Whatever events we are exposed to initially however does leave a permanent impression. Some events get covered over while others are enhanced and become blended within new experiences. Take leisure activities for example, I used to wonder how people could get so excited about watching a sports game on television. All the nuances that might make it enjoyable are not possible, at least from my view. No hotdog sellers walk by and the feeling of being in a crowd is certainly missing. The whole thing seems flat and passive to me, yet others yell and cheer at the tube and actually appear to enjoy it.

What am I missing, why can’t I relate to this experience. Most of the people I’m associated with are not ex-sports icons; what gives?

I did a little fact finding research and asked people at random who liked a particular sport, how they grew to like it over the years? Not one person admitted to putting the television on one day and instantly becoming enamored with their sport of choice. Instead their courtships were longstanding. Either they played this game as a child or even further into adulthood however informal, i.e. just for fun. Obviously they acquired a slew of memories. Now, years after the fact, watching thier favorite sport was as familiar as visiting an old friend whose relationship had stayed in tact despite changing team mates along the way.

Not having any first hand experiences with any kind of physical sport limits the level of relatedness I can achieve through viewing sports. Imagine if you will how different your understanding of swimming would be had you never felt the pleasure of being immersed in fresh, cool water on a hot summer day.

It was helpful to figure this out, as now I marvel at the enjoyment it brings to people and I am more patient with its extraneous noise in the house.