Wandering and Wondering

Christmas overshadows everything this time of year. It isn’t the only reason, however, to appreciate the winter season. I was reminded recently of how people celebrate different holidays and holydays during the month of December. I like knowing what is important to others.

I enjoy Christmas because of the fundamental rejoicing in the birth of Christ as the realm for Christians. The story of the heralded birth provides the basis for music, gift giving, and family traditions. For me as a red letter Christian, the holyday provides light and hope for the future. The message of Jesus’s life is kindness and love.

My Jewish friends celebrate Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, which commemorates the Maccabees’ victory and the miracle of oil that burned for eight days. These traditions include the lighting of a menorah, eating oil-fried foods like latkes and donuts, playing dreidel, giving gelt (coins), and gift-giving. The annual winter holiday celebrates both events, which resulted in increased religious freedom for the Jewish people. In 2025, Hanukkah started on December 14th.

National Bodhi Day, celebrated by Buddhists, marks Siddhartha Gautama’s enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. For several cultures, celebration occurs on December 8^th. The day commemorates Bohdi’s awakening to the Four Noble Truths: there is suffering, a cause of suffering, an end of suffering, and a way leading to the end of suffering. Celebrants often meditate, study scriptures, light lamps, and perform acts of kindness.

Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African American cultures from December 26 to January 1. It culminates in a communal feast usually on the sixth day. Activist Maulana Karenga created it based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of West, East, and Southeast Africa.

The Winter Solstice acknowledges the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. From this day on, daylight will be longer and nights shorter. This festival is celebrated by cultures from around the world. During this December global holiday, each culture marks the holiday with different traditions and rituals, such as brewing and drinking mulled cider, lighting lanterns, dancing, and gift-giving.

I am happy when someone wishes me Happy Holidays because it includes all the possibilities during this season. I am also pleased to be wished a Merry Christmas since that is part of my heritage and tradition. Regardless of the named holiday, all traditions embrace love, light, kindness, and joy. We all share common values and choose to demonstrate them in our own ways, regardless of the religious tradition. It is a time to rejoice in the goodness of the world. Happy Holidays!

I feel resonance when I am outdoors. The earth grounds me and the sun draws me upward. I resound when attuned to something bigger and deeper than myself.

Resonance has been on my mind lately. Scientifically, resonance occurs when something vibrates more strongly because it is driven at a frequency that matches its own natural frequency. Every object has a frequency at which it naturally oscillates. For example, when a musician plays a note, the body of the instrument vibrates and amplifies the tone.

I vibrate with nature. Beyond being scientific, it is a sense of alignment and deep connection with the natural world. It expresses an emotional and spiritual state where I feel attuned with the environment around me.

Being in nature provides an antidote to the chaos that confuses me in this world. Etty Hillesan’s statement resonates with me as she notes, “Despite everything, life is full of beauty and meaning.” When I return from an outdoor Experience, I feel grounded and ready to face the contradictions that dominate my life.

I go to nature to clarify and organize my thoughts. Ideas come to me in my head, and the resonance drops my thoughts from my head to my heart. Although my writing over the years has been mostly in my head, I seek opportunities to express myself from my heart.

I resonate with various aspects of nature. For example, being near an alpine lake can give me a sense of calmness. Reaching a high elevation gives me a feeling of expansion and freedom even as I recognize that I am but a small piece of a huge world. I love seeing wildlife when I am out in nature. I feel a special bond with pikas going about their business of gathering hay for the long winter ahead. I take comfort in seeing a cow elk nuzzling her calf.

I have come to feel a special resonance with the full moon rising. The anticipation of the coming moonlight and the confidence that a moon will rise in all its brilliance, whether cloud obscure it or not, creates a sense of harmony between my inner emotions and the natural world.

Nature is my companion that brings me peace and insight. It reverberates with my heart and soul.

