Wednesday, May 21, 2008

On hobbies

So, on that, I don't have any.

Under the hobbies section of any profile I fill out, I always list things like reading and taking pictures of my son. But, truthfully, I don't consider those hobbies. I read strictly because I find it entertaining; it requires nothing really of me. I take pictures of Ad only because I want to capture moments; but I never really try to learn anything about photo taking. I consider a hobby to be something that I not only enjoy doing, but that requires effort and interest in the subject enough to learn about it. I consider hobbies as talents in training.

I have always wanted to have a hobby. One look around my house will tell you of my good intentions: I have a sewing machine still in the box. I have all the things you need to make candles. I have cookbooks a plenty, but no food on the table. I have a piano that never gets played. The list goes on....

So what's my problem? Is it that I just haven't found THE hidden talent or hobby that I will be good at doing? I am reading The Patron Saint of Liars right now and came across this just yesterday:

I imagined that it wa possible for people to have talents,
great talents, that they never stumbled across in the course of their
lives. Somewhere out there, maybe in one of those African countries where
all people have time to do is starve to death, was a painter who had never seen
a canvas. Maybe he scratched simple pictures into the dirt with a stick,
and it felt right to him even if he didn't know what it meant.

I like to think that I do have some undiscovered talent that God
has given me, something I would be absolutely genius at if I knew it existed. I
like to think God has given us all something we would be really great at if we keep
our hearts open to it. It gives me hope not only of my own undiscovered talent,
but that of everyone who hasn't found their's yet. How great would the world be
if we all were open to what God has given us?


PS- I know that for some blogging is a hobby and the writing
part is a talent. And I guess in a way it is a hobby of mine, but I consider it
more of a way for me to talk, rather than a hobby. I don't consider the writing
as a talent because I know that's not where my gift lies (or is it lays...see
what I mean!).



1 comment:

Anonymous said...

hmmmmmm... and see, my definition of a hobby is anything I do on a regular... or even a semi-regular... or a not-at-all-regular basis just for my own pleasure... like quilting... which I can work on at a frantic pace for days or weeks, then drop altogether for months or years... lol... I actually do have one quilt top I started piecing about 30 years ago... finished piecing about five years ago... and still haven't actually quilted...

p.s. but I promise Ad's quilt will get done in less time than that...