Recreational Issues

Sometimes bad handwriting gets you to thinking. I did some design work for my church’s Helps Ministry recently and one of the brochures was for “Help for Alcohol and Recreational Issues.” I couldn’t stop thinking about “Recreational Issues.“ What are recreational issues? Do I have recreational issues? It worried me.

I realized later the psychologist’s hurried handwriting should have read, “Help for Alcohol and Relational Issues.“ By that time it was too late. Many people, I’m convinced, have recreational issues.

Marijo works in the Social Services field. There’s a space in her New Client Assessment form labeled Leisure and Recreation. “The problem I find most often is that people can’t think of anything to do besides watch TV and eat in restaurants.” That, to me, is a recreational issue.

Another blogger, Neva, says many people she knows don’t have hobbies. “Unless you count watching TV and getting drunk a ‘hobby,‘” she says. “It is really sad.”

One way to find your interests is to notice which sections of the bookstore or the library you run to first. If you don’t go to the bookstore or library, you probably have recreational issues. I have brochures if you need one.

Charlie heads straight toward the Remodeling and Construction section of Barnes and Noble. He sits for several hours, sipping Americanos from the adjoining Starbucks, reading intently about tile installation. He’ll read about motorcycles, running, and anything to do with history. But come closing time, he’s got a construction book in one hand and the credit card in the other. It’s his recreational issue remedy.

“You get immediate gratification when you do fixers,” he says. “You can see your accomplishments. In an office job, you coordinate things, write emails, plan schedules, and never see a tangible accomplishment. It’s very satisfying to see the results of your work.”

“Fixers are therapeutic. It’s a hobby you live. It’s like putting together a huge model airplane. Then you sell it, make some money, and do another different one.”

Everyone we know thinks we’re nuts for doing fixers. “How could you live like that?” they tell us. “How can you constantly live in a construction project? That’s the most stressful thing I can think of. Divorces are conceived in remodels.”

The very same people who give us these warnings often spend their recreational time intoxicated. Charlie spends his recreational time in the garage.

“Carpentry work is fun because you create something,” he says. “You think it looks good. Hopefully you’re right. Not everybody does it well. A good carpenter learns how to hide his mistakes. Thank God wide trim is in style.”

“People find out I’m a carpenter and they ask me favors, ‘Can you come over and do my tile?’ They don’t know how much time it takes. They say, ‘I heard you know how to build decks.’ I say, ‘I know how to, but I don’t do it very well.’ They say, ‘Never mind, then,’ and don’t ask me again.”

“People look at what you do and say, ‘that’s easy.’ People don’t realize it takes years to develop the skills to become a good carpenter. The hardest thing for me,” he says, “was patience. If you’re an impatient carpenter, you’re a crappy carpenter. Measuring, preparing, anticipating mistakes: all this becomes very dull when you’re impatient.”

“I’m a fit carpenter, not a measure carpenter. This means I have to go back and check often and require even more patience of myself, since I don’t use math. It has to do with my Florida educational background, or lack thereof. Thank you, Florida public schools, for graduating me without a hint of Algebra instruction.“

When fixers are your hobby, you don’t have deadlines. If you do, you’ve made them yourself. You’re not going to get fired if you slip your schedule. And, if you’re me, you can paint all you want after everyone else has gone to bed. That might be a borderline recreational issue, unless you’re like me and you really like painting.

Charlie has his own way of working. He says, “For me, a trip to Home Depot automatically means a trip to Starbucks. When I’m getting tools I don’t visualize those big orange letters, I think of the green mermaid. There’s no better way to spend your time than having a hot beverage while looking at power tools.”

“Caffeine actually speeds your thought process while analyzing the pros and cons of a power tool purchase. Very creative thinking goes into tool shopping. Those brain cells need fuel.”

“Not everyone knows this,” Charlie says. “I had to go to Home Depot, and Jill (me) didn’t understand the two errands are linked. I told her we needed to stop at Starbucks on the way. She said, ‘I want to get home and paint. Do it later.’”

“This is why a trip to Home Depot is a man‘s job when Jill has painting to do. At other times she’s more willing to go to Home Depot my way.”

I wonder if trips to Home Depot and Starbucks count as recreation. At least you don’t get hangovers.

A little help? [] 3:18:54 PM