Unlike the old Alfred Hitchcock movie, I am delighted that the birds are regularly back in my life. It only took them two hours to find the buffet feeder after the recent snowstorm. Because of bears and abundant seeds sans snow, I waited until I thought the birds needed me.

I love birds. I am no birder, however, and do not aspire to be. I have tried going out with friends who are avid birders, but I lack patience. I enjoy moving quicker than one should when observing birds. I envy people who can hear bird songs and then look for that bird flitting about.

I took a trip to the Amazon Rain Forest years ago. I did not realize what I was travelling with vehement birders. We went to a remote tourism resort in the heart of the rainforest. To get to this wild place we flew, took a motorboat, and then a wooden canoe. My friends thought they were in bird heaven. I enjoyed the trip and the hours we spent in a lookout tower watching for birds. They identified over 70 new birds to put on their life lists. I wrote them down in case I ever decided to keep such a list, which has not happened.

I miss all the birds that lived year-around in North Carolina. My feeder there was always humming with activity. Fewer birds remain during the winter in Rocky Mountain National Park. Several years ago, friends who were birders spent a week at my condo in Estes. I warned them that not many birds would be found in March. I was wrong. With the thank you note they left, they listed 22 different birds that they had seen. I was delighted for them but also felt less expert on birds.

Unfortunately, I am worried about the birds. Statistics suggest that North America has lost more than 1 in 4 birds in the last 50 years. Habitat loss is the greatest threat to birds. According to research, bird populations in almost every habitat are declining. I lament the losses. I continue to advocate for birds and try to help them as I can.

I have set up two wooden stools near the window so that Gitch can watch the birds with me. They usually disaffect him. I watch them with my own solitude and enjoy my daily chores each winter of filling the feeder and making sure the ground feeders have an opportunity to feast on the mixture of sunflower seeds, millet, peanuts, and corn. Feeding the birds is a winter joy that brings me close to nature when I am indoors.

My students had a final project in my “Women, Work, and Leisure” class at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. I asked them to interview their mother, grandmother, or another significant adult who was at least a generation older than them. They were to use an interview guide to learn about the individual’s work and leisure life from childhood to the present. They recorded and transcribed the interview. They then applied what they learned to the research and major concepts we had been addressing all semester in the class.

One of the students came into my office to explain why it was not possible for her to interview her mother. She said her mother was hearing impaired and was hard to understand when she spoke. I suggested that the student give the interview a try and if it did not work out, she could interview someone else.

Several days later the student came into my office with tears in her eyes. “I interviewed my mom and then I sat down to transcribe the recording. It was hard to understand but for the first time, I listened and heard what she had to say. I learned so much that I never knew. Thank you for making me do this assignment.”

I was thrilled for the student. As often happens in teaching, I learned an important lesson that day, too. In future visits to my childhood home, I asked my mom questions about her work and leisure over the years. Like my student, I appreciated what I was learning.

My mother passed six years ago. Although I understood more about her childhood and years as an Iowa farmwife and a reading teacher, I wish that I had asked how she felt about her life experiences. I suspect I know the answers to some questions, but I long to have learned more from her before her health deteriorated.

As I get older, I contemplate questions that I now consider in my own life and wish I could ask mom to get her perspective. What would she say were the most important people in her life (sans her family)? What were her happiest moments? When was she the saddest? Who was the biggest influence on her life? What were the most important lessons she learned that might be helpful to me? What was her favorite memory of me? Of my sisters? Of my dad? Of her parents and siblings? What was mom proud of? Is there anything she regrets in her life? How did she feel about growing older and the physical changes that occurred? What were her hopes for her grandchildren, and great grandchildren? What wisdom would she like to pass on to them? How would she like to be remembered?

I know how I remember her, and I am grateful. I would love to talk to her again.

I noted the following statement on a recent fundraising mailing I got from the American Camp Association (ACA): “If parents believe that camp is just about fun rather than growth and youth development, they may simply decide that it isn’t worth investing in.” I do not think the outcomes of camp are an either/or issue. I believe, further, that downplaying fun does a disservice to both kids, their parents, and all adults.

