I used to think I wasn’t a “hobby person”. People would ask me what I liked to do for fun, and I always answered with something vague like, “I love spending time with my family”. Which is true, and that is STILL my favorite thing to do. But aside from hanging with the fam, I truly had no clue what I liked to do with my free time. I could see the hobbies in other people; This friend likes to run, that friend bakes, she loves reading. But I could never figure out what MY hobby was. I just assumed I didn’t have one, and some people were just like that. However, I’ve discovered some of my hobbies by doing three things; 1) Allowing myself to embrace the things I enjoy doing, 2) taking note of how I use my free time, and 3) giving myself space and freedom to try new things. I no longer believe that there are people out there who just don’t have hobbies. EVERYONE has a hobby. Yes, even you! You just might not realize it yet.
Embrace the things you enjoy doing, even if they aren’t “traditional” hobbies. In hindsight, I can see now that I’ve always had hobbies, I just didn’t think of them as hobbies because they aren’t “traditional” activities. One example of this is my love for Nancy Drew mystery computer games. For over a decade, my sister, friend, and I have played these games over and over. But I never thought about this as my hobby, because they are computer games. I just didn’t really think computer games could be a hobby because it isn’t your typical activity. However it’s something that brings me joy and connects me to some of my favorite people, so I’ve decided that, yes! It is a hobby and I am embracing it as such! Accepting the things that YOU like to do will lead you to discover the hobbies you’ve had all along, even if those things are untraditional. After all, your unique hobbies are what makes you such a fun, interesting, and captivating individual.
Take note of what you do in your free time. Instead of grabbing your phone to scroll social media when you had some time to spare, ask yourself what you want to do, and take a conscious note of what you are led to. When I did this, I continued to find myself jotting things down in a notebook, or at my computer writing another blog post or devotion. That’s when I realized that writing was a true hobby of mine. Because I had never taken the time to notice that I wanted to spend my down time writing, I never made time for it. Now that I know writing is a hobby and passion of mine, I am able to carve out time to do it, which adds so much joy to my day.
Give yourself space and freedom to try new things. I know we only have so much time in the day, but anytime you are given an opportunity to try something new, I encourage you to take it! There have been many instances where I’ve given myself the space and freedom to try a new thing, and sometimes it turns into a joy filled hobby for me, and sometimes it definitely doesn’t – And discovering both is important! You’ll never know what might be a hobby of yours if you don’t try! Just last week, I helped my sister and brother in law clean up their backyard, and I discovered that I love “gardening” (I’m using the term gardening loosely here, because I love the satisfaction of pulling weeds and giving an outdoor space some TLC, but I have yet to plant or grow anything, so the jury is still partially out). But the point is that I would have never learned that weeding and fixing up a yard is one of my hobbies if I didn’t try!
So for all my fellow friends who are thinking, “Hobbies just aren’t my thing”, I encourage you to practice these three things; embracing the things you enjoy, taking note of how you spend your free time, and giving yourself the freedom to try new things! I’d love to know what kinds of things you learn about yourself along the way! And trust me, if I can become a person who has a list full of hobbies that bring me joy, so can you!!
I love you and I’m praying that you find some genuine joy today!
– Jenn
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