have come to the realization that the two can mingle and intertwine. Having the ability to incorporate leisure in my daily routines allows me more opportunities to have feelings of wellbeing. I like that idea a lot!
When I leisure I also try to be attentive towards the experience itself. When I went kiting this weekend, the wind suddenly died, and I pointed out that I was experiencing a leisure constraint, in this case a structural one. Before the wind decided to disappear though, I experienced Flow!

This blog has created an interesting opportunity for me to have a closer peek at my relationship with leisure; it reflects my leisure attitudes and values. Leisure education starts with me and I have a whole lot of work ahead. I want to focus on learning the appropriate terminology in order to eloquently converse about leisure at an academic level to my surroundings, with the goal to enlighten them on the importance of leisure in their life. Terminology I can cram, but the essence of leisure I have to experience. Its tough, but somebody’s got to do it! :)