FROM THE EDITOR

I found the notebook among a stack of others tucked inside a box in the attic. The pages inside sure looked like college class notes, and the handwriting was definitely mine:

"Leisure is time beyond that which is required for existence, the things we must do biologically to stay alive... the things we must do to make a living. It is discretionary time, the time to be used according to our own judgment or choice."

The troublesome part was I had no recollection of reading the The Challenge of Leisure, let alone taking notes on it. And, more curious, with degrees in accounting and English, I was absolutely sure a Brightbill textbook was never on my required reading list.

Mystified, I reread several pages of my notes. And then I remembered. I read this book for the same good reason I did most everything back then: To impress a girl. (In this case, a sport sociology major headed to grad school at the U of I, who, coincidentally, later wound up writing her master's thesis on leisure in the courtship process.)

Odd, why and when and how we learn things, isn't it? Odder still how what we learn comes to serve us later. (You didn't really want a magazine editor who hadn't read The Challenge of Leisure, did you?)

This month we've got a great opportunity to learn and have fun at the IAPD/IPRA Annual Conference. The range of educational sessions and workshops is astounding. This year - just because I found that old notebook - I'm going to challenge myself to attend one session on a topic that has no apparent connection with my job, but catches my fancy nonetheless.

Are you up for that challenge? I mean, why shouldn't we have an urban park district commissioner at the "Conducting a Prescribed Burn" session? Or an aquatics manager at the "How to Obtain Land/Cash Contributions" session? Or why not a maintenance supervisor or two at the "This Old Website" presentation? Go ahead. Check out the conference offerings listed in the middle of this issue and plan to attend a session you know nothing about.

It's a notion that sounds crazy, I know. Maybe it even sounds irresponsible. But I don't think it is either crazy or irresponsible. I believe that by getting a small tour of topics that arc continents away from our normal nine-to-five lives, we'll foster empathy and build camaraderie for our colleagues all across the park, recreation and conservation industry.

From experience I know that sometimes the seemingly unusual things we learn make us better people. Sometimes, they make us happier people. You know, I ended up marrying that sport sociologist.

RODD WHELPLEY

Editor

4 Illinois Parks and Recreation www.il-ipra.org