I have a friend who is currently travelling around New Zealand in a campervan. I follow her adventures by looking at her wonderful photographs on Instagram. There are all sorts of images on there of things people are doing or thinking. It shows a wide range of interests and hobbies that others have. I look at some of them with envy. I love to see some of the paintings that people show. There is something special about being able to capture an image or idea and recreate it for us all to see. Music is the same. Again, it isn’t something I can impress anyone with, but it is astonishing how one song sung by several people sounds so different. Even sung by the same person at a different time. I visited a friends garden the other day and spent a long while walking around it and talking to him about the plants. He was very knowledgeable, and it was a very enlightening trip. I sew and get great pleasure out of it. Garments don’t always finish up how I envisioned them, but I will have still delighted in making them. I read a lot too. Sometimes I read for escapism, sometimes for knowledge and sometimes because the words flow like poetry. My daughter has just had a tattoo put on her leg to symbolise her hobby. She takes part in roller derby (something like rugby on roller skates). Each morning when she gets dressed, she will see her new tattoo and enjoy the beauty of it and the reminder of her sport. I see advertisements for classes and clubs in any number of different hobbies. I like the thought that many of us are getting enjoyment out of our lives by taking part in activities that have nothing to do with our work. It doesn’t matter whether we are doing something that thousands of others are doing or it is a hobby with very limited appeal to others, the important aspect is how good or exhilarated it makes us feel There is no better way to feel at peace with the world and reflect on how wonderful God’s creation is.
The Eagle Tree by Ned Hayes is this month’s book. The young man has a hobby which is probably different to yours.
God Bless
Maureen Kendall