Parks and Recreation may be a lighthearted television show meant to make you laugh, but it is also jam-packed with important life lessons. Here’s five important things I learned from it!
- Hold on to your dreams
Just like Andy never gives up on his dream of being a rock star and Leslie works until she wins her campaign to serve on city council, the cast of Parks and Recreation encourages viewers to follow their dreams and never give up. Failure is inevitable, but characters like Andy and Leslie teach us to push through the failures in order to come out stronger on the other side.
- Indulge every once in a while
Everyone has their guilty pleasures when it comes to food, and, according to Parks and Recreation, it’s completely fine to indulge occasionally. Leslie Knope loves waffles and whipped cream. Ron Swanson loves red meat and breakfast foods. Their preferences may seem silly, but they remind viewers that no one is perfect and that everyone has their weak moments – whether they be chocolate bars or a pile of waffles topped with whipped cream.
- Love what you do
Is life worth living if we aren’t having fun and enjoying ourselves? The cast of Parks and Recreation would say absolutely not! Leslie Knope is the perfect example of someone who loves what they do. She truly gets pleasure out of doing her job, which shows us that you can do something you love for a living. Furthermore, Tom Haverford also loves what he does. He is always extremely passionate about his endeavors, such as Rent-a-Swag, which shows us that enjoying what you’re doing makes you more likely to be successful.
- Family comes first
This lesson is a little more difficult to spot, but the show actually does a good job at representing the importance of family. Jerry provides the perfect example of an idyllic family. He is happily married with several daughters, but there are also other examples of family being essential to happiness. Leslie and her mom don’t always get along, but they always come back to each other when they need each other the most. Furthermore, when Leslie and Ben get engaged they work extremely hard to make their respective parents like each other because a strong, supportive family is important to them.
- The value of friendship
One of the most obvious lessons Parks and Recreation has to offer is that friendship is a valuable asset to one’s life. Anne and Leslie’s friendship is a constant throughout the show. They teach us that friends should stick together through thick and thin. Furthermore, all of the guys who work together in the office seem to be great friends. As the show progresses, they begin spending more time together and show us how
