We Used to Climb Trees. Now We Swipe Reels.
For those of you working a 9-to-5 to maintain access to running water and the occasional bowl of gruel, do you also have a hobby or three? For fun, mental health, and prison-avoidance.
And actually, this can also apply to you newly retired folks, the ‘I have more money than God’ peeps, or the ‘Work? What’s work?’ collective. #YaLuckyBastards.
So… What Do You Actually Do for Fun?
Another of the things I’ve realized as I keep getting older is that we really need something else to look forward to outside of work, and on a consistent basis.
And if you are indeed part of the ‘I have as much money as Jesus’ peeps, or the ‘Work? What’s work?’collective… then daily fine dining and bi-weekly international trips might already be your thing.
But for the rest of us folks who do dabble in the finer things (there’s not too many international beaches that my bum would say no to), just not all the time because of said 9-to-5 commitments, do you have a hobby or three?
Please don’t think I’m heading into the ‘how to turn your hobby into a side hustle’ speech. I mean you can if you want to, but what about a hobby for, oh I don’t know, a hobby-sake.
For relaxation, de-stressing, bootleg-therapy, escape from the 9-to-5, or a stressful situation. Or all combined. Not everything has to be some hyper-optimized self-improvement plan. Most times, for me at least, it’s just a reason to shift the stale atmosphere or to leave the house on a Tuesday night. Now this may sound harsh, but let’s not include binge watching anything, though I do partake in said activities, or doom scrolling insert your fave social media addiction of choice. I mean a real-deal hobby.
If you’re more of the adventurous type and whatever it is, is accessible to you, do it. And do it regularly. But it can also be ones that seem boring, odd, childish, or a waste of time to someone else. Regardless, we don’t give a toss, a damn, or a fickerty-fuck what anyone else thinks about what our soon-to-be hobby is and how it’s about to make us feel.
When Your Entire Existence Becomes Survival Mode
I was talking to a friend recently (don’t I always), who’s been feeling stuck and sad with her life. I don’t divulge personal conversations with my peeps but the situation at home ain’t good. Her routine is exhausting and to say she’s mentally drained all the time is an understatement. She wakes up, goes to work, and comes home to the same environment. Insert the usual making dinner, keeping a home, kiddos etc., and queue the swift escape to the one and only ‘no need to think’ habit of scrolling on her phone for hours until she falls asleep, and repeats it the next day.
So we (as there were two of us) asked her what she actually does outside of work that belongs to her and her alone.
She didn’t have an answer.
And honestly, I think a lot of us Big-Age Baddies quietly end up there without realizing it or thinking there’s any time to add something new in. So you stop being curious, trying new things or doing old things, and default to maintenance mode. Now your brain thinks the only “break” is consuming other people’s lives online. The good, bad, and utterly insane. The latter ones can be really addictive.
When we asked our friend if she had a hobby, the word almost sounded foreign to her. Possibly a little silly. And I kind of get it. A hobby can sound insignificant until you realize it creates momentum. The little joys of something to look forward to, and not just once. It also gives structure to your week as you have to plan to fit it in. Yes, that’s right, you have to fit it in. Those 4-6 hours your phone informed you about your weekly (or daily) online time – yeah, that right there. You’ve got time!
Now our friend is still fighting this a little. We’re giving her some grace for now. But nothing changes unless you do.
“But we’re GenX, we weren’t allowed ‘hobbies’! We were barely remembered by our parents!”
You’re right, you’re right. But when we weren’t outside until 11pm, on our bikes with no helmets. Clear across town smoking candy cigarettes. Still bleeding from the head after being flung off the baking-sheet, hot arse slide. Or was it tossed off the violently-whirling roundabout? Because if we went home to heal, we’d have to stay home, or worse, be thought of by our peers as a wuss, a punk, or a loser. The other things that weren’t this, those were our hobbies.
Fast forward to today and I’m going to declare that the best hobbies are usually the ones that are accessible enough to become part of your real, everyday life instead of some fantasy version of yourself. The things you can consistently return to without needing perfect weather, tons of money, people to do it with, or a complete personality transformation.
Whatever hobbies slipped into your head right now, that make you laugh out loud, scrunch-up your face, and look to dismiss – that’s it… that’s it!
If it was you on your BMX doing wheelies… calm down. If it was you playing knock-down-ginger (USA flava: Ding-dong-ditch)… umm, yeah… no.
Need a list to get those hobby-juices flowing?
Here’s a few (30) I thought of.
Disclaimer:
Before attempting any of these hobbies, consult all your doctors.
Possible side effects include: increased happiness, body aches from suddenly remembering you are older, and big-back activities tied to baking.
Any that fit? C’mon, stop playing, you know some do!
The point isn’t mastery or anything. The point is having something in your life that reminds you there’s more to being alive than going to work, working, and recovering from work. That there’s a fantastical distraction from a situation you might not be able to face or escape. One you can, want, and look forward to doing over and over.
We don’t always need a life overhaul. We just need one thing, on repeat, that makes you feel like you. And want to get out of bed again.
