Fear of Failure

There are many things that I have never tried simply because I was afraid that I would fail, like taking piano lessons or trying out for the school play.  I hope that as I get older, I get smarter too, and that I will be more willing to take chances.  Sure, sometimes I will look like a fool and sometimes I will fail spectacularly.  But if I am willing to work at it, I know that I can get better.  This blog is part of that.  The thought of putting so much of myself out where anyone can see it scares me to death.  I am determined to keep at it though.  I will write and I will get better.  Someday, writing in this blog may help me prepare to write that book that I’ve always thought about writing.  For now though, I’m happy just getting past my fears, one small post at a time.

What is a park interpreter?

My job title is park interpreter.  Whenever this comes up in conversation, the first question is always, “Do you speak Spanish?”   I guess that is a reasonable question, but the ability to speak other languages besides English has very little to do with my day-to-day job duties. 

According to the National Association for Interpretation (NAI), interpretation is “a mission-based communication process that forges emotional and intellectual connections between the interests of the audience and the meanings inherent in the resource.” 

I am not there to interpret a language, but instead to interpret the park itself and the resources that it houses.  I try to take the resources around me and relate them to the visitors in a way that makes it relevant to their own lives.   By helping them connect to the area, I can make it become more than just another dot on the map.   

For example, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the first structures in the park.  I could present a program that gives all of the facts about the CCC and most of the visitors would leave the program thinking “that was interesting, but who cares?”  It doesn’t really have much to do with their lives.  However, if I give a program that talks about how the CCC brought hope to a nation and how it gave young men a chance to make life better for themselves and their families, it becomes relevant.  We all hope for a better future for ourselves and those we love.  That is something that doesn’t change with time and that we can all relate to.It is often said that people fear what they don’t understand.  It is my hope that by helping people understand about the natural world around them that not only will they no longer fear it, but they will come to enjoy it as much as I do.

And, for those who are curious, I had Spanish in high school but all I can remember now is how to ask where the bathroom is.  Maybe I should put learning Spanish on my to-do list.

Finally!

I finally did it: my very first blog.  I’m just a bit slow at getting into new things.  Yes, I realize that blogging isn’t really new anymore, but it is something different for me.

Since this is new to me I’m not sure where it will end up at.  Right now, the idea is to have a place to post my thoughts and opinions on a variety of topics.  I’ve always been a fairly private person though, so it may take me a little while to get use to the idea of expressing myself in such a public manner.