Therapy....for myself

It's important to have hobbies. So they say anyway. So I have a few. It does help keep me somewhat sane in our Daily Circus but I'm still a wee bit crazy. (Like the touch of Irish there, did ya?)

I love to read. It's probably my favorite thing to do ever. I would choose reading over almost any activity in the world. Ok, maybe not over hearing my kids' deep belly laughs. But reading is a close second!

I also love to cook. If you combine a good novel with some yummy recipes for me to try, I love you ten times over. (Cough, cough, JOANN FLUKE, cough, cough) 

I love music. Singing, dancing, trying (and failing) to play it on piano. I just adore it. 

Hobbies keep us entertained. They keep us sane. They keep us human. They keep us, US. They are what shapes you into who you are. A nerdy bookworm that could tell you anything about Harry Potter or Hannah Swensen and can cook a mean peanut butter cake all while singing an Enya song from LOTR?  Oh yeah, that's me. 

Who are you? Do you define yourself by your race, gender, age? How about your occupation? Your sexual orientation? Your familial identity (brother, sister, mom, dad)? 

I don't want to know if you are gay,straight, black, white, Christian, atheist, a teacher, a carpenter, a generation x'er, a baby boomer, etc. I want to know YOU. 

Are you kind?  Are you loving? Do you accept others or try to change them to fit your ideals? Do you forgive? What do you learn from your experiences? What are your dreams? Your goals? What's your favorite color? Song? Movie? 

I can tell more about who you are by those questions than the typical ones people ask each other. 

And let me tell you who taught me to look at these seemingly pointless areas......my children.  When my son meets another child, he doesn't first ask "Are you 7?".  He asks the child's name. That's always a good starter. 

Then he asks "What do you like to play?". A simple question with a sometimes simple answer.  Cars. Cops and robbers. Blocks. Mario. Sonic. Pokemon. Dolls. 

From there the children are off on an adventure of getting to know one another. And they never ask the boring questions adults might. 

When I was young, I knew three things about all of my bestest best friends. I knew their birthdays (and I still remember them to this day!). I knew their middle names (because that was just so cool to know). And I knew their pet's name. Those were the BIG important things to know. Now it may seem silly. A birthday is just another way of identifying someone but to me, as a kid, it was a way to know how to make my friends feel special. 

I would make them cards on their birthdays. I would address it with their FULL name (since I was special enough to know it) and I would hand deliver it. And you know what?  We were BEST friends. And to this day, I still talk to some of them. 

So maybe we as adults should take some time to start watching how our kids do things. We might learn a thing or two. And it's time to pick up a hobby or two as well. Maybe one you can even share with your kid. (I can't WAIT til my kids start reading Harry Potter!)