For Those who don't Understand
by Hobbitlove
I recently recieved an e-mail from a dear
friend who was experiencing
problems at work because of orcs who don't understand her love for
LOTR. Well, I responded to her and others and they all said I should
post this, so here it is. I'm sure many of you can relate.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is a constant amazement to me that some
passions/hobbies are aplauded and encouraged and some are looked down
on. Consider the following:
The Sports fan: Wears his Bears jacket,
watches the game every week without fail, even taping it if he won't be
home to see it. Would gladly pay $100 even $1000's of dollars to go to
a game and if given the chance to attend a superbowl in another city
would jump at the chance no questions asked. Knows the names of all the
players and their stats. They can tell you the final score of the
championship game played 20 years ago by their favorite team. There's a
house in my town where the owners have painted the Packers team logo
into their lawn.
But if a LOTR fan spends money to go to
another city to attend a fan event or see a star from the movie, we're
obsessed!! And if we wear a ring on a chain around our neck we're over
the edge!! And goodness! We know the names of the actors from the movie
and have a clue about other movies they've been in. Horrors!! Can't we
just get a life?!
The Cabin owners: These people spend
thousands of dollars to buy a cabin "up north" and go there as often as
they can. What do they do each weekend that they go "up north"? They
fish, they sit around in their cabin, they swim, they sit around in
their cabin, they fish, they swim...ok, what else do people who have
cabins do? I don't really know. But it's the same cabin! and they
always go to the same place! And do the same stuff.
But if a ringer goes to see LOTR more than
once..."haven't you already seen that? How can you go see the same
movie over and over again, doesn't it get boring?"
Longaberger basket collectors: Let me preface
this by saying that I do own a couple of Longaberger baskets. I think
they are very nice and are a nice addition to my home décor, but
Come
ON!! Have you seen how expensive these things are? It's just a basket
people. And lets talk about taking a road trip to go to the home office
and headquarters and Dresden Ohio. (actually, I have been there. We had
a family reunion in Ohio a couple of years ago and we did visit the
factory. If you are ever near there, it is worth a drive if only just
to see the home office building. It looks like a huge basket!!)
But let a LOTR fan spend some money buying
action figures or bobble heads or anything else for that matter and we
need intervention.
You get the idea here. (no one has ever called me long winded before
;-)
Everyone has passions that give them joy and
make life interesting. It is after all, our passions that define us.
There is obviously a line that could be crossed where it would become
dangerous. Fathers who spend no time with their children because they
do nothing but watch sports 24/7, people who end up in major debt to
pay for their cabin up north because of the status symbol they see it
as. However, if that father is watching sports WITH his sons and
daughters and playing football in the back yard with them and if the
cabin owner is spending time with their family at their cabin and
growing closer together then where is the harm? And if I love LOTR and
love to spend time with my kids and my husband going to LOTR events and
talking about LOTR things and I'm not neglecting my responsibilities
then how dare anyone tell me that my passion is less important than
theirs.
