Hello!

The Wreck in Recreation is a go-to hub for spunky individuals who want to be in control of his or her happiness by finding the beauty in any situation.

This blog is intended for people in either a human/health helping profession who can relate, anyone who simply experiences joy in what they do, enjoys laughing with others (I mean, who doesn’t?), who strives to have a positive, fun outlook on life or who agrees with the following statements:

• I believe that humour is one of the highest forms of enlightenment.
• I believe that smiles are contagious.
• I believe that we all have those days where things do not work out as planned. We may embarrass ourselves, we may make a mistake, or our bra may fall off at work (I’ll get to that later), but life goes on and how we respond to
  these situations is in our power.
• I believe that this sounds cheesy, but a little cheese never hurt anyone!

What inspired such a blog?

My amazing grandparents! They have always supported their children, grandchildren and now great grandchildren. At the ages of 86, they have never missed a baseball tournament, dance recital, birthday party or happy hour. With their family spread across Saskatchewan and Alberta, they rely heavily on texting and phone calls. They have the privilege of listening to me rattle on about embarrassing moments on a weekly basis and have always said, “you should write a book!” So I did the next best thing… I began creating this blog consisting of such stories so maybe now they can escape from those hour long conversations with me!

My first love is helping others.

My second love is recreation (and maybe celebrity gossip). Therefore, a Recreation Therapist seemed the best career option for me and if I say so myself, it’s been working out quite well! Before receiving my undergraduate degree, I worked in various recreation sectors such as: community recreation where I facilitated activities for kids in the park and organized community recreation opportunities for individuals who are unable to participate on his or her own, Winter Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls where I assisted in coordinating the Festival’s mascots (No, I am not kidding) and I was a recreation therapist student in a couple long term care facilities prior to receiving my Recreation and Leisure Studies-Therapeutic Recreation Bachelors Degree from Brock University in 2015.  I am now a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist. I have bounced around various facilities such as: supportive living, long term care and mental health. Multiple recreation sites = multiple stories!

What determines happiness?

Sonja Lyubomirsky, the writer of “The How of Happiness-A new Approach to Getting the Life You Want” asks the question ‘what determines happiness?’ She states that:

50% is the happiness set point that we are born with

10% is life circumstances

40% is intentional activity

(which is what we do and how we think)

I obviously believe that recreation is an essential aspect of one’s quality of life and I also believe in order to be a successful Recreation Therapist, one needs to have a strong personal leisure lifestyle. I have always enjoyed writing whether that entailed writing short stories, poems, cards for others as well as journaling for myself. As my journals piled up along my bedside, I figured it was a good time to share my experiences with others while also continuing my love for writing. My experience in recreation has not only resulted in touching moments, but quite a few outrageous stories that are dear to my heart. If all I accomplish in an entire day is put a smile on another individual’s face then I believe I am doing something right. I want to demonstrate to others that things happen that are truly the pits, but how we view those situations are in our control; sometimes all we can do is laugh it off.

I have only been in the Recreation Therapy profession for a six years and have enjoyed every second of it. I am excited to share my experiences with you beautiful people (respecting confidentiality of course) and hopefully bring a smile to your face! Please feel free to comment and share your own stories!

Want to be the ultimate supporter? Follow along on social media to be reminded of blog posts and view my amateur photography skills.

Let’s find the beauty in life together!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Disney.. I mean Clumsy!

Always,

Rach