Fun is a feeling of enjoyment, amusement, or lighthearted pleasure that comes from engaging in activities we find interesting and/or playful. It often involves curiosity, spontaneity, laughter, and a sense of freedom.

Camp or any kind of recreational activity should be fun. In this fast-paced age when people of all ages are stressed and worried about the future, fun is necessary. It is not just a luxury. It is not something to squeeze in only after other important outcomes or responsibilities occur. Fun is a vital part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle for children and adults.

Fun for anyone plays a crucial role in reducing stress. When I experience enjoyment, whether taking a walk along Lake Estes, dancing with my boy Gitch, laughing at movies with friends, or playing my trumpet in band, my body releases feel-good chemicals. Fun resets my mental state and offers relief from anxiety.

I have long argued that learning occurs best in fun environments. My philosophy of teaching emphasized that doing activities in the classroom that were fun made learning easier and reinforced important concepts.

Enjoyment also serves as a social glue to strengthen relationships. Any activity that deepens connections with family, friends, cabin mates, and coworkers is good. Shared laughter creates bonds, builds trust, and encourages communication. Fun is critical in cementing positive memories.

Fun, therefore, is not a distraction from a meaningful life. It’s a key part. Fun isn’t optional. It is essential. When people reminisce toward the end of their lives, they do not talk about achievement or survival. They talk about experiences that were fun.

Fun is not easily measured. It is difficult to document. Yet, we know when we are having fun and recognize that it keeps our minds fresh, our hearts light, and relationships strong whether at camp or any aspect of life. Now go out and have some fun!

The 2025 Government Shutdown lasted 44 days. Some people hardly knew it was going on unless they listened to the news. Many people were worried about the holding of SNAP benefits. Furloughed federal employees were often concerned about paying their bills. I found the shutdown personally disconcerting because I could not volunteer at the park.

I proudly say that my second career is volunteering, most specifically at Rocky Mountain National Park. I love the opportunities I have had over the past 10 years to interact with visitors and staff at this beautiful park. During the shutdowns in past years, volunteers were limited in what they could do. People often do not realize the situation, and different parks have handled volunteers in diverse ways.

Volunteers could perform some services offered in the park, but volunteers are not a long-term solution. If volunteers can easily do the work, then perhaps there is no need for paid staff. I vehemently disagree with that assumption.

As someone who has studied the impact of volunteers on recreation organizations over the years, volunteer opportunities clearly do not just happen. Volunteers require supervision and oversight just as most staff require this direction. Volunteers in any organization are meant to supplement the work of paid staff and not supplant them.

Therefore, the shutdown has been trying for me. I felt relief the first few days since I did not have regular 4-5 hour shifts several times a week. I had guests visiting in early October and the park was open. Having the park allowed us to recreate responsibly. I also went to Yosemite National Park in mid-October. Other than visitor centers closed and interpretive programs limited, nothing seemed unusual.

After those first two weeks, however, I felt lost without being able to volunteer. I was forced to clean my house and take a carload of unneeded items to the Thrift Store. I hiked a lot. I did far more doom scrolling on the internet than I should. Gitch and I argued who got to sit in the office chair since I was at home more than normal.

I missed volunteering at the park. I missed social interaction with other volunteers and staff. I missed not knowing what was going on in the park. I missed the chance to feel I was doing something important with my time. The shutdown did not create any dire circumstances for me, but I am delighted that I am back at work!

A family approached the Alpine Visitor Center desk. The man held a card in his hand. “We came into the park on my 4^th grader’s pass” he bragged. “Our family is having a great time.” He then asked me, as the volunteer staffing the desk, questions about where to go next. I was delighted they were enjoying the visit because of the pass.

