What’s your hobby?
For you, this might be a really easy question to answer. For me, I’ve been stumped for months trying to find an answer.
What’s my hobby? What do I like to do for fun? What do I enjoy doing that’s something that I don’t HAVE to do?
Figuring out my hobby has been a tricky one for me, but I think I finally discovered my answer. But it took a lot of soul-searching, a lot of brainstorming, and asking my husband, sister, and friends who are closest to me.
And if you’re like me, one of the first questions you may ask yourself is, “Do I even have a hobby?”
As moms – and as for me being a mom of littles with one on the way – most days it can seem and feel like we don’t even have time for a hobby.
Who has time to have fun when you’ve got work to do, little people to take care of, a house to clean, laundry to fold, and children to shuttle to and fro?
And in my book, your exercise routine doesn’t count, running to the grocery store by yourself doesn’t count, and shopping online for clothes for your kids doesn’t count.
What is something that you like to do for YOU that isn’t part of your typical routine?
For me, I started with listing all of the things that I like to do. I like to be outside and in nature. I like to hike. I like to go to farmers markets and garage sales. I like going on walks and talking with friends. I like exercising and being active.
Even though I like all of these things, for some of them I rarely do them. For others, I do them routinely, and it’s part of living a healthy life. I wouldn’t put them into the hobby category.
What is something that I like to do that’s fun for me AND is something that I actually do routinely?
It dawned on me. I like to read. I like to read for fun. Not articles from scientific journals or research for my work. Just reading for fun.
There are some seasons where I go from one book to the next, reading one right after the other. There are other seasons in which I take a break from reading for a couple of months. But reading is something that I actually enjoy doing, it’s relaxing to me, and it stimulates my own thoughts and ideas. Reading challenges me in a way. It takes me outside of my typical day. It allows me to get to a higher level of thinking.
What’s extremely interesting is that I didn’t grow up reading. I was not the little kid who’d be sitting in the living room flipping through a book. I was the kid playing with my baby dolls or outside running around. It really wasn’t until college when I began to read for fun. Mostly because I finally found books that stimulated my mind, stretched my brain, and made me think.
What you’ll mostly find me reading nowadays is parenting books, self-help books, psychology related nonfiction books, books with some science and research thrown in, and faith-based books. I lean heavily on nonfiction books, but I’ll read a fiction book every now-and-again. My ideal way to read is sitting on the front porch, rocking in the rocking chair, with wine glass in hand. The wine glass will have to wait for now until after the baby comes.
Currently I’m reading Let Them Be Kids by Jessica Smartt which has gotten me to think in a much more intentional way about parenting, raising my kids, and what I want to teach them. When I’m done with this one, I have a whole list of books pinned on my wish list at our local library.
Now, I’m curious. What’s your hobby?
Can a busy mom like you have a hobby? I think we can, but more importantly, I think we should. You need something that’s just for you. Something that excites you, energizes you, helps you unwind and relax. Something that’s just for you.
Whatever your hobby may be, make time for it. Prioritize it. It’s worth it.
