what hobbies don’t seem “old” by that I mean what is it that young people spend their time doing that brings some sort of calm and satisfaction to their lives. salsa dancing and wine are the two that pop into my mind but isn’t that just drinking and dancing? maybe even supplementing your sex life when things aren’t exactly where you would want them to be in that arena either?? don’t get me wrong, I love dancing (though I’m not so great at salsa) and I really do enjoy wine; but could I consider those to be hobbies. oh yes, and then there is travel. . . . until I can truly afford this one I can’t really see it as a hobby. cooking?? we all have to eat, is it really a hobby? I’m not talking about all of the food bloggers out there who I truly enjoy reading, I’m talking about those of us who like to make food that tastes good on a regular basis for ourselves and out families and get this, we also like to pair it with wine ;)
no. when I say hobby I am referring to something that takes up time, doesn’t necessarily require a lot of money (though most of them do cost something and those costs can and do add up) like fishing, or gardening, movie watching or even book clubs. I guess that when you think about it hobbies can take all sorts of forms. for me I have a couple of guidelines that intentional or not seem pretty set: 1. I am not a collector. I think that it is great for individuals to know all kinds of interesting information on a particular topic (I am one of those people) but I have no desire to fill my home with things that I cannot use or consume as originally intended. if I buy a chair I am going to sit in it. 2. I don’t think that simply buying things (kinda goes along with collecting again) qualifies as a hobby. 3. I like to do things with my hands that sometimes do but often do not require a tremendous amount of thought on my part. yes, I garden and I plan out my garden but for the most part I can simply garden. same with knitting, photography or any other craft. I plan these things out but then it’s all about just doing it. as much as I love to learn, I think that a “hobby” that was constant education or mental engagement might feel more like school and even with school you do eventually graduate.
back to the initial thought, what about any legitimate hobby does not scream older individual? I ask this because I do garden, knit, dabble in photography and would love to learn how to fly fish but when I think of all of these activities (as do my friends who think of this stuff when I talk about it) I see older people. I don’t have an inner old woman waiting to burst out, in fact I have an inner child who has no intention on EVER growing up. sure some hobbies are a little more quiet than others but when someone is truly enjoying what it is that they are doing, something that they are doing simply because they want to, that joy radiates with the same frequency as youth. so really, hobbies are kinda like the way that older people stay young.
instinctive travels 