December 2009 Archives

The recent gift-buying season proved just how difficult it is to select a present for someone who has no hobbies. It's easy to find a new project for a model-building enthusiast, a book for the avid reader, or warm clothes for the skier, but when it comes to the people who spend their time on the couch watching television, they need only one thing: a new hobby.

In my opinion, TV watching does NOT qualify as a hobby. Neither does Internet surfing. These activities help to pass the time, but they rarely challenge your brain or motor skills. Meanwhile, lots of American's are filling their down time with these artificial hobbies. A real hobby creates excitement or rallies someone to action. It turns empty time into something that has been built or envisioned or an action that improves with practice.

I suppose video games must be accepted as a hobby since they do meet these standards, but I believe that a bonafide hobby is one that can be done even when the lights go out.

If you don't have a hobby, you are missing out on a great part of life. Finding one can be as easy as asking your friends and co-workers what they do for fun or paging through the local paper's advertisements to see what catches your fancy.

My life would be dull without my piano-playing hobby. And it also helps the gift-giver since they can always find something for me at the music store.