Parks and Rec...More than a TV Show.
Hey everyone! I hope you're having an amazing week. I would like to discuss how Parks and Recreation is portrayed compared to what actually goes on within the agencies.
For those who haven't seen the TV Series "Parks and Recreation" it is a good way to get a general concept of the intrinsic details of a Parks and Recreation Department. This show has several key characters that are used for several departments within the Town of Pawnee Parks and Recreation. From my experience the conversations and dispersed dedication is a true image of a look inside this community-oriented profession. The TV series shows the craziness that can happen everyday within an agency by having people complaining about the silliest of things and showing concerns for ideas that are unrealistic. For example, my internship this past summer allowed me to sit in on conversations between community members and town employees such as the Parks Manager, and the Cultural Resource Director. A specific example of a silly complaint would have to be a woman coming into the office and stating that her backyard was too visible to the greenway recently put in to the park. She said she needed more trees and shrubs to cover the visible parts of her backyard. This may seem like a reasonable concern, but after looking into the property we noticed the only visible part of her backyard was the door of the fence leading to the greenway. Not only did the greenway help benefit the house property value but it allows easy access to a highly appreciated service in the community. I think the show displays more foolish examples it still gets the idea across.
A feature that the show misses is the fact that Parks and Rec. Departments are a lot busier than they appear. Even when there are no programs going on the planning and preparation for the next one is going on. A big part of Parks and Recreation is evaluation and planning for programs throughout the year. Without these key concepts you would have no clue what is successful, what is financially acceptable, what programs to continue or cancel, and what the satisfaction of what your offering is. I think that part of the job is so fun. The ability to be in the room discussing programs and ideas to implement into the community is such an awesome thing to be a part of. Leslie Knope, a main character in the show, explains how she is never really thanked for what she does, and how it's not able the personal interaction of the community, but the smiles and happy people she sees on an everyday basis because of what you do. For me, I like the fact that I can play "Batman" and be behind the scenes not getting credit for making someone’s day, or week, it's just knowing that you did that makes it worth it.
These lessons in the show and through life experiences showed me that it's not always about getting the attention on you, but insuring that there is attention on something positive. I hope this blog helps you think about how you can help others and do it for your enjoyment rather than the credit!
(And if you haven't seen the show, you definitely should!)