Every Kid in a Park program began in 2015 as part of the National Park Service centennial. Congress renewed the (renamed) Every Kid Outdoors program through the EXPLORE Act in 2024, authorizing the program for another seven years.

Every Kid Outdoors mobilizes the next generation of stewards by introducing 4th graders to public lands in their backyards and beyond. Statistics indicate that almost every US citizen is within a 2-hour drive of public lands. Research also shows that adults are significantly more likely to return to a national park if they visited with their families as a child. Family outings to parks provide lifelong memories.

I never thought much about parks as a child, but I loved being out in nature. The outdoors was inevitable when growing up on a farm. I have childhood memories of going to the “crick” most days in the summer and playing in the water. My dad got really disgusted when we tried to dam the creek and the cows downstream didn’t have water! Fortunately for the cows, our efforts were usually futile.

Although going to a national park was something done on only one vacation as a child, we made use of our local and state parks frequently for family gatherings. Two of my state park memories are of swimming and hiking at Backbone and my folks coming to Iowa State to visit me and us all going to Ledges State Park for a family picnic.

One website I visit regularly is the Children and Nature Network. It was established shortly after Richard Louv authored his book, Last Child in the Woods. The site states “we believe that the well-being of children and the wild places we love are inextricably linked… today’s kids are less connected to nature than ever before.”

Just like the National Park Service and other public agencies have advocated, the Children and Nature Network supports and mobilizes people to turn the trend of an indoor childhood back outdoors to the benefits of nature.

As the family reminded me at the visitor center this summer, efforts must continue to increase safe and equitable access to the natural world for everyone.

A non-emergency medical van quietly pulled up to an empty space near the Bear Lake Ranger Station. A red Subaru pulled up next to it and a middle-aged couple got out. The late September day was sunny with an unusually calm wind for that area of Rocky Mountain National Park. The back of the medical vehicle opened. The driver and an assistant pulled a gurney out. A person was lying in the gurney bed, but I could not see him until they swung the wheeled stretcher toward the trailhead.

The man had white hair and pinkish skin and was wrapped in a white sheet. The accompanying woman with graying hair placed a bright colored orange and blue blanket over him and tucked it in. The attendant pushed the gurney toward the trailhead while the couple followed.

I was volunteering that day at the trailhead. We are there to give advice about hiking and to make sure people know the conditions. I was not sure what to say but I nodded to the procession as they moved into the paved plaza and headed across the wooden bridge to the pea-gravel trail to Bear Lake. Other visitors waited momentarily as they crossed the bridge and headed toward the right on the busy trail. The group did not hesitate and I assumed they had a plan. Circumnavigating the ½ mile around the lake was not possible with their equipment. The man in the portable bed closed his eyes as he bumped along the trail.

I waited several minutes and then walked the 50 yards to the lake. As presumed, they stopped at a place that volunteers called “Picture Point. Benches sit beside the lake and people often take photos with Hallet Peak and Flattop Mountain reflected in Bear Lake.

The attendant raised the stretcher slightly so the man could see the lake and the mountains. The couple stood on each side of him. The woman patted his arm. They talked softly. Visitors continued to take photos at the photo spot and meandered quietly nearby.

After 15 minutes, the attendant backed the portable bed and turned it back toward the parking lot. The old man’s face showed a relaxed smile and his eyes were brighter as they walked by me. I smiled and thanked them for visiting the park—my response to many people returning from the trails.

This incident happened years ago. I think about it as I reflect on what I might want as my last wishes. I wonder how the man felt as he viewed this landscape likely for the last time.

A visit to a beautiful landscape would be high on my list when I say my goodbyes. It am reminded of the power of nature every day and the importance of special places such as parks.

I wish I had been a Parks and Rec Kid. I was not. I made up for it by being a Parks and Rec Adult. Growing up on a farm in the shadow of a strong Puritan work ethic, I did not hear about parks and recreation as a setting or a career until I was an adult. My family loved parks, and we were a “4-H Family.” We presumed, however, that parks and recreation was a city thing.

