Sunday, April 3, 2011

A Note on Obsession

This is a little off topic, but hey, no one really reads this anyway, right?

There have always been people in my life who love something special and to them, sacred, whether it's a certain band, a hobby, a game, a movie, a sport, a religion.  They love this thing with a single-minded, aggressive passion.  It consumes their spare time and motivates them to preach endlessly of its virtues to the nonbelievers.  They wear the merch.  They write the fanfic.  They sometimes even get tattoos.  And when it is suggested to them that they might, perhaps, broaden their interests, they become defensive, angry, or even mocking of the suggester's apparent lack of taste.

Don't get me wrong, I have my favorites.  I love EVERY Joss Whedon show, and I tend to get a bit miffed when people don't think he's brilliant.  But I've never been to a Buffy con, and frankly, I'm a little bit frightened of the people who write the fanfic.

The only other thing in my life that can match my Whedon love is knitting.  I knit every single day.  I encourage other people to learn how.  I spend almost as much time on Ravelry as I do on Facebook.  I plan to open my own knit shop in the very near future.  I go to the expos when they're in the area.  I've read the Friday Night Knitting Club, and am halfway through its sequel, Knit Two.  I squee'd along with all the other Harry Potter loving fiber fiends when Dumbledore bashfully admitted to a fondness for knitting pattern magazines.


But do I never talk about anything else? Of course not.  Is it the only thing in my life, the reason I get up in the morning? Sorry, but no.

I love my husband. I love my movies and TV shows - yes, they are mostly fantasy/sci-fi, but not entirely.  I love cooking and shopping and reading and drawing and teaching and decorating.  And yes, I'll admit it, I'm a bit addicted Facebook games.

So, to my dear friends, if you stumble across this post, and you are one of the obsessed (you know who you are) - consider this a one-woman intervention.  Let someone get you in to something new!  Something that doesn't relate to your current obsession.  Give your poor brain room to breathe.  It'll be good for you, I promise. 

And, just because I realize this all sounds a bit smug and preachy, I will confess that I actually am considering getting a knitting-themed tattoo.  Mock away.

No comments:

Post a Comment