The Endless Pursuit of a Hobby

Everyone should have a hobby, shouldn't they? Hobbies can broaden your horizons and enhance your life. They can keep you busy, educate you and give you something to talk to others about. I have tried to find a hobby that will keep me interested for more than a few months. Nothing has stuck.

I have tried knitting. This was a lovely, relatively inexpensive hobby that rewarded me with a finished product. I made and gave away several baby blankets and numerous scarfs. The problem I had was that I only knew how to knit and purl and that became mind-numbingly boring. When directions got too complicated, my stitches became sloppy and uneven. Eventually, I ran out of items to make and people to make things for. Honestly, I think the recipients of my hand-made items were relieved when I finally gave up on knitting.

At another point in my life, I took up painting. I equipped myself with oils, temperas, brushes and canvases. I set up an easel and converted the room into my studio. I felt like Picasso, slapping paint on the canvas and standing back to admire my masterpieces. Only problem was that I had very limited talent in this area. I've never taken a lesson and really had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. I painted a couple of landscapes that weren't too embarrassing and gave them away. I actually sold one of my paintings for a minimum bid on eBay. But truth be told, I wasn't very good and was not terribly inspired to continue. I just ran out of steam.

At one time or another I sampled all kinds of domestic hobbies. I have done some gardening, canning, baking breads, sewing and assorted needle crafts. I have tried yoga, running and Tai Bo. Nothing kept my interest for very long.

My latest interest is wine. This hobby sprung from frustration of purchasing a bottle of wine and not liking it. I was tired of forcing myself to finish off a bottle that tasted like rot-gut. What, I wondered, was the problem? So I started with Wine For Dummies. I began to broaden my knowledge base and experiment with different types of wines. I received all kinds of wine books and gifts from well-meaning family and friends that wanted to support my new interest. My husband purchased a 36 bottle custom wine rack for my "collection" (at the time about 6 bottles). For vacations we visited two of the wine regions in NY, tasting and purchasing bottles to add to the wine rack. After all that, I still only know a teeny-tiny bit about wine. I do, however, now know what kinds of wine I don't like (oaky Merlots and Chardonnays).

I am not the only one in my household that latches onto a hobby and then gradually looses interest. Don has build and crashed several gas-powered radio controlled airplanes. He has tried photography, purchasing an expensive camera along with all kinds of lenses. Don has at various times played the guitar, banjo, harmonica and saxophone. His latest acquisition is a Yamaha electric organ with all kinds of bells and whistles. It sits gathering dust.

My latest hobby is blogging. Wonder how much longer this will last?