I am a dabbler, and I’m proud of that. It is the Journey vs. Destination continuum.

I remember when desktop computers first became available, and my boss bought one for work. He placed it on a table and left it there. I couldn’t resist; I was immediately captivated. Then I got sucked in, too deep. My wife was at home with 3 children in diapers under 2 years of age — 1 set of twins, if you’re doing the math. I was at work, or should I say volunteer work experience, down the street. I only managed to come up for air after four hours!

I knew intuitively that this TV with a keyboard would be significant to my career. My learning usually involved making every mistake known to mankind.

Another Destination example, I have no aptitude for colour selection. My wife’s colour skill is only slightly better. When we were buying new flooring for the kitchen, we went to the store with the interior designer we hired to help with the bigger make-over project.

I was exploring the samples and was drawn to a particular pattern I liked. I could tell because I approached it and immediately wanted to touch it. I knew it wouldn’t match the colours, so I stepped away. Luckily, our designer saw what I did and asked if I liked it.

“Oh, yes,” I said, “but the colours will never work in our kitchen.”

“They will work very well.”

I was surprised.

I’m paying her for her expertise, so we agreed to install that touchy-feely pattern. Many years later, we still have no regrets. I love it every day.

Another Journey I’ve begun has no known destination. Currently, as an older adult, I have decided to learn digital art. I started by finding an online course that would help me learn the software. I saw the software as the gateway to improving my art skills. 

Digital art shares little in common with traditional painting. I’ve been practicing, intermittently, for several years now. My technical skills have progressed from zero to an advanced beginner. I felt confident enough to create one of my book covers for the annual compilation of my Blogs.

I am comfortable with dabbling – a Journey for its own sake. I classify it in my nomenclature as ‘Time Well Wasted.”

No explanation or justification is needed.

Please give this a bit of a think. Are you a dabbler? What is one of your ‘Time Well Wasted’ passions?

Photo is AI-generated by request: An adult participating in his hobby of painting

I am curious about your thoughts. Please comment below or send me an email with your bit of a think.

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And my thanks to St. Albert’s 50+ Activity Centre for making this Blog possible.

Volunteer Blogger

glenn.walmsley@icloud.com