![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 25 of 25. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dinah on March 17, 2006, at 22:16:24
I do. And when they end, I'm always tempted to get rid of the stuff I accumulate during one. But I never do, because sure as the sun rises, the enthusiasm will return. So I still have my tribble, and all my Star Trek stuff because I know that one day I'll be a Trekker again. Even though I'm not one now. And all those psych books will come in handy when I'm going through that cycle. And goodness knows if I ditched all my dolls on eBay, in a few years I'll be buying them back, at a loss. One day my garden will rise again, only to fall back into ruin.
At the time I'm having one, it can seem like the most important thing in the world. It can last days to years. And then it's gone. But it will return.
Posted by sleepygirl on March 17, 2006, at 23:23:56
In reply to Anyone else have enthusiasms?, posted by Dinah on March 17, 2006, at 22:16:24
I love possibilities. I can't always imagine them though, but I am thankful when I can.
Posted by Racer on March 17, 2006, at 23:30:15
In reply to Anyone else have enthusiasms?, posted by Dinah on March 17, 2006, at 22:16:24
I go through the same pattern. My husband says not very nice things about it, things like, "I bought you that expensive serger, and it just sits there..." Well, true, but every time I go on a sewing jag, it comes down and is used on nearly everything I sew.
I went through a spinning jag, where I spun the yarn for nearly everything I knitted.
There are the period polymer clay jags.
Quilting jags really only happen when we need a new quilt -- I don't seem to have any quilting enthusiasms, as far as actually doing it goes.
Knitting? Hard to say, since I hadn't knit for years before my husband kept telling me he wanted me to knit him "a jumper." But since then, I've knit pretty well constantly.
But all those things I put away? They come out again. Eventually, all that paper I bought will be marbled. All that fabric will by dyed, and much of it sewn. That yarn will be knit. (Well, sometimes the yarn gets traded, but mostly it gets knit eventually.) That fiber will be spun. Much of the fiber will be dyed, spun, and knit.
So yes, I go through what you call Enthusiasms, which I like much better than The Dwarf's term, Obsessions.
Posted by gardenergirl on March 17, 2006, at 23:33:58
In reply to My ex made up a song: OBSESSION! » Dinah, posted by Racer on March 17, 2006, at 23:30:15
Gallery glass, mosaic tile, knitting, roller-blading, ice-skating, "Magic the Gathering" cards (loved all the different colors of magic!), baking, bread-making, caligraphy (now I'm reaching back into adolescence...)
Um, yeah. Good thing I have a big basement.
gg
Posted by Dinah on March 17, 2006, at 23:41:04
In reply to Re: My ex made up a song: OBSESSION!, posted by gardenergirl on March 17, 2006, at 23:33:58
Chuckle. I'm glad I'm not alone. :)
My mother used to do it too. Except she'd do it with individual projects, and she'd never finish any single one of them. At least I do it with topics and usually finish my projects. Eventually.
I am only thankful that I cycle through the same ones, or I'd surely be broke.
I gifted myself with a serger. It hasn't been out of the box. The sewing enthusiasm appears to be my shortest. It comes and goes so quickly that I don't even manage to start a project.
I like "enthusiasms" better than obsessions too, although I recognize it as the flip side of my OCD.
Posted by Deneb on March 17, 2006, at 23:56:24
In reply to Re: My ex made up a song: OBSESSION!, posted by gardenergirl on March 17, 2006, at 23:33:58
> Gallery glass, mosaic tile, knitting, roller-blading, ice-skating, "Magic the Gathering" cards (loved all the different colors of magic!), baking, bread-making, caligraphy (now I'm reaching back into adolescence...)
My ex boyfriend was really into playing Magic. He tried to teach it to me. I got confused lol. The cards are really pretty though. :-)
Deneb*
Posted by Racer on March 18, 2006, at 0:28:46
In reply to Re: My ex made up a song: OBSESSION!, posted by Dinah on March 17, 2006, at 23:41:04
But y'all probably realized that wasn't a comprehensive list, right?
Stained glass, weaving, computer graphics, reading, calling everyone I can think of to tell them all that my cat got up on the bed on his own (well, that's a short lived one, and this is the first time I've had it), wearing makeup comes and goes, obsessively researching topics that maybe interest me...
The list, as you can imagine, goes on from there...
Posted by gardenergirl on March 18, 2006, at 0:41:40
In reply to Whoops! I forgot a couple..., posted by Racer on March 18, 2006, at 0:28:46
Posted by James K on March 18, 2006, at 1:43:01
In reply to Anyone else have enthusiasms?, posted by Dinah on March 17, 2006, at 22:16:24
At the risk of sounding psycho, I'll admit to
1. over 50 seperate plants on my patio
2. 3 fish tanks with about 20 different fish species and plant species within
3. over 400 doctor who books or dvds.
