Great column in Wednesday's SF Chronicle by Jon Carroll. The basic gist is that a lot of people are "enthusiasts" or "collectors" of various things, all of which seem a little weird to people who aren't into them. Carroll makes the point that these interests are what all of us use to make our lives more interesting and pleasant and we should celebrate the opportunity to have and let others have our own little quirky interests.
So, emboldened by Mr. Carroll, I am now vowing not to be embarrassed about my little private hobbies/interests/obsessions. Because in the time I am alone, they make me happy. Here's a partial list of things I am fascinated by:
College Marching Bands and Fight Songs
National Anthems
College Campuses
The History Channel
European Soccer
Turkish Music
The Myers-Briggs Test (I'm an ENFP)
Maps and Atlases
The amazing thing is, virtually none of the people I care most about share any of these interests. And the great thing is, they don't HAVE to...these are the things to amuse me when I am alone and bored. We all have them, we all need them, and so my goal is not to be embarrassed about my own OR judgmental about others----so no more scoffing at the comic book "freaks" or roller coaster "enthusiasts" or Mac-using "fanatics". Everyone is entitled to their quirky interest and if you can get a club of people to talk about it in your spare time, It's ALL good, as far as I am concerned!
Recent Comments