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Our lives are constantly full….work, children, household chores….it seems like we never have a chance to stop. There does come a time when we should, though, for our own physical and emotional health. Unfortunately most of us end up vegging out in front of the TV or computer for hours on end, which isn’t exactly healthy either.
What we all need is a hobby, a distraction from everyday life that we can lose ourselves in, something that we do well and can be proud of. Something that we can turn to and tune out the stress and drama of everyday life.
For this author, I find solace in modeling, namely planes, ships, and classic science fiction spacecraft. I always enjoyed it as a kid, but as an adult it takes on an additional challenge, namely learning how to create convincing paint finishes, weathering, and other nuances designed to create a sense of realism. It is a hobby that I can easily end up spending hours and hours on before I realize the time has passed.
Of course there are other schools of thought, and you are limited only by your imagination. There are no right or wrong hobbies, just that which appeals to you and gives you a sense of satisfaction. Some of the more popular hobbies include…
Gardening. I know it’s almost a cliché’, but gardening remains one of the most popular pastimes out there, allowing you to create beautiful surroundings or grow your own food, depending on the direction you decide to go.
Photography. If I were going to take up a new hobby, it would be photography. Once you get past the expense of buying a decent camera, it’s not an expensive endeavor. You can do something as pedestrian as portrait shooting or you can really get into the artistic end of things and become the next Ansel Adams. You may begin seeing the world through the eyes of a camera lens, which suddenly makes everything beautiful in its own way.
Puzzles. While I have never been crazy about puzzles (anything beyond the Barney The Dinosaur four piece sets would drive me out of my skull in about fifteen minutes), many people see them as a nice relaxing way to spend an hour or so. Buying one with enough pieces can serve to keep you distracted for days if you are so inclined.
Drawing/Painting. These allow you to process emotions by putting them down on paper in a physical representation. If you really have talent the end result may be something extraordinarily beautiful that you can call your own.
Scrapbooking. This tends to be more of a ladies thing, but it does successfully combine artistry and journalism to create a wonderful representation of your life as it was.
Scrapbooking is very much a social pastime, with entire clubs springing up in a given community where people can get together and indulge.
Collecting. It doesn’t matter what. Some people collect record albums, others collect stamps, pez dispensers, coins, sharks’ teeth, rocks, toys, dolls, Coke paraphernalia, whatever floats your boat is fair game to be collected.
Of course not every hobby has to be something normal or every day. There are some truly odd hobbies out there that are decidedly out in left field.
Taphophilia. This is the passion for and enjoyment of cemeteries. This involves epitaphs, gravestone rubbing, photography, or the history of famous deaths.
Beetle Fighting. Don’t laugh. There are entire breeds of beetles that have bed tempers and will fight at a moment’s notice. Some people enjoy catching such bugs and holding combat tournaments.
Carving egg shells. This actually dates back several hundred years, where egg shells may be painted or the egg emptied and the shell carved out to create something unusual and unique.
Noodling, also known as grabbling, involves going into a lake or river and poking around in holes looking for catfish. Once one is located and it grabs onto your hand, the idea is to wrestle it to the surface and onto dry land. Of course this hobby is rife with danger, as many a noodle has unwittingly grabbed onto a snapping turtle capable of inflicting serious injury.
So take time out to enjoy yourself. Go find a hobby.
Billy D Ritchie is the Director Of Content for LeadsByFone, LLC, a lead generation company servicing the mold removal and water damage restoration industry.
When not writing and educating folks about the perils of water damage, he is also a freelance writer, sometime actor, and formerly professional musician. He also enjoys spending his weekends building and flying model rockets.
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