Hobbies

The older I have gotten, the less time I seem to have for my hobbies. In fact, I am not even sure what activities I would consider to be my hobbies anymore.

In the early days of the pandemic induced lockdowns, there was a lot of talk about the resurgence of personal hobbies. My experience was quite different. Some of the things I enjoyed doing were either completely canceled or made extremely inconvenient. On top of that, my overall motivation levels were pretty low and all I could focus on was getting through each day.

So what is a hobby? Let’s look at a dictionary definition.

Hobby: an activity pursued in spare time for pleasure or relaxation

I would add that the pleasure should come from performing the activity itself, not from its outcome.

Nowadays it is common to come across the idea that a hobby should be an income generating side gig or even a future business. Another line of thinking is that everyone should use their spare time to learn things and develop skills that would help them get ahead professionally.

I strongly disagree with both those notions. A hobby should be enjoyed without any expectations of financial benefits. Practicality should not be the consideration.

I am going to have to spend some time thinking about my interests and then pick one or two of them to devote more time to in the new year.