Joanie

Attila, that was a great story. Sometimes people let situations get the best of them. You were rewarded.

A balanced life, no matter what the hobby is, gives more interest to the individual. Obsession in one thing, be it bonsai or NASCAR, makes for a one sided person. It is far more fascinating to talk to someone with many interests and sidelines, someone who has gone down more than one path. And by having a broader outlook, many times information from one interest can be applied to another.

I have gone down many paths, immersed myself in many hobbies (funny how, in each one, the upper hierarchy don't like the word "hobby", they prefer "art".... same fight, different venue) There is the initial joy of discover, of total interest and immersion, voracious reading, and the evolution from beginner to authority. The only difference between these other hobbies and bonsai is that bonsai trees continue to grow. They change, they need care, they get better with time. You can't come and go in bonsai without a lot of lost time. Ceramics, calligraphy, costuming, rockhounding, bread baking, screen printing, medieval illumination, model horses... all are hobbies that I have pursued.... you can walk away for months or years, nothing changes except maybe your ink dries out. But bonsai requires some level of care and interaction no matter what else you may be doing. The trees always call you back. Or they die.

Family first, friends and home life, then bonsai. Meeting new people in bonsai, or bringing old friends into it for the first time is rewarding. Or bringing someone back who had always wanted to do it. It gives new dimensions, new shared enjoyment, new life and interest.

Joanie

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