4. over 2000 comic books from my childhood
5. over (and I have no idea) 10,000 cds, records, 45's and etc.
6. every issue of Spin magazine back to no. 1 in '86
7. over a hundred bootleg videotapes of obscure foreign horror films
8. Every rock mag I've ever bought, boxes full.So much to lose, I wonder if it all burned down, would I be free?
James K
Posted by Glydin on March 18, 2006, at 7:31:16
In reply to Re: Anyone else have enthusiasms? » Dinah, posted by James K on March 18, 2006, at 1:43:01
Close to gg lipsticks buying - just about any health and beauty aids. Hair products and gadgets in particular - cheap to expensive. Good due to easy to purge and restock - well, the products are. The gadgets tend to pile up.
Posted by LegWarmers on March 18, 2006, at 11:32:04
In reply to Anyone else have enthusiasms?, posted by Dinah on March 17, 2006, at 22:16:24
I do! And I really need some storage space too
Posted by milly on March 18, 2006, at 12:42:19
In reply to Anyone else have enthusiasms?, posted by Dinah on March 17, 2006, at 22:16:24
Oh yes and sometimes they are ridiculously expensive (both time & money)which are the ones hubby usually brings up when I'm about to launch on another one, have done 'forever living' (short lived) 'pampered chef' (which was great because of all the stuff you get when you join) plus loads of others
It usually starts with the words 'I've had a good idea......' which now sends most of the family running for cover as they foresee yet another (obses...) no, enthusiasm coming
Milly
Posted by fairywings on March 18, 2006, at 15:05:16
In reply to Anyone else have enthusiasms?, posted by Dinah on March 17, 2006, at 22:16:24
Yep, and they come and go too quickly most of the time. Books are a really bad one for me. I used to be worse, but I have all kinds of different art materials that I don't use too often right now. The girls and I went through a crocheting jag not too long ago - lots of yarn around the house.
I hate wasting the money!
fw
Posted by Dinah on March 18, 2006, at 16:37:39
In reply to My ex made up a song: OBSESSION! » Dinah, posted by Racer on March 17, 2006, at 23:30:15
By the way, if I ever unpack that serger, I'd love to get some advice on how best to make use of it.
Posted by Racer on March 18, 2006, at 20:20:58
In reply to Re: Anyone else have enthusiasms? » Dinah, posted by fairywings on March 18, 2006, at 15:05:16
>
>
> The girls and I went through a crocheting jag not too long ago - lots of yarn around the house.
>
> I hate wasting the money!
> fwThere's no such thing as money wasted on yarn. See, once you put down your hook/needles, and you put the yarn away, its nature changes. It undergoes a sort of metamorphesis, sort of like a grasshopper becoming a locust.
It becomes STASH! And Stash is a beautiful thing.
(What? You don't believe me? {sigh} Neither does my husband.)
Posted by Daisym on March 18, 2006, at 20:54:21
In reply to I think you may be unclear on the concept » fairywings, posted by Racer on March 18, 2006, at 20:20:58
Books, books, books, albums and more books. I finally started buying CDs for the car though.
I've been collecting the same "thing" since I was 7, so I guess that is a forever thing. It is just that there are so many ways that this thing can be collected - figures, calendars, mugs, notepaper, etc.
My latest thing is cookbooks. And unusual thesauruses. Don't know what that symbolizes. Maybe I'm looking for a way to do lots of things a new way?
Posted by fallsfall on March 18, 2006, at 21:41:26
In reply to Re: I think you may be unclear on the concept, posted by Daisym on March 18, 2006, at 20:54:21
Hobbies?
Hobbies are good things.
Well, anything can be overdone, but interests and hobbies are good for us, aren't they?
Posted by Dinah on March 18, 2006, at 22:02:11
In reply to Aren't your enthusiasms really, posted by fallsfall on March 18, 2006, at 21:41:26
What gets me is the waxing and waning of interest in them. How can I be all batty about something, then poof, not give a darn?
Like the pink and yellow. Just about a year after I started that, I woke up and said "It's over." Of course I'm left with a closet full of pink and yellow clothes. And now I find that a bit annoying.
Posted by Racer on March 19, 2006, at 1:01:49
In reply to Re: Aren't your enthusiasms really, posted by Dinah on March 18, 2006, at 22:02:11
> What gets me is the waxing and waning of interest in them. How can I be all batty about something, then poof, not give a darn?
>
>This just flashed for me:
"A Saturday Life," by Radclyffe Hall.
The Saturday Life is a concept she apparently lifted from Hinduism, which basically says that after you've learnt what you needed to learn through your past lives, you live your Saturday Life -- a sort of review, in which you move through all those stages again, before you move on to Nirvana.
So, maybe that's it. Maybe you've learnt what you were meant to learn. Maybe you'll be moving on to Nirvana, and are just reviewing your past lives now?
