*Note - I'll be including this introductory paragraph at the beginning of every post, so that anyone who's checking in will have that background info. If you come back another day (and I hope you do), you can skip this part!
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Today's assignment: Hobbies! We at WEGO Health love hobbies. Tell us, what are YOUR hobbies? Are you a rock collector? Scrapbooking? Photographer? Dancer? Share your talents. (Pictures encouraged)
This was definitely another challenging post for me. It wasn’t as much hard to write
as it was hard to think of a hobby.
Honestly, I felt kinda lame as I thought through it all. I don’t scrapbook, I don’t paint, dance,
sculpt … I don’t play laser tag or video games.
I don’t run ... I don’t cook. I
really started feeling pretty pathetic, thinking about all the things I don’t
do.
I used to do all kinds of crafts
– in fact, years ago I was the go-to person for party favors and
decorations. But that was a long time
ago. Lately, I’ve done a couple of
things when someone invited me to a class, but 2-3 projects in a year hardly
counts as a hobby.
Then I started thinking about collecting – is there anything I
collect? I guess you could say I collect
butterflies (or should I say buttahflies ) – I have hair clips, artwork, post-its,
mugs, jewelry… just about anything that could come with butterflies, I
have. The thing is, it’s not like I
actively go around collecting them or searching for specific pieces to complete
my collection; I just get them when I go somewhere and see something I like, or I get them as gifts. In recent years, I
could say the same about peace signs - pads, pens, mugs, etc. Some would say I collect Alex
and Ani bracelets: I've got about 25 with the meaningful symbols
(yes, that includes one with a butterfly and one with a peace sign), and a
handful more that just looked really cool.
Still, I’d hardly call that a hobby.
Next, I thought about reading. It’s something I've always enjoyed, but
recently I feel like I haven’t done it nearly enough. I’m in the middle of a couple of books now,
but I spend more time reading online (articles and pages about my
illnesses, and blogs from others writing about theirs) – partly for the increasing need and interest, and partly because it really hurts my hands to
hold a 600+ page book open (I’ve been fighting it, but I’m really going to have
to buy a kindle sooner or later).
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| Making Strides, 2003 |
Finally, the hobby common to everyone participating in this
challenge is writing. I used to write poetry, and even tried my hand
at short stories a while back, but that all faded away years ago. Then for a while, all the writing I did was in a
private journal: mostly thoughts around food/eating, & how they affected
(and were affected by) my feelings. I
started this blog a few years ago; it was an exciting opportunity for me to
get back into the habit, with a positive message to share along the way. Even that had fallen to the wayside recently,
as I’d felt that I wasn’t doing well enough to write – I didn’t deserve to be
the example, because I was in such poor shape – both with weight and with
health, and of course, each
makes the other worse. What I realize (and just have to keep reminding myself), though, is that that’s
exactly when and exactly why I should be writing. For one thing, it
helps me work through my own feelings & issues. More than that, though – if I’m writing for a
public forum like this, and my goal is to actually help other people who are
struggling, what kind of message does it send to say that I can’t write if I’m
not in great shape? If I am trying to
preach a message that you are good enough just as you are, you are worthy,
you are strong, and you can get through anything … then I’ve got to start
by believing it about myself. Personally,
I’ve always been more inspired by people who were struggling than by those who
seemed to have it all together. With
that in mind, if I have any hope of inspiring my readers to believe in
themselves, I’ve got to live by the same idea.
I am good enough just as I am.
I am worthy. I am strong. I can get through everything. I can’t do it alone, but luckily I don’t have
to ... and neither do you! This WEGO Health Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge has given me the excuse and
the opportunity to get back into a hobby I have always loved but fell too far away from: writing – for my blog, for my readers, for
myself.
**If you like what you read, tell a friend. In fact, tell me, too - post a comment below! If you don't ... well ... I'm all for honesty, but ... please be gentle!
