Hobbies

So this is not the super important post that I promised last week--I may not get to it because RB is ill and houseguests are coming later in the week. But I was reading Trillwing's post about her plans for the year and it made me want to write about hobbies (notice that her year is 2006-07--I find it impossible to concieve of a year any other way but the academic calendar--January through December means nothing to me--aren't we all like that?).

I wrote in response to Trillwing that I consider hobbies to be like a mental power nap. I am a worrier and I am prone to extreme anxiety, the kind that makes me physically ill, and relaxation exercises are of no use to me. I have tried yoga and meditation, but it is very difficult for me. But when I am working on a hobby, it requires just enough concentration that I can't think about my other responsibilities for that time period, and when I am done I can return to my work refreshed. I don't have tons of free time, but I have found that I work more efficiently and with more focus after I have spent some time working on a creative project unrelated to my academic work. In the end, I think I recoup that time simply by working better.

I think many people see hobbies as a luxury--something to do when you're bored. For me, it's therapuetic and almost necessary to my well-being. I advise more very busy people to try it. I sew, crochet, and embroider, and for my birthday, my mom gave me a great kit for handmade greeting cards. I also play the mandolin, but I have fallen out of practice on this one. I tend to let go of a hobby when I have learned how to do it. I think that my hobbies are all about engaging in a learning process, and that is very satisfying to me. But I can return to the mandolin now because I have forgotten how to play and the learning process will start all over!

P.S. My regular readers might notice that I tend to use the words "very" and "really" a lot (I also use "a lot" a lot). RB has recently picked up this speech habit from me--"Mommy, I'm really really really hungry." "Thank you very very very much." "RB is really really really sleepy." It's really very funny. :)