And when you get out that serger, give me a call. :-)
And I don't know why, but I do the same thing: I'll be all gung ho about something, then put it down for ages. While there's more to it than just the usual cycle, I have a cross stitch piece I haven't worked on for a decade now. (Although that's partly that it's hard, because it's on linen, rather than Aida cloth, and partly because I can't see the dang thing! My eyesight is not nearly as good as it was a few years back -- and it wasn't that good then, either... And one of my little rigidities is that I really can't start something new until I finish the old. That only sounds like a good thing... In practice, it means that I have to start a new type of project, when I bog down. Maybe that's part of my cycle? But I don't think it is. I think it's just a cycle of interest...)
Hey, Dinah, want a sock monkey? Made a ton of them for Christmas one year... Got two left, half done... lol
Posted by fallsfall on March 19, 2006, at 9:47:27
In reply to Re: Aren't your enthusiasms really » Dinah, posted by Racer on March 19, 2006, at 1:01:49
Plus these enthusiasms meet a need that we have at the time. When the need is met, we move on to something else.
I did a ton of crossstitch when I was first disabled. It was very orderly, there was lots of control, it turned out nicely, people were impressed, and it took a lot of time. It balanced nicely my completely out of control life. I was feeling a bit out of control the other night, so I got out my Zome (www.zometool.com - really cool stuff for the mathematically, orderly inclined of us). It lets me feel like there is innate order in the world, just like the crossstitch did. I also like to color geometric designs sometimes for the same reason.
But I don't always need these "orderly" kinds of activities, because I don't always feel like my life is out of control. So when things get back into control, I'll put my Zome away, until I need it again.
The other thing that I tend to come back to is swinging. I used to swing after every single therapy session. It was like being rocked. I also have a rocking chair at home. And a dear friend made me a swing to hang from a tree in my yard. When I am feeling particularly in need of comfort, I will swing or rock (or even think about swinging). Now, sometimes I swing when I don't "need" to - and it still feels good. But when I have an "enthusiasm" about swinging it is because I am in need of comfort.
So look at your enthusiasms and I'll bet that the ones you come back to periodically fill a particular need for you, a need that is inherent in your being. Sometimes the need is stronger, and sometimes it is comfortably filled.
Aren't we smart to figure out ways to meet our own needs?
Posted by Racer on March 19, 2006, at 10:18:21
In reply to Re: Aren't your enthusiasms really » Racer, posted by fallsfall on March 19, 2006, at 9:47:27
MOST of my {ahem} enthusiasms fit that control thing, in one way or another... I'm actually going to take that up with my T, assuming I can remember it until Wednesday. I think that's interesting.
All of my "things" that don't inolve control, or kinda don't, seem to be physical. I'll have to think about it, to see if that's true, but I think it is. Swinging, riding, even swimming, which I really can't do these days because of my vision. DANCING! That's something that's about NO control, for me. (Probably I dance like an accountant. Since I can't see myself, I don't care. I like it.)
That's a really interesting point, and I'll have to ponder it...
Posted by Dinah on March 19, 2006, at 11:06:44
In reply to Re: Aren't your enthusiasms really » Racer, posted by fallsfall on March 19, 2006, at 9:47:27
I think you're probably right.
My precise thought on giving up pink and yellow was that it's been a year now since Daddy died, and I don't need to wear pink and yellow. My enthusiasm for seventies dolls began and ended about the same time, although there were no thoughts associated with it. I think it was my way of mourning.
Maybe I'm obsessed with dolls when I need to comfort or indulge myself.
Maybe I'm obsessed with my garden when I'm not feeling comfortable with my home life. Perhaps I think that if I make my home beautiful, my life inside it will be beautiful.
And maybe I'm obsessed with sewing when I am feeling a need to create, or to control. Since with sewing you aren't constrained by what's available in the stores. In fact, that's usually what stimulates it.
Ok, I'm at a loss with the Star Trek enthusiasm. :)
You are very wise, Falls.
Posted by sleepygirl on March 19, 2006, at 11:17:50
In reply to Re: Aren't your enthusiasms really » fallsfall, posted by Dinah on March 19, 2006, at 11:06:44
> Ok, I'm at a loss with the Star Trek enthusiasm. :)....from one who went to a star trek conference (many years ago ;-), looks down and blushes)
escapism?? appreciation of the moral code of the characters?? exploration? spock?
Posted by Dinah on March 19, 2006, at 11:51:46
In reply to Re: Aren't your enthusiasms really » Dinah, posted by sleepygirl on March 19, 2006, at 11:17:50
Yes, perhaps those come at a time where I need to escape an overly ambiguous world.
Posted by Dinah on March 19, 2006, at 20:30:25
In reply to Re: Aren't your enthusiasms really » Racer, posted by fallsfall on March 19, 2006, at 9:47:27
My therapist really liked your insight too, Falls.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Social | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.