Why I Hate it When People Ask What My Hobbies Are
Posted: Wednesday, August 17, 2011
by Ingrid Weir
http://www.facebook.com/ingritaweir
Why do I hate it when people ask me about my hobbies? Well, most people do not consider what I consider hobbies to be hobbies. In fact, I’m pretty sure that most people do not find what I do fun, exciting, and/or relaxing. However, what is important that I do, right?
There are a myriad of factors that go into my inability to have “normal” hobbies.
- I was born into a cult, so my first hobbies were taming wild animals and feral cats, reading the Bible, and reading the Encyclopedia Britannica (1976 edition). Okay, to be fair, we were missing one volume, so if you want to know anything that starts with the letter, “J,” I cannot help you.
- I have attention deficit disorder and narcolepsy, so medication just keeps me awake and doesn’t help with the A.D.D.
- I like weird things.
So, yeah, I grew up with very limited resources for entertainment ( we would go to Hell if we did most things that people find amusing). I would hunt down night crawlers to sell the local fishermen, read whatever we were allowed to read (mostly textbooks), collect cicada shells to use for my villages, watch tadpoles grow into frogs in the lakes and streams, run from crop dusters (this explains a lot, I know), and hang out with cows, turkeys, pigs, horses, feral cats, raccoons, opossums, and whatever else would hang around me. I picked up a speed reading hobby because my uncle was nice enough to leave his book at our house… oh, and when my brother left his DOS computer programming book out, my six-year-old self was so exciting after designing my first racing game!
Now, how is the history relevant to my hobbies now? I don’t know, but I felt like sharing because I have been having childhood flashbacks, and I find it amusing.
Okay, actually, I think my diverse set of interests can be attributed to my childhood. I found amusement in learning as a child, and so that it my main hobby. This, of course, has led me to collect 175 college credits spanning eight different majors.
Why?
Well, I would read class descriptions and think of how the classes could be helpful in my career at the time.
Now, I know you’re thinking that college doesn’t count as a hobby, but I disagree. It is something I enjoy more than most anything, it relaxes me, and it is something I do just for me, which is the definition of a hobby, right?
Of course, there are the other things that I love to do – you know, the things that you would put on Match.com (before social networking really took off) because you were bored and needed human interaction throughout the day.
Those are the usual:
Long walks on the beach… actually, not really long ones. Sand is hot and difficult to walk on – plus, there are crabs and junk. Anyway, I do LOVE the beach, any kind of traveling – road trips in particular, hiking, boating, writing (duh), watching live music & comedy shows, dancing poorly, painting, yoga, shooting pool, shooting guns (not at live things, of course), cooking, coloring, museums, dining out, watching anything shiny, touching anything fluffy and fuzzy; feeding ducks, swans, and geese; sleeping, volunteering, reading, and organizing closets.
See? I can still hang out with somewhat normal folk and find it enjoyable... and I am thankful that they pretend to, as well.
So, there you have it, my main hobby is learning about anything and everything – including reading through government website data, reports, and statistics. OMG, how I love reading statistical reports! No, that isn’t sarcasm. I love to read the EPA, FDA, FCC, SEC, CDC, and well, anything with .gov or .edu at the end… there is so much information out there that is readily available to us, but most people do not even realize it or bother looking! It is just amazing to me, and while most of my hobbies are rarely discussed with others, it is definitely something that I truly enjoy and highly recommend!
P.S. I almost forgot the hobby of speaking like a valley girl so people think I am a moron. You would be amazed at how much people will accidentally say to a girl wearing pink, chewing gum, and tilting her head to the side while she twiddles her long, blonde hair and bats her eyes. (To be fair, the dyslexia, A.D.D., and narcolepsy help with the airhead image, as well.)
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)From what I can glean you'll need a pond, a farm,a beachfront mansion with the Smithsonian on loan to you. Plus a direct line to the Pentagon,FCC,EPA et.al. And you left out WOODCHUCKS,Chipmunks,Quail,Pheasants,Lions, Tigers and Bears..so just "click" your Ruby Slippers and it can all be yours...Wanda the good witch is a friend of mine and I'll put in a good word....LOL - you know me so well, Steve O! I can't believe I left out the groundhogs!!!
I appreciate you putting in a good word with your friend to help out this gal! :-)
I find your hobbies very interesting. I suppose most people who say they don't have hobbies can relate to yours.Thank you, David... I figure you're probably right there. :-)
Throughout history visionaries seem to wrestle with mental and emotional disturbances, I think at least some of which could be attributed to their sense of difference from the general population. To be different is not evil as it is often referred to in today's homogenized societies, but is the impetus for spontaneity, exploration, ingenuity, creativity, and design. So to be different may in some moments in history be considered a curse, at other times is the very essence of growth and the genesis of evolution. Scary, huh? Hobby on girl.Thanks for the vote of encouragement David! You are correct - it really does depend on which time in history you live as to whether you are an outcast or a hero by society's standards.
Personally, I have no choice in the matter. I've tried being taupe, but it doesn't work for me. :-)
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