Gratitude Challenge Day 21: Hobby

Silly that this listical has this as the singular and not the plural. A hobby. Just one hobby? Hmmm, well, that’s not how I roll. There are the obvious ones that most folks know about–baking, painting, gardening, photography, jewelry-making. But these aren’t the hobbies I’m going to discuss tonight. I’m grateful tonight for the weird little hobbies that I don’t share often, yet they bring me absolute joy. None of them are going to be money-making side-hustles and I think for that I love them even more.

I really enjoy going to antique stores, but not really with the purpose to shop or buy things. Oh sure, sometimes I do, but really I love to look at strange old stuff and then leave it there. I’m no longer in the “oh no this apartment is empty and feels unsettling, quick, fill it” stage of life. I’m in the “oh no this house is WAY too full and feels odd, get rid of stuff quick” era. If the arrangement of weird stuff is cool or curious or something is creepy and strange, I’ll take photos, but mostly I just like to soak it all in and even more so in the company of a friend.

Another hobby that I don’t really talk about much is, no matter the group setting, what I call Survivor Matchmaker. If everyone in this class/meeting/event suddenly got stranded Lost-style on a deserted island, how would people pair up and what would be the power dynamic? An overactive imagination doesn’t ALWAYS lead to anxiety, sometimes it leads to fun, bizarre stuff. Does this serve any purpose other than to entertain me and bring me immense hilarity? Nope. Not a bit.

I like to find faces in things like the patterns of tree bark, or bare branches in winter. Sometimes the knots in lumber have them. Sometimes I’ll find them in plaster or paint. I also enjoy making faces in pinch-pot vases. This is yet another place where my imagination serves to delight instead of disturb.

I promise I don’t have a jar of toenails or collect my cats’ whiskers and put them in tiny vases, not that there’s anything wrong with that if it’s your jam. I’m just saying, that’s not me. I hope you have quirky, weird little hobbies that absolutely delight you, too.