NattyBumppo
Strange name, ain't it?
This last week of being on vacation really cleared my head and made me realize that something I love and have enjoyed so much as an escape, has morphed into more than what it should be for me. I am of course referring to detailing. For years detailing (more like washing and waxing) was an outlet and way for me to work with my hands and lose myself for a few hours with no critic or boss other than myself. In the last year or so I found Autopia and DC and was thrilled to find so many other people who shared my passion for automobiles and keeping them looking great. I learned so much from the forums and the many experienced members that it enabled me to take my work to a new level and I was as pleased as ever.
I began detailing for fee as a part time venture and things progressed well. I became more and more involved in the various forums and the passion grew to new heights. I was keeping busy, making a few extra dollars and using some great products while increasing the skill level at the expense of what would otherwise be free time. Well this past week of vacation made me realize that the time I've spent on forums, and more so detailing, is time I cannot ever recoup. Sure the few extra dollars may have helped buy some "stuff" but it is not worth the time I have lost with the family and the piece of mind that detailing previously had given me. Funny how that piece of mind seems to have been another casualty of being more involved in detailing. I recall a good friend and fellow truck enthusiast warning me about the possible pit falls of part time detailing. Turns out he was spot on and I wish I had listened more closely to him.
Most recently, a thread about a test done with a few products found me in the mix and into a heated dicussion. I responded with a rather sarcastic remark which lead to comments directed toward me (I missed them but someone who saw them forwarded the screen shots to me). I can't believe that I let something which was an escape and way to clear my head become elevated to the point where I had to deal with foolish stuff like this. My mistake for the sarcasm in the post and more so for letting a hobby which I love become so important that I had to even worry about these things. Man, did I really screw the pooch.
I think I need to scale back and let go of this obsession a bit. I miss just detailing for the fun of it and even discussing detailing as an enthusiast and nothing more. I plan to severly scale back on detailing other than for my own enjoyment. I know I can put that time toward things that are more important to me. I want to make detailing a hobby and love again, not a second job and source of stress. I remember intervening in a heated detailing thread a while back on a truck forum I frequent. I said this is wax and polish and trucks, not life or death stuff and it should be treated as such. Funny how I didn't take my own advice and instead let it become too much a part of me.
I'll still be around though not as much (I know that'll be a welcome change to some) but I'm just going to re-order my priorities to where they were and where they should be.
Natty
I began detailing for fee as a part time venture and things progressed well. I became more and more involved in the various forums and the passion grew to new heights. I was keeping busy, making a few extra dollars and using some great products while increasing the skill level at the expense of what would otherwise be free time. Well this past week of vacation made me realize that the time I've spent on forums, and more so detailing, is time I cannot ever recoup. Sure the few extra dollars may have helped buy some "stuff" but it is not worth the time I have lost with the family and the piece of mind that detailing previously had given me. Funny how that piece of mind seems to have been another casualty of being more involved in detailing. I recall a good friend and fellow truck enthusiast warning me about the possible pit falls of part time detailing. Turns out he was spot on and I wish I had listened more closely to him.
Most recently, a thread about a test done with a few products found me in the mix and into a heated dicussion. I responded with a rather sarcastic remark which lead to comments directed toward me (I missed them but someone who saw them forwarded the screen shots to me). I can't believe that I let something which was an escape and way to clear my head become elevated to the point where I had to deal with foolish stuff like this. My mistake for the sarcasm in the post and more so for letting a hobby which I love become so important that I had to even worry about these things. Man, did I really screw the pooch.
I think I need to scale back and let go of this obsession a bit. I miss just detailing for the fun of it and even discussing detailing as an enthusiast and nothing more. I plan to severly scale back on detailing other than for my own enjoyment. I know I can put that time toward things that are more important to me. I want to make detailing a hobby and love again, not a second job and source of stress. I remember intervening in a heated detailing thread a while back on a truck forum I frequent. I said this is wax and polish and trucks, not life or death stuff and it should be treated as such. Funny how I didn't take my own advice and instead let it become too much a part of me.
I'll still be around though not as much (I know that'll be a welcome change to some) but I'm just going to re-order my priorities to where they were and where they should be.
Natty
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