Welcome to the Friday Loose Bloggers Consortium where twelve of us write on the same topic. Today’s topic has been chosen by Rohit who I think is on a sabatical from blogging. The ten other bloggers who write regularly are, in alphabetical order, Delirious, gaelikaa, Grannymar, Magpie, Maria SF, ocdwriter, Padmum, Paul, Rohit, The Old Fossil and Will. Do drop in on their blogs and see what their take is on this week’s topic. Since some of them may post late, do give some allowance for that too!
I remember the times when I used to interview candidates for employment. It used to amuse me no end to hear them answer the question “What are your hobbies?” with “Work, Sir.”
A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one’s leisure time.
Since I am on permanent leisure time, I suppose that all my activities can come under the term hobbies. That should include time spent in the kitchen making tea, cooking, washing, drying and storing away vessels and dishes, shopping for groceries, the odd occasion when I have to wash and dry the clothes, and so on and so forth.
If these are hobbies, then what about my eclectic reading and solving crossword puzzles? Do they become my escape mechanisms? How about blogging and surfing the internet? And the much looked forward to fellowship of the park?
I am confused. Can someone remove my confusion?
Since I work 2½ days a week and look after the house the rest of the time, I wonder which one counts as my hobby? Or perhaps they both amount to “work” and my hobbies are something else entirely?
I would say in your case looking after the family and yourself really amounts to “work” (even with the love and affection) and everything else is your hobby.
Nick recently posted..Sigh of relief
Rummuser Reply:
March 17th, 2012 at 09:51
Now, you have gone and spoilt it all for me. Never mind, I will plod on.
I know it sounds brutal, and few will like it: Never understood the concept of HOBBY. I don’t have a HOBBY. I just live my life. And enjoyable it is too. Even at times when it’s not. And yes, I will admit that I do not, never have, collected stamps. Neither do I understand the need for pigeon holing our lives. Just get on with your knitting or however else you waste/put to use your time.
U
PS I can’t wait for Old Fossil coming out. Let’s hope nothing will make him fly out of the saddle of HIS hobby horse (insert big grin)
Ursula recently posted..Spares
Rummuser Reply:
March 17th, 2012 at 09:53
Brutal is what one of my friends who refuses to comment here but sends me emails, calls his hobby – kicking arse. We are saints in comparison. RT, I hope you are reading this.
I can easily remove your confusion. I am a stay at home MOm, and do not bring in any kind of income. Does that mean that I do not work? Absolutely not! I work just as much as women who work outside the home. I would hate for someone to say that because I don’t have an income that I don’t work. Hobbies are what I do when I’m tired of working.
Delirious recently posted..Friday Loose Bloggers Consortium: My Favorite Hobby
Ursula Reply:
March 16th, 2012 at 10:29
Delirious, I can’t begin to tell you how I groan when one of my friends, being introduced to someone new, and asked that most inane question “And what do YOU do?” answers: “Oh, nothing, I am JUST a housewife.” How sad is that? The woman has four children, a large house, and, oh, nearly forgot, a husband to keep happy and in shirts too. I had to build some severe scaffolding round her self esteem.
U
Ursula recently posted..Spares
Delirious Reply:
March 16th, 2012 at 10:36
Oh no! How could they say that? I’m glad you helped set her straight! It is easy to lose self esteem when the world tells you that unless you are bringing in money you aren’t valuable. My neighbor’s family was like that, so the only way she could keep them off her back while she stayed home with her children was to take some college classes. Otherwise they would have thought she was lazy! I try to help her to see that what she is doing is invaluable, and that no one else can raise her children as well as she can. But those other voices can be loud at times.
Delirious recently posted..Friday Loose Bloggers Consortium: My Favorite Hobby
Rummuser Reply:
March 17th, 2012 at 09:55
There is a slight clarification that needs to be inserted here. My definition of work is what I do despite not wanting to. Everything else is just living my life as it evolves. Does that alter your perception of my confusion?
i’m with you rummy.
and ursula!
i just be.
i hate the way we have to or tend to compartmentalize everything in life. i like the way winnie the pooh would answer that…
“oh i don’t know. i just hang out with tigger and rabbit. sometimes i visit owl. and roo. and sometimes i eat honey. it’s a good day.”
but my favorite would be eyeore! “oh i don’t have a hobby. what’s a hobby? it doesn’t matter anyway. it’s going to rain.” lol.
Rummuser Reply:
March 17th, 2012 at 09:57
Many of us birds of a feather Tammy. It is synchronicity that the blog world has brought us all together. What John O’Donohue calls as Anam Caras.
What a great constructed of words, hobbies is simply a past time of an individuals but more often its been addicted for some others might used it, hobbies is bringing a kind of happiness in a single hour but its become more effective if its doing in a right manner…
Clauie recently posted..1300 number
Oh dear – it sounds as though people are jumping on their hobby horses with all this argument about hobbies. I now know that a hobby can catch a dragonfly – http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/h/hobby/index.aspx
Rummuser Reply:
March 17th, 2012 at 09:58
Trust you to come out with completely out of the box ideas! Thank you. Very interesting site.
Now there’s a coincidence. I thought – there’s another way of looking at this, that anything you do out of a sense of duty or necessity is work, while everything else is your hobby. And then I read your reply to Delirious: “My definition of work is what I do despite not wanting to. Everything else is just living my life as it evolves.” That’ll do nicely.
Nick recently posted..Sigh of relief
Rummuser Reply:
March 23rd, 2012 at 07:44
Thank you Nick. I knew that we are birds of a feather.
I’m not sure my leisure pursuits could be strictly termed hobbies. But I know that bit on the employment form “a statement of what you do when you are not going to be at our place of employment” I used to write: reading.
Now I’m not sure what I would say because recently I bought a electronic lawnmower and I see that as sheer pleasure of being able to cut my wee patch of grass any which way I turn the wheels…
Most of my other “hobbies” of the near past have taken a back seat as my new hobby (journey) is related to reading but more an academic journal which attached to the hobby of climbing up the tree of knowledge with post grad studies in the field of Ethnomusicology and this now means listening to music!!
Cathy in NZ recently posted..Better, Happier with Study…
Rummuser Reply:
March 23rd, 2012 at 07:45
I would certainly rank mowing the garden as a hobby though whether quite to call academic pursuits as hobbies is dicey. Reading for pleasure sure should be.
My hobby? People. Especially getting out and meeting people, the camera sure helps to open doors.
Grannymar recently posted..Cranes at Buttercrane
Rummuser Reply:
March 23rd, 2012 at 07:46
And a grand one that is too. I suppose that I could rank that as mine too.
Hobbies are things you specifically set out to do for enjoyment. Most of what you mentioned above are habits; at least the first bit. lol
Hobbies… I have to think more about that one because I’m not really sure I have any anymore. And that’s a shame.
Mitch Mitchell recently posted..Can’t Fool Yourself When Not Taking Care Of Yourself
Rummuser Reply:
March 23rd, 2012 at 08:23
Yes. I can see where you are coming from. For instance, blogging is a hobby for me. Not for you though!
I guess it’s according to whether those are the things you do for pleasure. If not, they move into “life necessities” categories and your escape mechanisms become your hobbies. (Well, escape mechanisms can remain…they include anything that, instead of or in addition to being done for pleasure, deliver you from life’s necessities.
Talk to Me…I’m Your Mother recently posted..Triple Blessing
Rummuser Reply:
March 23rd, 2012 at 08:29
Actually, I doubt very much if we can ever get to a stage when we do only what gives us pleasure and nothing else.