Tell us what hobby you want to begin.

(c) Google Images

Hello, and Welcome to February.  January started off nice and smooth for me and this 366-day writing journey.  I hit some bumps along the way.  Not at all what I expect it to be, but I have made it to the other side.  Today is a new day for me.

So, I decided for this month, I am going back to one of my old habits, and take on writing prompts.  In a separate post, I will explain why writing prompts are good and why they are bad.  I use to post my take on the writing prompts, Blogher used to have.  They never went away, I just got bored of them.  This is one of the reasons why you should not do writing prompts every day (just a little tease of what’s to come).  So while I love this month’s prompts from Blogher, I am not going to do them every day.  In fact, Blogher does not have the prompts for all, in this case, 29 days.  They allow you to have free rein to write whatever you want on Saturday and Sunday. 

This month’s prompt is about Passion, and not just the one kind, which is your true lover.  They will be talking about all kinds, and today, they want to know about that hobby you never tackled. 

I can truly say that I am living out my passion.  I started out wanting to know how to scrapbook and make cards.  I love doing it, and it turned into my business.  I am working on the nuts and bolts to run this business called P. Lynne Designs, and I love seeing my baby grow up.  I always talk about how I am really going about this business backwards.  Even though I have been in business for 5 years (2010), I am just getting started as far as have the proper registration of my business name, a business checking account, a vender’s license (because in the State of Ohio you need one) and so forth.  It can be quite overwhelming when you think about it, but as they say, “slow and steady wins the race”, and that is what I am shooting for.

My other passion is Marketing.  I have a bachelor’s degree in Marketing, but I only had a chance to use what they taught me only a few times.  Marketing is always changing, and it is one of the few trends you have to keep on your toes with, or you will be left behind.  I fell into one corner of marketing, and that is graphic design.  It goes hand and hand with the skills I learned from crafting, but it also involves computers.   Computers lead to Social Media and then you have a full circle moment.   I am on almost every social media out there at the moment, and now starting my second part of this stalled career, and it begins with Photoshop.

Happy Ballet Day (February 7)

Photo By Balletclassroom.blogspot.com

I want to wish everyone, young and old, male and female, the fit and unfit this celebrated time of national ballet day.  As I sit here, I needed a little inspiration to get me something to write about, when I looked in my phone and opened a little-known app called Checkiday.  It tells you what national day it is.   

I believe there are two types of little girls....the ones that want to be all girly and the ones that are not.  Neither type is a bad thing, because it fits whatever personality that little girl wants to be.  I wrote something similar back in 2012, I believe, and it still holds true today.  Everyone is an individual, but that does not mean that you cannot be part of a group. In fact, team building is a very important skill.  I will tackle that another day.

So what is National Ballet Day?  It is a day of celebrating all things ballet.  Now folks, I am not suggesting that you all run to the nearest dance store, grab a leotard, some tights, a tutu, or 2, some pointe shoes, and strut your stuff.  Not everyone is a graceful ballet dancer.  (Guys, you may want to skip the tutu part, or not, I am not stopping you).   It take years of discipline to do this.  Trust me, I should know. 10 years is all a girl can take, and now my feet cry when I see a pointe shoe.

(This is a pointe shoe, up close and personal)

You start from ages 3-7, learning the basis or technics of all things ballet.  If some of you who watch Dance Moms think Abby Lee Miller is bad, think again.  She is mild compared to a straight-faced, technique-driven, no-fat on the body ballet teacher.  These teachers are not a needs-to-win-every-competition like Abby does.   They are performance driven and you have to eat, drink, and breathe ballet.   They do not want you to take up any other form of dance either.

Once you get your basis down to a science, guys still do demi-pointe (or tip-toe) work, while the girls rise to the occasion (get it), to begin preparing for pointe work.  There are pointe tests to make sure you are ready for the challenge.  They are technique and the strong feet test (you do know your feet and ankles have to be very strong, right?).  I do not know the actual name of these tests, I just know they are there.   I am going to stop here, because it will take at least over a thousand words or more to explain, and frankly, time is money.  I do have a few tips:

• You do not have to start at age 3.  I personally do not recommend it.  Why?  Dance needs to be something fun for your child to enjoy, not loathe by age 13.  Some children start at age 7 and in pointe shoes by age 12, but you have to know your child.   A good dance mom (or dad) listens to her (his) child.  If your child is crying while they do their first recital, pull them out of dance for the next year and let them sit it out during that time.  This will give the child a chance to “miss it.”  If they mention dance while absent, put them back in, but have a discussion first.  Do not keep pulling them in and out of dance class.
• The best way to start a child out is use the recreation center.  If you are going to an actual dance studio do your homework.  Ask about all the fees up front, dance schedule, how elite classes are run, and about contracts. 
• Most studios do have fees for costumes, concerts, and other outings.  Do not join if you do not have the time nor the commitment to do so.

