quilting truckers

Today was an all-star boring day at work, but I did discover a cool article from last week's Wall Street Journal: Idle Pastime: In Off Hours, Truckers Pick Up Stitching. The article is an interesting take on the economy. Since fewer goods are being moved on trucks, those drivers have a lot more down time. One person featured in the article described it this way:

Quilting, he said, "gives you a little bit of ownership. You've actually accomplished something with your time off."

I know it sounds cheesy, but this article has helped pull me out of my funk from a couple of days ago. An HR manager from a trucking company says this in the article:

"We want them to pass the time to make themselves happy, rather than get frustrated waiting."

I'm not making quilts to sell, and I'm not making them to prove myself to anyone. It's really just a positive, fun thing to do with my time. I really just like to say "look what I made" no matter how perfect or how artistic it is.

I will also readily admit that the fact that I spent my afternoon before work curled up on the couch watching whatever chick flicks the TV would provide for me helped, too (I cried my eyes out watching Mona Lisa Smile and Where the Heart Is).

I would love to know how you got into quilting (or your other hobby of choice) and why do you do it!