I majored in physical education in college. I liked sports and wanted to be a teacher. However, I did not have a positive student teaching experience. I was teaching 7^th graders how to serve a tennis ball. I lost control of the class as they were laughing and being silly junior high girls. My supervising teacher reprimanded me. At that moment I realized that I did not care if they served correctly. I did care that they were having fun. A subsequent career aptitude test revealed that “recreation worker” was a good fit for me. The rest, as they say, is history. I have dedicated my career to advocating for parks and recreation and all that it offers.

Being a Parks and Rec Kid refers to the “I’m a Park and Rec KidSM” campaign launched by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) in 2015 to encourage people to share their positive experiences in local parks and recreation programs. The campaign highlighted the value of parks and recreation as it relates to positive youth development. One of the stories that emerged was that Venus and Serena Williams began their tennis careers on public tennis courts in Compton, CA. Other athletes were introduced to their sports in their local communities before moving on to higher level participation.

I will always advocate for the significant value of public parks and recreation. Tax money pays for the programs that are open to all residents. Economic, environmental, and social benefits include creating jobs, improving public health, building strong communities, and protecting natural resources. They enhance the quality of life by making towns and cities more attractive places to live, work, and visit. As the California campaign advocated years ago, “Parks Make Life Better!”

Public lands and recreation have traditionally been a unifying force. They are bipartisan issues with broad verbal support across the political spectrum for their protection and funding, especially at the local and state levels. More funding, however, is required to nurture a whole new generation of parks and rec kids (and adults).

Just for fun, I asked AI to write a 400 word blog that reflects my academic convictions. AI has access to most of my professional publications. Here is the (inspired, AI word and not mine) article it wrote by Karla Henderson (unedited by me). I agree that it reflects my thoughts although I might use different examples:

Title: Leisure as Liberation: Creating Space for Ourselves and Each Other

What does it mean to live fully?

For many of us, daily life is structured around responsibilities — work, caregiving, managing a household. These are vital parts of who we are. But I’ve often returned to the question: where is the space for joy? For connection? For leisure?

And what even is leisure?

Leisure is more than free time. It’s a deeply personal experience — a space where we can be authentic, creative, and connected. It’s where we laugh with friends, hike a familiar trail, paint, dance, or simply sit quietly with a good book. For some, it’s gardening. For others, it’s skateboarding or knitting or attending a community drum circle.

But leisure is also political. It’s shaped by systems — by race, gender, ability, economics, and history. Not everyone has equal access to leisure, or equal freedom to define what leisure means for them.

Reclaiming Leisure

For women — especially women of color, queer women, and caregivers — leisure is often viewed as indulgent, or even selfish. We’re told to be productive, to take care of others, to put ourselves last.

But reclaiming leisure is an act of resistance. It’s a declaration that our time and joy matter.

In my years of research, I’ve listened to women share stories of how leisure became a form of healing — a time when they could finally breathe. Whether it was through writing poetry, roller skating in the park, or meeting with a weekly book club, these were not just hobbies. They were acts of self-preservation.

Leisure as Community

Leisure also builds community. Think of a community garden where neighbors exchange stories over tomatoes. Or a Zumba class that becomes a lifeline for social connection. These spaces can become sanctuaries — especially when they are inclusive and affirming.

Yet, we must ask: Who feels welcome in these spaces? Who has access to them? If we want leisure to be liberating, we must ensure it is equitable.

This means rethinking how cities design parks, how schools offer recreation, how organizations serve diverse populations. Inclusion is not an afterthought — it is the foundation.

Making Space for Joy

So I invite you to reflect: What brings you joy? What restores you? And how can you make space — not just for yourself, but for others — to experience leisure that uplifts and connects?

Because in a world that often demands our labor but not our joy, leisure is not a luxury. It is liberation.

Let us choose it boldly.