A hobby is an exercise or pursuit one adopts to practise in leisure purely for pleasure and joy. There is no element of monetary profit directly although it sometimes brings rewards unexpectedly.
A lady engaged in bonsai hobby might grow a miniature tree of exceptional qualities that may fetch a fortune. Similarly a stamp collector may collect a rare stamp by sheer chance to earn an incredible sum of money. Otherwise a person does not start a hobby with money in mind.
Hobbies are meant for aesthetic pleasure. A person engaged in his hobby is at peace with himself. The exercise gives him great pleasure and it is not for sharing with others. A hobby can reflect the life, mind and the personality of a person. It reveals his temperament, taste and bend of his mind. The urge to choose a hobby comes from within, except in cases where a doctor prescribes a particular hobby as a part of therapy.
Over the period a person’s routine life becomes very monotonous, dull and dreary. He begins to get robotised. Today’s life is very much so. One needs to do something different to get out of the groove of routine drudgery. A hobby just does that by offering a refreshing change. The mind keeps throwing hints about what it would like to do for a change.
Take the hint and adopt that hobby. As soon as one gets down to one’s hobby exercise all the worldly tensions and worries seep away. Peace returns to the mind for however short period it may be. Ready-made relief is there.
Some of the most common hobbies are stamp collecting, coin collecting, collecting match box labels, bottle crowns, fishing, painting, reading fiction, acting, pen friendship, gardening, autograph hunting and book reading. Some people play golf or cricket or boat simply as hobbies. The gardening can be enjoyed by those who own a garden or patch of land.
In old times hunting was a popular sport especially with high and mighty. Now this sport is becoming illegal as the wild life dwindles down to extinction. Anyway killing of animals for sport is not a good idea. Traditional hobbies of our ownland has been chess playing, kite flying and cock or pigeon fights.
Some special female hobbies are Ikebana, Bonsai, knitting, stitching, crochet work, social work and kitty partying.
Besides providing relief to the tired mind hobbies keep one’s mind busy. It is good because an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Reading as hobby enriches one’s knowledge. The hobby must not interfere with one’s professional work.
The healthful hobbies like gardening, photography, riding, boating, swimming or flying are good provided one has means or resources to finance them. The city people can go on a picnic in some clean park or green area with friends or family as common hobby. It can refresh everyone and provide relief from routine life.
It is a pity that in our country some people do side business in the name of hobby to supplement their income. Others spend their leisure time without any thought or plan. Some while away time in playing cards or watching inane movies.
Useful hobbies can undoubtedly keep people away from evils, provide relief, refresh the mind and enrich one’s knowledge. Afterall, whatever you do there is something to be learned or gained as valuable experience. They provide you the best way of spending your leisure time. A youngman with a hobby can channelise his youthful exuberances, energy and zeal in positive direction. It will bring him several side benefits and save him from a lot of trouble.
Keep your hobby as a mental pastime exercise and don’t turn it into a burden or taxing duty. Let your hobby remain a hobby.
