Do You Have a Hobby?

 

I recently completed a few interviews for the His to Protect blog tour and the only question I had any trouble answering was the one about hobbies. What do you think of when you hear the word “hobby”? Activities like scrapbooking, knitting, crocheting and painting come to mind but aren’t as relaxing as they once were.  

Of course, I could have listed gardening, but at our house, I’m not the one who digs in the dirt. I’m the one who plans the garden and advises on the arrangement, so basically, I am, according to my husband, the director. Doesn’t sound like much of a hobby but it does require research and some detailed drawings—sort of like plotting with pictures.

I do like cooking and baking. Punching bread dough or whipping up a new dish is wonderful for getting rid of frustrations or, you guessed it, letting part of my brain concentrate on a pesky plot point while another part is working on the schematics of my latest recipe. Still, I don’t think the activity qualifies as particularly relaxing. I’m basically multi-tasking and thinking of work.

Thrifting sounds like an odd hobby and I guess it is but I love browsing through thrift and antique stores. There’s something relaxing about examining an interesting piece of glassware or vintage clothing that catches my eye. I just know that each piece has a story and yes, I’m aware that my writer’s brain is working on how a particular treasure ended up displayed on a shelf or tossed into a pile but for me, this is more about entertainment than work. The piece itself tends to let me know.

No, I’m not psychic, not one little bit. But I do pay attention. In the past couple of years I’ve

run across some rare finds. Well, rare for a very small town in the mid-west. Most magazines and papers don’t stand the test of time very well but I managed to find a well preserved magazine ©1942 from the Spool Cotton Company that dealt with how to make and mend items so they’d last longer during a war when everything was rationed.

You can’t believe how much information was available for 10 cents. Did I want to know how to refashion a man’s wool suit into women or children’s clothes? No, but for 25 cents, I caught a glimpse of what life may have been like for the woman who’d originally purchased the magazine and cared for it well enough that it lasted 73 years.

I can’t wait until the weather is a little more cooperative and I can spend weekends searching through some interesting shops. Who knows what I’ll find?

How about you? What hobby or pastime makes you smile; relaxes or energizes you?

Until next month,

Happy Reading

Paris Brandon

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A member of Romance Writers of America and published since 2009, Paris writes contemporary, paranormal, erotic and historical romance, throwing in a little mystery and suspense for good measure. When not dreaming up stories featuring heroes who aren’t intimidated by strong heroines, she loves rummaging around antique stores for vintage clothes and jewelry. She lives in the mid-west with her husband of many years and is currently enjoying all of the period dramas on Netflix and wondering where she can find a hat that makes her look as stylish as Miss Phryne Fisher.