My hobbies ebb and flow. I will rekindle a strong interest in some skill, old or new, and maintain it for a few weeks, perhaps months. It’s subsequently replaced by another pursuit.
I’ve realized that most of these interests are not separate; they tend to be manifestations of the same general themes. Any specific hobby tends to involve music, writing, sports, or technology, and during any given time period I’m most likely juggling hobbies from each of those four categories. Understanding this dynamic helps comfort me if a project fizzles out: there will be another one along shortly.
The more I consider my hobbies, I’m realizing that each of these four themes reflect some aspect of my personality and disposition.
Music gives me an intense, yet relaxed, focus. I lose hours faster from playing music than any other hobby. It is a crossroads of diligence and creativity. There is nostalgia and a connection to much of my family. It’s easy to share with others.
Writing provides the cleanest and most direct way for me to express my thoughts. I get to tackle my opinions, try them on for size, and reevaluate in a safe space. Despite having outlets like this blog, I still treat my prose writing as a highly personal creation. Yet, there is room for creativity. My text adventures and dabbling in RPGs give me a way to have fun with what I write, and share it in a fashion that is entertaining and collaborative. In this way, writing and music mirror each other: sharing it is fun when I’ve prepared something specifically for that purpose, but where music has intentional practice and specific goals, my writing is often more aimless between projects.
My interest in sports has grown wider over time, and in the past year or two has deepened as well. It’s a part of the external world that I can follow closely, something outside of myself in which I can still participate. Being a fan is plain fun; having something to get excited about, particularly a sport as regularly available as baseball, clicks with me. It is my favorite form of entertainment while simultaneously forcing me to be antsy to get outside.
Technology is my newest interest. It really only blossomed when I was in college and tried out Linux for the first time. In a way, it is the mirror to sports: I follow the world of technology. Many folks treat companies (or ecosystems, or product lines, etc.) as “teams”, and while just like in sports I don’t begrudge anyone the team they root for, it provides another medium for excitement. Even though I don’t participate in buying the newest gadgets, I like being aware of technology’s progress. It provides additional entertainment in YouTube and podcasts, with a cycle of stories and movement similar to a season of sports.
My hobbies are important. My overall mood is highly correlated with the free time I have to pursue hobbies, and the amount of that free time I specifically choose to use pursuing them. Knowing this lets me structure my time, and communicate more clearly with the people around me about what I need to be the best person around them. This is also part of the idea behind my Year of One. I need to create the space to focus on a hobby, regardless of which one it is. Recently it has been guitar, and it may shift into writing pretty soon. I may choose to balance those in a way that still feels in line with my yearly theme, but the ultimate goal is focus and enjoyment of what I choose to do, one thing at a time.