What Do You Do in Your Spare Time?

 

Not long ago, one of the kids I work with was telling me about something he recently got. I couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was talking about, so I asked what it was.

“It’s for my Nintendo,” he said.

“Oh, I don’t have one of those,” I replied.

“You don’t? What do you do in your spare time?”

What do I do? How long have you got?

He was about eight or nine. I thought about what I did at his age.

Of course, having grown up in the Pleistocene Era, we didn’t have the electronics children have today. (Just the other week I had to explain to another child what that curly cord thing was on a phone in a picture.) “Operation” was about the most electronic game anyone had, and I was pretty sure this boy didn’t have the fine motor coordination to play that. But I didn’t have one of those, either.

Electronics and mechanical devices didn’t interest me. I used to ask for “dolls that didn’t do anything.” The only exception was Chatty Cathy, but my dad said we had one, so I didn’t get that, either.

When I was a child, I spent every available moment outside, as long as it wasn’t raining.

What did I do? I rode my bike, roller skated, ice skated, climbed trees, or played on my swings, sliding board or sandbox; jumped rope, played hopscotch, tag or hide and seek.

In summer, if I wasn’t in someone’s pool, I was probably swimming in the creek (called “the crick” where I grew up), hunting for frogs and tadpoles with my brother, hiking in the woods, picking blackberries, or inventing adventures in our tree fort. If it rained, I read, colored or played with my dolls.

These things are beyond imagining to the sedentary Nintendo generation. Of course, they were raised to fear being taken by a stranger – or even a non-custodial parent – not to mention they often don’t have quiet streets to play on, or woods to wander in. And if they do, they have to worry about predators in those woods. The worst we had to worry about was poison ivy or whether or not that snake was poisonous.

I remember waiting my entire childhood for the much-warned-about stranger in the shiny black car to drive up and ask if I wanted to go for a ride so I could scream, “No!” and run away. I never knew the real predators were likely to be people you knew.

I feel sorry for today’s kids. With all of their technology, they’re often “bored.”

I think their bodies are bored, craving the kind of movement my generation took for granted.

But what do I do in my spare time now? I read, or write stories. In nice weather I ride my bike. On snowy days I shovel a path for the dog to be able to get out of the house. I know, that’s not a fun leisure time activity, but I don’t mind it in small doses. I certainly don’t count doing housework as leisure time.

During pandemic lockdown, many things I once did have been curtailed.

Movie theaters are closed.

A day at the Renaissance Faire isn’t a possibility because it’s closed. Ye Olde Social Distancing isn’t possible in the crowds watching jousts, living chessboards and “Shakespeare, Bloody Shakespeare.”

Steak on a Stake, Nachos of Nottingham, and tiny shops selling everything from swords to hand-made jewelry and leather armour don’t have the capacity for social distancing. Six feet distance would put you in the next shop.

Of course, the pandemic could lead to a new feature at the Renn Faire: the peasant pulling a cart and shouting, “Bring out your dead!” for those who don’t follow distancing and mask requirements.

Having lunch with a friend in a restaurant, or even wandering at will at the local shopping mall is difficult if not impossible – or at least unsafe.

Being a bit of an introvert, I didn’t have much difficulty adjusting to lockdown. I have a pool in my back yard, and spent most of last summer in it.

I also rode my bike both for enjoyment and exercise. I can ride quite alone, without coming into contact with anyone. The greatest trial last year for me was when my bike was in the shop for a month getting the derailleur fixed.

The negative for me is that many things I could do in my spare time that would be enjoyable and good for my health aren’t available to me because of the pandemic.

Gyms and other forms of workout are either closed or have limited access that I still find too risky, even after my second dose of the vaccine.

My favorite activity is traveling. I’ve already had travel plans cancelled with no idea when I might be able to reschedule.

What I do in my spare time, especially in the winter, has become more sedentary. I read. I write stories. I spend less time on Facebook probably because my non-spare-time (work) is spent online. As an OT, I’m very much hands-on, and being forced to proceed virtually is making me look forward to retirement.

Recently, I reconnected my Wii Fit, my most techy “toy,” to try to undo the effects of the forced sedentary lifestyle. It welcomed me back after 1287 days. I was touched. It had not only kept track, it was pining for my return!

Maybe I do understand that student’s excitement over his Nintendo, after all!