What is it and why do I do it?
We’ve just more or less wrapped up Hobby Weekend that started (sort of) with 
Some things I do or have done clearly qualify as a hobby. Some go past that. Some just become a part of me. I’ll discuss some of these, and hopefully I’ll come to some resolution as to what and why. The possibility exists that I will just muddy the water and never figure it out :)
I listed motorcycles as my HOBBY with reading as a second choice. I really think both of them are something more than hobby status.
I ride because I can, and love the peace and serenity of being in the wind. It is, for me, a Zen like state at it’s best. I’m functioning at a practical level that keeps me from being dead and function at another level that allows thought and time travel. At least until my butt gets sore and I need to stop.
I read because I have a need to know. Not a desire to know, a need. Over the course of my life I have done several direct studies that range from Tolkein’s Lord of the Ring books to the American Civil War. I’ve studied photography in great depth (particularly film) and causes and conditions of WWII.
These studies might be considered a hobby, but to me they are more than that. I get onto something and I just can’t quit with it until I KNOW the answer my mind searches for.
For instance, over the course of the last 3 years I have studied Pandemic responses in our society. It all started with an idea for a book (there is always an idea for a book) and took some interesting tangents. Most notably the mathematics of the spread of infectious diseases. Then came CV 19 and many times I have wished I didn’t know what I know. Needless to say, the book project doesn’t seem so pressing as it did 3 years ago.
This post has it’s genesis in my sad remembrances of hobbies that I had to give up on.
Fly Fishing. It’s so encompassing for me and I miss it horribly. There is nothing quite like being on a creek or river in the west where there is nobody in miles. Not one single human soul to know how you attack the river or what bug you start with or what it feels like when a trout rises to your fly. It’s the outdoors and nature and camping all rolled into one simple motion with your right arm. It’s spending the ice season tying flies and getting your equipment ready for spring. It’s planning new places and returning to favorite places. It’s all about the equipment you carry and has nothing to do with that. It’s technique and it’s not. It’s life.
Golf and Bowling. Often called life sports. I loved and hated both. I learned how to be better than the average bear at both. At various times I pursued them with a passion that is hard to quantify and at times I just played.
I was a lot better at Bowling, I had a couple of pro grade mentors that helped me with the physical part (equipment and technique) and I had/have the mental makeup to compete and flourish.
Writing. I have written for fun (and oh so rarely for profit) for most of my life. By reading this example you would probably have a hard time believing that I have studied and improved my craft for at least 50 years. I do take it relatively seriously.
So now I ask you. What constitutes a hobby? I’m seriously interested in knowing.
All words and photos in this post are mine. For better or worse.
You want some really cool stuff? Check these authors, they will not disappoint.
