Hobbies

Hobbies are important activities that help us get our minds off of the stress of life. They also help those of us who are retired, so to speak, from stressful activities, to occupy our time with useful activities that can benefit ourselves and/or others.

Hobbies can take various forms and shapes. For some their hobbies require a significant amount of energy expenditure and even athletic ability. For others, hobbies are mostly sit down type of activities not needing much in the way of strength or agility. Some may require both of the above.

My favorite hobby is woodworking, as I state in my profile. Successfully working with wood requires both some training and experience as well as a degree of proficiency. Woodworking also has a bye product in that besides using one's abilities and creativity, it often results in some finished products that can either be sold, donated, or used in one's home.

Hobbies can give one a purpose for getting up in the morning when there's little else to provide that stimulation. They can also give a person a sense of self worth when things are created that are not only beautiful but useful to someone.

I work on my hobby almost every day when my health allows for it. I find my hobby very gratifying and useful in and around our home and sometimes in sharing with others through the annual sale here at the Villa or the annual Mennonite Relief sale.

There is also a secondary hobby which occupies some time for me for six months during the spring and summer. I have been a Chicago Cubs fan since 1945 when the Cubbies were in the world series against the Detroit Tigers. They lost that series to Detroit, and the last time they won a world series was in 1908. The 100th anniversary of that win is coming up next year, so that's the time for the Cubbies to win a world championship again.

I call watching the Cubs a hobby because I watch most of the games they play throughout the season. This hobby requires a satellite dish and a special sports package in order to get the games I want to watch. I guess I'm what some would call a dyed-in-the-wool Cubs fan, because win or lose, I'm still a fan. That's unlike many who are fans only when their team wins.

Well, that's part of what my journey is about. If you don't have a hobby, it would be good to get one!

Pilgrim on the way.