Hobbies

Sometimes life comes to an abrupt and unexpected halt and all you can do is try to entertain yourself until things start moving again.  As children we have been told that TV rots your brains, and of course all we did as grown ups was come up with more ways to watch TV or play video games or come up with all kinds of ways to waste our time by focusing our eyes on a screen while our bodies languish and our minds atrophy. What is the solution to this? HOBBIES!

You are asked about your “hobbies and interests” all the time, job interviews, getting to know new friends, casual conversation – but many of us just fall back on “watching TV”, maybe “reading” gets said – or the super generic “Trying New Restaurants”. I am sorry, but “Trying New Restaurants” is not a hobby. You are eating food. That is necessary. Don’t fancy it up by making it a Hobby.

In my mind a Hobby must give you something back – it must ENRICH your life in some way. Build on a skill, sharpen your mind, create a tangible object – COMPLETE something. And I am not talking about a meal. MAYBE cooking/baking can be a hobby, but ONLY if you are constantly trying new things.

Having said all this, I found myself in search of some hobbies over the last year, and this past week being snowed in, renewed my interest in pursuing them. Here are some of MY hobbies:

1.       Paint by Number for Adults – this is my FAVORITE new hobby. It doesn’t really take skill; it can be a little bit mindless if your thinking mind needs a break. You can have the tv or radio or podcast on for those who don’t care for silence. For me, as I focus on the tiny little boxes and edges, it often comes as a surprise when I pull back from the painting to see the scene magically come together. I have included photos of my projects below.

2.       Cross stitch – Does anyone remember this? I remember doing little things when I was young. There were easy kits, and my Aunt Leah was INCREDIBLE at it. I recently found a vintage project in my closet from somewhere and just started. Can’t wait to see the finished product and it is teaching me lots of different types of stiches, then repeating them over and over is almost hypnotic.

3.       Knitting - I still WANT to learn to Knit. It was originally my New Year’s Resolution of 2020. You would have thought that I would have it mastered by now with all my free time, but videos only took me so far. I really need some IN PERSON instruction there and I still cannot find any classes, but I still intend to pursue it. I can Cast On, but then for some reason I cannot figure out on my own, my stiches becomes progressively tighter and tighter until I can no longer manipulate my needles. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong?

4.       Jewelry Making – I used to do this as a kid, but not so much anymore. Grandma Thullen had all sorts of materials and she would let me make earrings and bracelets and would even let me sell them at her Craft Fairs where she would sell her Dolls. Grandma Thullen made MAGNIFICENT dolls. Remarkable skill and talent. I don’t know where any of them are now. Hopefully, some remain with the family, and those that bought them from her, surely still treasure them.

5.       Calligraphy – This is on my list to try next! They have kits at craft stores with templates and fancy pens. I will have to let you know if your actual handwriting style affects ability to do calligraphy – but I am hopeful that a little practice and concentration can help me to nail this one!

There are literally THOUSANDS of hobbies out there. Every adult should have at least one Hobby that doesn’t include watching a screen or putting food in their mouth. If you need more inspiration and have about three hours to read, here is a comprehensive list of hobbies, provided by Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hobbies

If Reading isn’t one of your hobbies, simply walk into any craft store- Michaels, Hobby Lobby- and browse the aisles. Find a “kit” and try it out.

Now I want to know what YOUR hobbies are!