Thoughts About Hobbies
Posted: Wednesday, August 17, 2011
by John Waddey
firstcenturychristian
Every one needs a hobby. W. B. Wolfe wrote, "Hobbies are without end. They are one of the most effective forms of insurance against the boredom of old age or the heavy artillery of adversity. No man can afford to be without a hobby, and so long as his hobbies are subordinate to his life’s work, the more hobbies the better"
Hal Falvey described hobbies as, That which "puts to work those unused talents which might otherwise become restless, and it provides us with a form of activity in which there is no need whatever to strive for success"
The varieties of hobbies are without end. For some it is collecting things like stamps, curios, matchbooks, etc. For others it is collecting sports cards, books, or pocket knives. Some like to collect expensive things like vintage cars, original works of art or historic documents. For others, their hobbies are simple, working a jigsaw puzzle, or a cross-word puzzle. For some, hunting or fishing is their recreation and hobby. Some have mental hobbies such as counting certain items as they travel; things like red cars or semi-trucks. Others enjoy playing solitaire card games. For some their mental hobby is reading books. Of modern vintage is the hobby of exploring the Internet.
The good thing about hobbies is they can be shared with friends. Thus some join bird watching clubs or travel clubs. A person who loves to play music can enjoy making music with others.
A good hobby can free your mind from the drudgery of daily life or work. It can help you grow in your knowledge of a particular thing that you love. It sometimes happens that a meaningful hobby blossoms into a career. Jim, who worked at the factory, collected sports cards, or model trains. One day he found that he had enough of his collections on hand that he could begin to market his duplicate stock. In time he opened his own business.
Among the most rewarding of all hobbies is that of making friends. While some folks are satisfied living a solitary life, most of us need friends with whom to share life. While best friends will always be few in number, there is still plenty of room for a multitude of genuine friends in ones life. Every new friend brings unique gifts to us. They not only enrich us with their friendship, they are often great helpers when we are in distress. They broaden our opportunities in life as their friends and contacts become ours.
Some choose hobbies that carry heavy risks. The skydiver’s hobby often ends in disaster. The race car driver is at high risk of harm. The gambler’s hobby can impoverish him. The man whose hobby is imbibing in beer, wine or spirits with his friends runs the risk of enslavement. The man whose hobby becomes his obsession is often tempted to dishonesty to secure that which is denied him. The person whose hobby is collecting friends must be sure he does not use or abuse his friends.
Hobbies come and go. Looking back, I remember my first hobby was collecting comic buttons from Kellogs Cereal. Then came cartoon cards from Sugar Daddy "all day suckers." There were marbles, stamps and model airplanes. In adulthood I graduated to playing music, books and reading. Later came travel and gardening and writing. The thing I have learned about hobbies is they are like flowers. Many of them blossom and flower for a few years and then our interest fades. We give our collection to young relatives and pursue our newest interest. But there will be some that have a much longer life. For me it is my books, my reading and writing and most of all my interest in making new friends.
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