If you have a hobby, raise your hand.
I raised mine, as many around me did that day. I was eager to show my hand, to claim the thing I love, the one that takes my time.
But seconds later, as my hand returned to my lap, guilt settled nearby.
Mere hobby?
Can a hobby be so profound? So deep-seated as writing?
How silly of me to mislabel it. A hobby.
It won't happen again.
***
If you'd allow me a little more time, I'd love you to check out my flash fiction piece at Joyful Online. So Much More Than Hair appears through September, and is company to several touching stories. Read down the list if you're inclined, I know you'll enjoy them. Thanks!
And laboring or not, have a great Labor Day.
Very beautiful, Janna. It brought tears in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteYou're totally right. Writing is much more than a hobby for most of us! Happy Labor Day to you too!
ReplyDeleteI love Joseph Campbell's take on life aspirations, "following your bliss", which sounds more profound than mere hobby.
ReplyDeleteI can't access the site--you've overwhelmed their server with traffic!--I'll check back later. :-)
Hobby it isn't! It's my job. Happy Labor Day!
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ReplyDeleteFor many it's not so much a hobby...more a way of life.
ReplyDeleteI can't access that site..but it's not unusual for me...Turkish internet connection leaves an awful lot to be desired
Happy Labor Day!
ReplyDeleteI also cannot access the site, and I want to!
Gah! Keep trying, everyone. It's still working for me. Come back with feedback!
ReplyDeleteLori - What a response! Thank you!
Jody - I'm glad I'm not alone. :)
Becca - I do want to follow my bliss. Perfect.
Terri - A job we quite love!
Ayak - How awesomely awesome! I didn't know you were in Turkey. *grin*
Capri K - I hope you can at some point! You (as a hair girlie) will appreciate it.
Yay, success! Very, very,sweet, Janna. *sniff sniff*
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've read flash fiction before. Looking forward to checking yours out. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, this is def. more than a hobby. :-)
What a sweet, wonderful story! Made my eyes sting.
ReplyDeleteJanna,it was very beautiful..touched my heart...i can't write and i have deep respect for those who do...and you write very beautifully.Thanks for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteHi, Janna! I love your story! It was awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteYou're so right. What we do is way more than a hobby!
Have a great labor day!
At the risk of sounding puffed up....it's more than a hobby to me...it's who I am! (she says humbly)
ReplyDeleteBecca, thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteJessica - I bet you have. Flash fiction is defined as fiction (any genre) less that 1000 words. And thanks! I'm glad you liked it.
kavita - I really appreciate your comment!
Kristen - I agree! I don't think I could even call reading a hobby; it's research. :)
Linda! I know you're here often, but I like when you say hi. :) You're not puffed up at all! It's just the way it is for many of us.
Great Story. I had a similar experience when I donated my hair, only the stylist totally messed up my haircut. I had to remind myself that my hair would grow out and someone out there would be happy to have the hair.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful story Janna! My grand-daughters donate their 'princess hair' and it is a wonderful gift. Thanks for sharing the story and passing the message.
ReplyDeleteThat's the truth. More like obsession, I think. Second job, LOL.
ReplyDeleteOnce in a while I'll call it a hobby, but only if I want to get someone off my back ;)
ReplyDeleteI think to think writing can be many things at once - a hobby, a passion, a love, a lifestyle, and a form of expression.
ReplyDelete:)
Writing is definitely more than a hobby. I'll check out your flash fiction, but I only have a few minutes right now to blog. So I'll stop back by later tonight after I've had a chance to go read it.
ReplyDeleteWriting for me is not a hobby either, but to be able to keep that joy you had when it was as you move into your professional life is truly a gift. Sometimes, it can become a job and then it starts to lose some of the original bliss it was. I have to keep remembering why I do it. Great to find your site! Best, Barbara
ReplyDeleteYou are so good at writing emotion and those tender things - bravo.
ReplyDeleteHi Janna -
ReplyDeleteOh, I loved your story! You have a special little girl, who has a special Mommy. :)
Blessings,
Susan
I just popped over and read the piece. It's beautiful, Janna. Great job!
ReplyDeleteVery touching piece Janna. You capture and release the joy of writing through your words.
ReplyDeleteJLC - I've never donated mine, kudos to you! But maybe I should. Something to think about with my girls.
ReplyDeleteStrange Fiction - Your granddaughters are sweet, giving young girls, then. :)
Natasha - Second job?
T. Anne - It doesn't matter to everyone, anyway, right?
Nadine - And maybe all of them at once!
Lazy Writer - Sounds like you've had a busy holiday!
Barbara, welcome! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and come back anytime.
Tess - A true goal of mine. Thank you!
Susan - I do have two special little girls, though this was purely fiction. ;) Thanks!
Linda - And here I had all these doubts. I appreciate it so much!
septembermom - What you've said is so very nice! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jody. Hobby or not, writing is something we have to do whether published or not.
ReplyDeleteRead your flash fiction and cried through it! Great story! When my granddaughters were 7 and 9 they heard about Locks for Love and on their own decided to get their beautiful, long, dark, silky hair cut and donated. When they told me, I cried in pride for what they did! They have done it again and will probably be doing it in the near future.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful story. If I was that mom I would not have been able to talk, I would have been sobbing.
ReplyDeleteWriting = hobby? I hope I am taking it more seriously than that, but some days I wonder. Thanks for posing the question.
What a sweet story, Janna. And, yes, writing is much more than a hobby to so many of us. But I also understand why it's easy to call it that.
ReplyDeleteHope you had a wonderful Labor Day.
LOVE that!!!
ReplyDeleteIt was a fine and noble thing she did! And good job to you too, coming up with Tinkerbell! She was always my favorite part of the beginning of "Walt Disney Presents"!
Donna - A calling, in a sense, no? Glad you liked it!
ReplyDeleteNeed More Words - I struggle some days, too. I'm sure we all do. Just keep your desires fed, and you'll be great!
Heather - Sometimes it's just easier, eh?
Capri K - I knew you'd get a kick out of the hair stuff. (Not a true story, though.) :)
I've been tempted to do the same thing - call it a "hobby" when it is so much more.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteNot a hobby at all, any more than breathing or loving are.
Melissa - I know what you mean.
ReplyDeleteDeb - You're welcome! I'm glad it was so well received. It keeps me going.
I so loved your story of course my eyes grew misty. Lovely look forward to reading more of your work.
ReplyDeleteAnalisa - Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you for the share Janna. Your writing is inspirational, for someone who hasn't written intentionally in a very long while. My first love is Art, and writing comes tinkling in a close second, but I feel will always be more than a hobby as it is an expression more than anything.
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ReplyDeleteThanks, Ana, good to see you! And it sounds as though you feel about art the way I do writing. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't consider writing for publication a hobby. Sure, writing only for yourself would be, but one gets enjoyment from a hobby, yes? Raking in rejections and obsessively checking inboxes doesn't qualify as a hoppin' good time.
ReplyDeleteWendy, I think that's an excellent clarification!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet story! :o)
ReplyDeleteWV: sinicar. Misspelling of sinecure, what writing isn't...
Janet - I had to look it up, but how right you are! ;)
ReplyDeleteWow, Janna. That's very touching. I love how you've combined a childhood right of passage with something so much more profound. Well done.
ReplyDeleteMelanie - Thank you! And I appreciate the way you explained what you took from it. Very nice!
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