Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
I believe hobbies are a really great idea! They can help to keep you busy and not focusing on what Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) is doing to your health. In some cases, they can help you feel better physically and mentally. The fun part is the discovery of what you enjoy!
For me, this was a challenge as I found I have many interests that make great hobbies. Over the years, I dabbled in many hobbies but really didn’t specialize or become really good at any particular one. Mostly, I was limited in free time as I worked a career with a commute of an hour each way, spend time with my wife, dog, and volunteering at church. However, what free time I had, I needed something to enjoy. Before you go all out to pick a hobby, a few things must be considered first.
What do you enjoy the most in life? What keeps your interest and you want to learn more? For me, I love being outside in nature. Pretty much whatever hobby I choose, it’d be great it is was always outside. Unfortunately, CMT does limit some outdoor ability. For example, being outside in cold weather for long periods of time isn’t something that I can do because of the neuropathy in my legs, feet, arms, and hands. BUT, that doesn’t mean I cannot enjoy the outside. Snow skiing, long winter hikes, snowboarding, and the like are not a choice- at least for long periods of time. For me, that doesn’t mean that I cannot take full advantage of the warmer weather and sneak in some activities in the colder.
Having a love for nature, being outside, birds, wildlife, and warm weather, I took up the hobby of landscaping and gardening. At first, it was painful to use garden tools, carry bags of topsoil or Miracle-Gro, and plant any plants including simple annuals. What I found odd though is I enjoyed being outside enough to push myself to enjoy the gardening as painful as it was. I was definitely sore at the end of the day and the next day. However, I noticed I felt better than before I started the project usually within two days. Interesting. Over time, I found this to be a hobby that is great for me.
For me, every hobby cannot be a physical challenge like yard work and gardening. I need something for those days when I am in pain or uncomfortable and need to relax. However, I found that I should not allow my relaxing hobbies to my immediate go-to all the time either. Doing that, would allow the progression of CMT to become more of a problem.
Over the years, I have developed a taste for Classical Music. It started in college and grew especially during the time of the Desert Storm in the early 90s. A buddy was in the war and it was stressful. The music created a calmness for me helping to de-stress. As the years went on, up to now, I have loved the music and began collecting it on CD. As the collection grew, I determined that while the music is great, I know nothing about it. This began a journey of exploring, reading, and listening.
Since i had a new personal computer, which were fairly new things back in the day, I began creating lists of the classical music I had in my collection. These lists served as resources for me to know what classical music I have in my collection, information about the composers who wrote the music, information about the artists who performed and created recordings of the music, and just about anything else I could think of that I wanted to know about my collection of Classical C.D.’S. This was quite the hobby and project until it got difficult to buy new recordings in my area. Since my collection was extensive, I had to compare the works on C.D.’s with lists to be sure I wasn’t duplicating. Ordering C.D.’s through the mail or online (at the time) was a challenge too. I still love the music and do some cataloging.
I will share about two more hobbies which has turned into one of my favorites in my next post.
What are the hobby(ies) you enjoy? Please comment below.