The Importance of Hobbies

Hobby is something that one likes to do in one's spare time. The Oxford Dictionary defines hobby as a favorite activity that a person does for pleasure and not as his or her regular business. In short, hobby is one's favorite pastime.
Hobby is not an inborn inclination. It is developed through a constant and systematic process. A bobby is not pursued to make a profit. The main purpose of a bobby is to derive pleasure out of it. It gives us mental and physical relaxation. One makes the best use of one's spare time by pursuing a hobby.
While making a choice out of many ways of speeding our time, we ought to ensure that is restores our lost energy and cheers us up. There are a good number of hobbies. The hobby that fits our interest, nature and our budget would be the best.
There is hardly a person who does not have a bobby. Not only the educated but also the uneducated pursue one hobby or the other. Some of the common hobbies are playing cards, flying of kites, petting of birds and animals, gardening, stamp collecting, coin-gathering, sewing, crafts, embroidery, knitting, cooking, photography, writing letters to editors of newspapers, writing poetry, reading books and magazines, swimming, listening music, watching movies, surfing internet, traveling etc.
Selecting of hobby depends upon the time for hobbies. They become busy in shaping their careers. However, it is very important to develop a hobby. Some hobbies can open up new vistas of knowledge, entertainment and careers. Painting, music, computer software development, graphics designing etc. are some such hobbies.
A creative product may not be of any commercial value. But it gives satisfaction to the artist. if one is dedicated and works hard, he will gain from it. The creative person could become and author, and editor or even and art director. A graphic designer can start graphic designing as a hobby. Later one, he can adopt it as a profession.
Painting is a popular hobby. It is learned after years of practice. A neat hand is required for his hobby. Many professional schools of painting have been established to train children as well as the youth. Many students today seek a career in computer. They can attain perfection in it if they start with computer software development as a hobby.
Gardening develops a sense of eco-responsibility in our minds. it keeps us in touch with Nature. One can plant trees, flower plants, vegetables or bonsai plaints in one's compound. A garden full of flowers looks beautiful and give us sweet fragrance. Flowers and beauty to the garden as well as the house. They delight the sense and give us a great relief from the world full of tension and pollution.
As a student, one may cultivate the hobby of reading newspapers and magazines regularly. They keep one aware of the current national and international events. In the long run, one will benefit from it if one has to appearing competitive examinations. Besides reading periodicals, one may also have interest in reading novels.
Traveling is another important passion. It is very thrilling to visit new places and to meet with different kinds of people of various culture. Travel management now also opens a wide range of career for youngsters.
The old, especially in rural areas spend their spare time in playing cards. The young and the old take delight in flying kites. Others hobbies include billiards, snooker, tennis etc. Swimming and a few games can be considered sports as well as hobbies.
Hobbies give pleasure. They soothe the should. Hobbies should be least costly. They should provide creative satisfaction and relaxation.
R.I. Stevenson, a writer of the Nineteenth century, in his essay. 'An apology for Idlers' condemned overwork and over business. He recommended his readers to find time to got to a park and relax, enjoy tea, speak to passerby, play a musical instrument, to bask in the winter sun, to meditate - in short to do anything, that is not called 'work' Bertrand Russell also condemned silly and overwork of modern Times. He believed in recreation and relaxation.
Each one of us should choose a worthwhile hobby that give us change and joy. At times our hobbies become our profitable vocation