Yesterday’s writing prompt asked what five things we do for fun. I say “yesterday’s writing prompt” because life kind of landed on me like a bag of spanners yesterday. You know the one where you can see somebody needs help, and you’re the best placed to provide that help, but if you begin helping you can say goodbye to everything you had been planning to do? That. I raised my hand. I couldn’t help myself.
Anyway.
Five things I do for fun. Let’s see.
Bookshops
Hi. My name’s Jonathan, and I have a book-shop problem. Seriously. I can’t walk past a nice bookshop without wandering inside and taking a look at this book, or that book, or oh - that book over there.
It’s like Winnie the Pooh contemplating a hummy sort of day, but maybe having just a little more honey first. The “to read” pile of books both on the shelf behind me, and on my bedside cabinet terrifies me - but not enough to buy more books.
Movies
I love the cinema. I’ve always loved the cinema. I think my experience of the cinema was shaped during my childhood by visits to watch the Star Wars movies. The excitement of arriving, of escaping into fantastical worlds, and of leaving while walking on air, filled with energy, excitement, and hopes to become a starship captain, or a Jedi, or to save a princess, or a hundred other things.
Of course I also hate the minority that movie goers have to put up with - those that talk, eat, get up repeatedly, or whatever else. A good movie absorbs me completely - I don’t want those couple of hours ripped apart by somebody smacking their chops, scrunching wrappers, or mansplaining what’s going on in some sort of bizarre nerd flexing exhibition.
Running
I both love and hate running. While running, I think of nothing more than how crap I feel, and how long there is left until I reach the arbitrary point at which I won’t hate myself too much for having not tried hard enough, or given up entirely.
When I finish running the endorphins kick in and my entire mood lifts. I did that. I made myself do that. Go me. Also - running is cheap, and doesn’t tend to attract the same show-offs that post their latest ski trip all over social media.
Chess
I’ve played chess ever since I was young. I don’t really remember learning - but I do remember getting beaten by my Dad and my Grandad growing up. I remember getting beaten by various kids during wet-playtime at school too. Everything turned around while off work with a virus in my late teens - and spending hours playing against a chess computer in my bedroom - learning how to hold my own - and how to sometimes win.
I became fascinated in the stories of the characters that have played the game over the years - Bobby Fischer, Boris Spassky, Mikhail Tal, Jose Capablanca, Wilhelm Steinitz. The line between genius and madness has never been far away in the world of chess, and that fascinated me endlessly.
I’ll never be very good at chess, but I love playing it. For me it’s not really about winning or losing - just fascination with a game that is both knowable and unknowable at the same time.
Writing
I think it’s pretty obvious that I like writing. Twenty years of blog posts lay testament to that. One a good day the words flow like turning on a tap. On a bad day a cursor sits blinking on the screen for hours. Maybe “reading”, “books” and “writing” are all intertwined. It’s really about a love of words, isn’t it. Although writing - especially in terms of blogging is more about people - and that’s where the fascination is for me. The window writing opens up to another life, or another world. The way words can convey thoughts, emotions, and feelings. The way words can both draw us in, and embrace us during quiet moments.
Anyway.
I’m rambling.
There you go. Five things I do for fun. I could have continued, but the brief said five.