Hobby It Up

A good friend once told me, “You’re never going to keep a hobby unless you spend a whole lot of money on it.” Over the years there’ve been a number of things that caught my interest and made me think, “Sure. I’ll give a go.” But soon enough the novelty grows thin and what I thought may have been a new lovely hobby turns into another dusty piece of junk cluttering my garage until I muster up enough courage to give it away or throw it out. I’ve cycled through this pattern so often, in fact, I occasionally wonder why I start to begin with. Yet, I do it anyhow. And just when I think I may be onto something, something happens, my interests take a sharp turn, and bam, another token for the garage. And then the words of my friend come creeping back and I realize how true they are.

I guess it’s easy to do something that’s free for a little while. But what happens with me is I keep getting into pinches when I have to prioritize what’s most important, do that, and drop the rest. Consequently, the cheap hobbies are always the first to go. It’s not until the hobby is a considerable investment that it remains on my keep list. The problem is, if I start investing too much, it ceases being just a hobby and if I tip it even further then I may have a full blown obsession on my hands. Ugg. Even hobbies require a balancing act.

In my mind, hobbies have always been just a distraction from the real things in life. And that’s what I like above them. Nothing’s riding on them. They’re not important. They’re simple. Plus, if you have a similar sense of adventure as I do and love to try some of the most random things, you often learn things you never imagined yourself learning. Like what stitch works best with a puppet’s googly eyes. Or what types of meats taste well with cinnamon. Or how pipe cleaners have about as many uses as duct tape.

I suppose that if you remember that hobbies are healthy distractions, it’s not a big deal that they routinely fall by the wayside. Because even if you don’t finish it or whatever you’re making or working on never sees its full potential, it likely has already accomplished its purpose. Alternatively, maybe you have found a new love of your life. Maybe you’ve found your true calling. If so, beware. There’s likely a heavy price tag attached it.