People pick up hobbies for a variety or reasons. Simple interest, extra time that needs to be spent somehow or attempts to calm themselves after stressful work situations or lower their blood pressure. These hobbies are anything from music to bird watching or bug collecting, perhaps playing chess or actively following a sports team. Anything and everything can become a hobby for a person. A respite from the daily grind, something that does not need to be complete or worked on but rather is enjoyable to spend time on. No time limits, no supervisors no expectations other than your own. Sometimes people may find themselves in a blasé attitude about life. “There is nothing new under the sun” ( Ecc. 1:9) is often quoted in complaint about the humdrum in and outs of life that often turn grey after weeks of routine.
A perfect remedy for such a situation is a new hobby, a new interest to delve into, simply for the pleasure it brings. I think we give too little credit to simple pleasure/enjoyment. I use the word pleasure and all sorts of negative connotations pop into my brain. I don’t mean the destructive pleasure of drugs, partying, whatever else I mean to say constructive enjoyment that can sustain and is not harmful within itself. I digress. . . I often find myself feeling like I need to accomplish something. Anything just to feel as if my time was spent wisely. Finding a constructive and personally interesting activity is an outlet for stress and emotions that might be channeled wrongly otherwise.
There are a variety of things stored away in my brain that interest me but I just never had the time for. At times I try to tap into these hidden interests and begin to snoop around to see what I can learn or what I can do. Once I tried to teach myself piano. I was thrilled with listening to classical piano pieces and even blues melodies drifting from that set of black and white keys. I borrowed my sisters key board and set my mind to learn how to manipulate these pieces of ivory into some sort of music. While that particular interest did not last long for a few weeks i was wrapped up into the world of basic piano lessons and learning the art of music. The complaints about my drumming the C-scale over and over finally got to me and I eventually tucked away my piano for maybe a different day.
Then I decided the run down lawn/landscape of my parents house needed some work. I headed outside with a rake to get those leaves still left over from autumn and suddenly I discovered I was enjoying the yard work that I had always avoided. A simple interest had changed into something of a past time. Often avoiding homework or other “productive” ways to spend my time I find myself outside testing the soil to see what will grow. Or scheming to build a couple of benches to accompany our new fire pit. Instead of just wasting time or spending time I feel as if I am investing time into making something beautiful.
Fiddling around with these different interests of mine lent me perspective into myself that I found valuable. I was personally rewarded by becoming involved in something that was personally rewarding just for the sake of being rewarding! Whatever your interest is, pursue it, search and discover it. There is plenty of time for work and commitments but at times it is nice to close the textbooks or shut off the TV and use your mind and all your senses to enjoy your time. You never know what you may learn, you might find that others have similar interests.
