I''m a geezer. I don't know when that happened but it did. Now that I'm here, what am I going to do with my time. I go shopping, I keep the house tidy, cook, do laundry--you know all those household chores that never go away, but I have time for a few hobbies too. The hobby that I've "practiced' all my life is crochet. I learned when I was about 7. I copied what my mother was doing, as I've been told...so I work in the typical "German" style but backwards. You read that right. I mirrored what my mother was doing, and she learned to crochet from her German mother. Maybe, she mirrored what her mother did, and I mirrored what she did...whatever the case, when I'm crocheting with a group of folks (and I do that every now and then) my process is different--but I end up with a product that looks the same. I learned a long time ago, there are many ways to peel an orange, the idea is to peel it. Same with crochet.
A few summers back I discovered the joy of making toys and giving them away. I've made lots and lots of piggies, kitties, sheep, hedgehogs, teddy bears, turtles, cars, trucks, airplanes, and more. Then I branched out to boxes, nesting boxes, flowers (like those above), etc. It's fun to see what will come out of my crochet hook.
Most recently I've started to crochet dolls. Little dolls less than 5 inches tall. They are fun to make and I find it amazing how the same pattern can create so much diversity. Sometimes the dollies are a bit bigger...sometimes smaller...but all are cute and I'm sure some little girl (or maybe a geezer girl) will have fun playing with them
You might ask what is the purpose of making a dolly or a critter or a flower? The answer is easy. The process of crochet keeps my hands busy, my mind active, and sparks my creativity. I look at hundreds of pictures and read hundreds of patterns before I make up "my" pattern. I then take that 2 dimensional picture and create a 3 dimensional object and that object looks like the picture. There's a lot of "work" between picture and product. That has to be good for any geezer to do. My geezer friends who quilt are doing the same thing. Keeping mind and body active is important, and even more important in our geezer-years.The same with my geezer friends who paint (rocks or canvas), create string art, play the piano, write blogs, or do counted cross-stitch. These are important hobbies that keep geezers active, alert and happy. What is your hobby? Maybe you don't do any of the above, but you play golf, or swim, or run? Maybe you read or listen to books? Being actively engaged is the key. Staying active keeps the mind and body working better and longer. That's important. Remember, we're all in this together.
(Courtesy of Sam, string artist)
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