Otherwise, have fun, dance the night away.  If you love to dance, but do not want the discipline, there is always the rec center, and they are not that big on technic at all.  Happy Ballet Day everyone!!!!

What is your hobby and How do you use it?

(Please note:  I had something else planned for this spot)

Are you bored with your life?  I was....in 1997.  I was no longer a dancer, I have exhausted out my piano lessons, and the computer was not as interesting as it seemed to me at the time.  I decided to take up a new hobby, except, this hobby I tried back in the days of high school, and that was scrapbooking.   Scrapbooking was not as popular in the 1980’s as that are now.  Today, it is a billion dollar business, and the stuff you purchase today, makes you feel like you bought a lot more.   Tools of the trade are paper, paper, and more paper, but it is much more than just paper, it is metal, plastic, gadgets that help shape and mold the paper, and so forth.  From scrapbook albums, I graduated to making cards and altering items.  All of it cost money.  In 2009, I decided I no longer could support my habit, so I pulled up my glue-covered sleeves and decided to go into business.  It is one the best thing I have ever decided to do for myself and for others.  So what is your hobby?

Is it model trains, airplanes, or enjoying a pint of imported beers? Is it traveling, motorcycling, hiking, or amusement parks?  What about being a foodie, a cook, or a lover of languages?   How about robbery, shooting, or killing?  Oops, did I say a bad word or two?  Just marinade on that last sentence for a minute. 

I am not trying to be funny about the robberies, the shooting, or the killings, but it seems to me that the news (at least where I live) has at least 4-5 breaking news stories a night in the last 5 years.  I do not live in a large city like Los Angeles, Detroit, or even Miami.  It seems to me that the “hobby of the day” is to see how many people can get hurt, families being broken up, and not how many homemade greeting cards I can make in a day, and sell them on my Etsy Shop.  I want to know, if I can talk to that person right now, whoever you are, “Are you bored, jealous, or mad at someone?”  If you are, why can’t you create your own happiness, and just leave everyone else alone?

I am a fan of Young and the Restless.  If I cannot watch it that day, I tape it, or I watch it on Soap-Net.   There is a couple by the name of Kevin and Chloe.  They are the current “Goofy” couple on the show.  They want to spice up their sex life.  Kevin, who is the brother of Michael Baldwin, thinks that by becoming a modern day Robin Hood and Maid Marion or Bonnie and Clyde would do the trick, keeping things nice and steamy.  Anyway, they have been knocking off (stealing) from people’s houses, and as soon as they do that, the sex is…well, I will let you decide how it is, in case you are reading with a child on your lap or they can read.  The point to the whole story-line (which is ridiculous) is Kevin and Chloe are bored, their life seems to be boring to them (after all, how boring is running a coffee shop or working in partnership of a budding fashion designer), and they have a little girl named Dahlia.  If this is your life too, STOP AND GET A NEW HOBBY.  YOUR HOBBY STICKS.  

No amount of jail time can cure your boredom.  If you are mad at someone, stop and think about what you are doing to your family, their family, and the community.  Sometimes, that hobby can cause lock downs and evacuations.  Sometimes hatred can cause people to stop doing their own hobbies, like the woman ballroom dancer, whose foot was blown off after the Boston Marathon bombings.  Death is even worst, when you consider that 20 people in Newton, Conn will never get to know what it is like to graduate, fall in love, get married, have kids of their own, or grow old.  Think before you act. 

So my question again is, “what is your hobby?”  Is it a hobby that makes people smile, laugh, and feel insightful, or does it hurt and causes loss of a precious life that people hold so dear?  Another way of looking at this is, does your hobby cause people to rethink the laws of the land that have to do with freedom to bear arms, to speak, or find a new way of life.

Have a blessed day.