The first time I asked a girl on a date was to see Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. When we got to the theatre, I discovered I hadn’t brought enough money. I bought a ticket for my date, got her seated, then I raced home to find some more cash. I missed the first 15 minutes before I was next to my teenaged crush. She smiled at me to reassure me that I wasn’t a complete goof, and even slipped her hand in mine when the ‘Raindrops’ scene came on. After the movie was over, my date said I looked a bit like Robert Redford. Lucky are the actors, for they will live on through the flickering pixellations of film.
A big part of a community’s culture is the way its citizens choose to be entertained. Whether it’s a sporting event, a gala fund raising concert, or a meet-up with a friend for a game of chess in the park, we have options for our amusement. Currently, I admit to more passive pursuits like watching television or taking my bride out for dinner and a movie but we’re lucky to have choices when it comes to incorporating enjoyment into our lives.
My 97 year old special mom can’t be without her Daisy Player (an audio book machine she purchased through CNIB). Many folk I know enjoy podcasts. My late wife tried to get me into audio tapes for road trips between Timmins and Thunder Bay but I can’t be entertained that way. Besides, in the case of those long distance travels, I already felt like a captive audience with 3 antsy kids fighting for territory in the back seat of the car. Give me a book and a comfy chair and I can be happily occupied for hours.
Things we find amusing can be entertaining, particularly if we are involved in the project. My dad would spend hours carving a face into a tree stump. I’ve enjoyed building things from large (a garage), to smaller folk art projects (a seagull named Webster). When I wrote for an arts magazine, people told me how important their hobbies were to them. Everyone works to pay the bills, but the things we choose to entertain ourselves with, are often the things that most reveal our character. Outside of our nine-to-five existence we become dancers, bridge players, club leaders, amateur thespians, collectors, choir members, and volunteers of all sorts.
The small screen (as in the smart phone) may be responsible for reducing our outreach into the cornucopia of entertainment choices. This is a pity, and a pit, in my view. My mother-in-law has fewer choices because of declining ability. When I see teens exclusively being entertained by their cell phones I think of wasted opportunities presented by numerous pursuits. It’s harder to find out what’s out there when you’re bent on measuring time by endless TikTok videos.
By exploring and nurturing the variety of recreational choices within our communities we get to meet others and learn more about ourselves in the process. Now that’s entertainment!
