multi-tasking for personal pleasure

I feel like I don't have enough time to actually fit in all of the leisure activities that truly make me happy - and at the top of that list right now is knitting/crappy tv/walking. So in an attempt to increase the amount of happiness in my life, I attempted tonight to watch Arrested Development while power walking on the treadmill and knitting my pretty cranberry red Irish Hiking Scarf.

yeah.

attempted.

Sad to say, it didn't work. I can manage tivo and the treadmill or tivo and knitting, but I can't watch tv, knit and walk over 3 miles an hour - and at that slow a pace, the workout is negligible. When I first picked up the knitting, I was just warming up - maybe 3.3 mph. Within a minute my back started to hurt and my arms were all whacky. I thought maybe I just needed to hit my groove-thang after walking a bit. But no, even 20 minutes into the walk at around 3.5 mph, I still faltered right away.

It got me thinking about multi-tasking and how much I love to do two things at once . . . somtimes even three - I can sort of knit, read, and watch tv - but even then, that whole happiness/satisfaction thing is off. I know there are people out there who can find simple joy in doing one thing and immersing themselves in it. The idea of knitting quietly and reflecting on the beauty of craft would drive me nuts. Watching tv without ripping out recipes, flipping through catalogs, or
arranging photos would seem lazy. I guess I just need to comes to term with two and not three as my magic multi-tasking number.

I did find one picture on google of someone who has figured out the walking and knitting thing. But I can't actually embrace him as a roll model. But I thought you might enjoy it.