Hobbyology

Hobbyology: (noun) [hob-ee-ol-uh-jee] 1. the study of hobbies. [origin: I made it up]

As I wind down my daily introspection, I have discovered another deficiency in my life. Currently, I don't have a hobby. There's nothing that I really pour myself into right now (outside of my work and my family). There is no leisure pursuit that captures my attention and my free time. By the sound of it, that may make me a pretty boring person. Other people have their fishing, photography, motorcycles, sports, collections, etc. I have nothing.

It's not because I lack interests that I am hobbyless though. I am not without plenty of passions and amusements. Quite the contrary. I am interested in so many hobbies that I can't really choose. I'm paralized by the spectrum of fads there is to pick from. I can't find my gig. (The thesaurus tells me I could have also used the words "schtick" or "bag" in the previous sentence but I felt a little funny using them here)

Those who know me best will tell you that I have a bit of an obsessive personality. My wife often laments because of my ability to focus so intently on a subject that the world (including her voice) seems to disappear. Hobbies have frequently been the object of my obsessions. When I get a new idea for a hobby I study it for hours and learn everything I possibly can. After intense scrutiny, I often determine that I have found the perfect hobby and that someday when I have time and money, I'll pursue my new passion. The problem is, someday still hasn't arrived.

And so, as I wait for someday, I continue to fill my "bag" with unused hobbies. In my generous moments, I benevolently assign a hobby or two to my wife and son and anyone else standing nearby. For example, my wife will be in charge of creating great home videos and editing them with software that I still need to purchase. My son and I will take Taekwondo lessons together so we can earn our black belts. I've volunteered my entire family to help me landscape my back yard. I figure, until someday does show up, I'll just have to live vicariously through other people. So, here's my pile of "schticks" and if you'd like to foster one of them for me, I'll be happy to consider you for the job.

• Landscaping
• Homevideo filming and editing
• Taekwondo (martial arts)
• Hapkido (martial arts)
• Falconry
• Furniture restoration and refinishing
• Painting
• Photography
• Running
• Biking
• Bird Hunting
• Field Training competitions with German Shorthaired Pointers
• Triathlons
• Investment Club
• Fishing
• Shooting
• Sailing
• Flying airplanes
• Golf

As you can see, I have quite a problem on my hands. If I don't retire soon, I'm never going to be able to adopt all of these hobbies. In the meantime, though, I'll just keep studying my hobbies and waiting for the days to get longer and the money to get easier.