Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-06-29
How to
STOP KILLING
YOURSELF
Hobby Is Up to Individual
B. Or. PETER ]. sTEINcRoHN

= -
What would you suggest for
relaxation? Golfing or fishing?"
Many people who have been
without hobbies for most Of their
| lifetime are at a loss when con-
fronted with the choice. They
are like children with a roomful
| of new toys: surfeited with play
things but unable to decide where
to start having fun. And yet their
life and well-being often depend
upon q wise selection.
What you need to remember
is that what is good for your
Ineighbor may be anathema for
you. Here is an example from
Ia friend who discussed this sub
ject with me. He had had a
|coronary thrombosis attack five
years ago. He was now fit, healthy
looking and without symptoms.
He had invited me out in his 15-
foot cupboard motor boat. Al
though about so years old he
handled that little craft like a
|teenager. Not being a hoatman
myself, ] didn't enjoy it at first
because he kept standing as he
manipulated the little craft.
why don't you sit down and
Erelax?" said after he had
thrown his line into the bay.
How do you expect to get any
good out Of this by standing for
hours and coming in exhausted?"
He looked at me as many a
good seaman looks at an ignor-
ant landlubber and said: "You
don't think I'm going to tamper
with my style now. A good quar-
terback doesn't discard plays
that have been giving him good
Iyardage. Well. I'll be darned if
I'm going to change a way Of
life that has given me i've years
OF added mileage since my at
tack.
BEST Formula"
you're looking-and I wanted
you to see it at first hand-at
what consider is the best form
ula for prolonging a coronary's
life. And that's boating and fish,
ing. When I arrived here five
years ago they took me from the
train in a wheelchair. Within
three months / bought this little
boat and could feel mystelf get
ting stronger by the hour. Not
only in body, but in spirit"
Just then there was a tug, his
line went out and he landed a
one-and-a-half FOUNDER. You
never saw such a beatific express
sion on a man. You'd think It
was the first fish he ever caught.
/ said, Have you ever taken
up golf? Don't you think that's
Jas relaxing as fishing? know
a number Of people who had
Icoronary attacks who swear by
Igolf as the best kind of relaxa-
ton"
This seemed to rub him the
wrong way because he sat down
to get his point across.
My feeling" he said, sis that
anybody who plays golf after an
attack is a fool. I've played the
game and 7 can speak from ex-
lperience. It's an aggravating
game. You're always fighting
yourself. You're never really re-
Taxed. You don't have time to
commune with nature like you
can in a boat. I've seen men
break clubs or throw clubs Just
because the lite pill had missed
the cup. What's the sense?
Il can come out here for i've
hours of fishing and come home
content even if I haven't had SO
much as a bite. You talk about
me standing up in the boat. All
d do is stay put and look at the
water and the sky and the other
boats; ! don't walk up and down
hills for hours cuSsing the fellow
who invented the game if my
score is high that day.
Golfers 'sKilling Themselves"
Besides, how many healthy
fellows come in exhausted be-
cause they've played more holes
than they should? Then think
of the heart cases who'd be
better Of sitting Cor standing)
in a boat like this, rather than
overtiring a sick heart muscle.
No sir. You better get after your
patients who play golf. They're
killing themselves. They should
take up fishing. That's the sport!
How well I've been feeling these
Hast five years is proof that this
spot is my Shangri-La."
l There You have it from a
fisherman. You rarely see such
a contented man. He seems to
want the whole world to 60 fish
ing because it has done SO much
good for him.
That evening I had dinner