Yesterday, I went to a fantastic seminar titled “Health, Happiness & Harmony: The Holistic Essentiality of Hobbies”. It was given by Jerry V. Walker, III, PhD, ABPP here at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (where I work). Dr. Walker has quite a background as a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Psychology Services Manager here in Omaha, Nebraska as well a impressive history in the military working as a psychologist. I begged out of going to another meeting to be able to attend this seminar and it was sooooo good. It was a scientific approach to how ‘hobbies’ enrich our lives/health in many ways including physical, mental, emotional and social.

It’s funny to present this information here, because all of us reading/visiting this website/blog are already aware of how tatting enriches our lives. This seminar presented defined ideas why hobbies are important to our lives.

As a clinical psychologist, Dr. Walker said he often asks his patients what hobbies they have, ‘what they do for fun’….and he said that the answer is many times a blank stare. Many people just don’t have hobbies of any kind. I just don’t get that! I personally have several friends that don’t have any interests or hobbies. I am personally worried about one friend who is talking about ‘retiring’ from her job in the near future. She is going to go ‘stir-crazy’ when she actually does retire. Fortunately she has had some surgeries in the recent past that have given her a glimpse into what being home full-time might mean to her daily life. Yet, she still won’t find/create a hobby or interest. I get the impression many times that she looks upon my hobbies and activities with disdain, probably because she just can’t understand the motivation of having a hobby/interest. I try not to force my interests upon her or any of my other friends, trying not to alienate myself from them because I have such an active life interests outside of my full-time work obligations.