One of my students asked me what I did with my time and he was at first aghast and then dismayed at my response. In the beginning I didn’t know he was asking about leisure time, so I described marking and course preparation. When that didn’t satisfy, I mentioned the projects I am currently engaged in, such as editing books and writing stories for another collection. Just recently I discovered, hanging near the edge of a sleepless night anther two book projects, and I think I will undertake to put together a guide on how to construct an effective university English essay as well as write a self-help book for how to live cheaply.
He then asked me if all I did was work, and that became more difficult to explain. I mentioned the time spent with friends, which in Winnipeg is typically at restaurants in order to stay out of the cold and have a place to meet. As well, in the summer, and even this winter, I have the cabin which brings me no end of joy and hard work and room for my larger projects, such as wind power and solar panel systems.
That is really only partially an answer, however. For what many people do not realize, and I am perhaps too serious about this, is that it is fun to pursue your passion. My friend suggested today that writing was a hobby for me. I think of it rather, I told her, as art—on the surface pointless and time-consuming, but altogether infuriating and delightful.
As well, I see this as a contribution that it is necessary to make to society. The great leaps forward, or sideways if you are not fond of the progress narrative, did not happen because we played video games or drank, as my student suggested. Human knowledge accumulated because we devoted what time we had to spare from the pursuit of food, clothing and shelter to the construction of the edifice that is culture. It is hard to imagine Isaac Newton standing on the shoulders of giants, if he could not find any giants at the library. Would he have resorted to the bar?
I do not view my carvings, my rather pathetic paintings, my cabin, and my boat design and execution to be mere frittering away the hours. I learned, I practiced a craft, and like the nervous twitching on the keyboard that this blog post represents, I made an attempt to join with the human community. Our art or passions, what we devote our energy to, are what define us, and although I didn’t want to say as much to the student on the bus, they allow a better definition than drinking in a bar.
