The Art of Hobbies

I have mastered the art of finding hobbies.

Let me tell you, I have quite a few. I would like to think of myself as quite the collector of rambunctious ideas. Pertaining to my few hobbies at the moment, they sprawl across the board.

Yoga - the art of connecting a body and mind. Hobby no. 1.

I started yoga about a year and a half ago. I was not exactly new to the practice. I grew up with a family who went to group yoga every day with an older man who collected bonsai trees and never took his socks off, which is quite odd for an instructor, right? I hated going because of how inflexible I was, and the slight fact that I would have loved to be on a soccer field more than anywhere else in the world. Little did I know I would come back to the practice (all on my own I might add) about six years later. I now look forward to going, and even wake up extra early to make sure that I have enough time in the day to do that along with the many other things that I want to accomplish. No, I am not extraordinarily flexible now, but yes, I have a great appreciation for moving my body in fun ways each day.

Needlepoint - needle and thread, but not exactly sewing. Hobby no. 2.

This hobby is actually quite new. A few days new. I received a kit as a gift from my mom for Christmas and I just so happened to be bored one night and pulled the needlepoint material from my nightstand. I am obsessed. It is such an easy side quest to do while even watching a show, because who doesn't love to do two things at once? There really isn't much to say about this hobby except for, don't knock it till you try it!

Writing - old school pen and paper, new age taps on a keyboard. Hobby no. 3.

A little fun fact about myself, when I was little I never brought a stuffed animal to bed. I bought a pencil and my little notebook where I would draw until I was old enough to write. When I was older I would write lists of what I wanted to do the next day, stories about seven-floor homes (don't ask how I remember that), and screenplays for my stuffed animals (that did just so happen to find their way into my covers). Writing is my passion. I write letters every other week to my little sister in South Dakota, and my BFF pen pal in Hawaii. I write lists just for fun, and when I accomplish something that wasn't originally on my list I write it down just to cross it off. I have had the pleasure to work at a magazine these past two years where I write captions to posts, and also wrote for an edition as well (where I wrote about yoga of course). And here I am, in my college apartment, starting a blog just because I love writing THAT much.

Designing - making things look pretty just for fun. Hobby no. 4.

I have always had a knack for designing. Whether that be from being raised in a home full of LITERAL amazing designers of furniture or "in my blood" from my great-grandpa who is an artist. Today's generation has completely changed design, my style is very editorial and digital I might add. I design all digital content for the magazine that I previously mentioned. I also spent a peculiar amount of time "finalizing my portfolio" because I wanted it to be perfect when deep down I knew that I just loved looking at the different layout options and colors and fonts.

Cooking - a few un-tasteful things can make something very yummy, Hobby no. 5.

I grew up cooking with my mom and helping around in the kitchen. My grandma moved in with us when I was about 19 and she is a BIG foodie. She has said that she dreams about new recipes and that my late grandfather never once hated the fact that she rambled on for hours about new foods and different recipes that she had seen or heard of. Because of my family, I have grown a deep appreciation for food. Isn't it amazing how we are all mosaics of the people that we have loved? She taught me that salting water after the water boils for pasta is actually better, and the trick to making the perfect cream sauce for Thanksgiving is actually nutmeg. My mom taught me how to bake peanut butter cookies that I now look forward to every holiday. I now live on my own and make meals for myself, roommates or boyfriend that I grew up making or that I saw on TikTok. Buying the ingredients is not only fun for me, but also standing in the kitchen keeping my mind busy with the many side dishes, baking times, and cutting there is needed to be done.

Now, these are just a few. I could have listed hundreds of tiny hobbies like taking walks, laying in the sun, hiking with my family, and eating chips and salsa on a patio in Denver right when it turns summer.

I hope that you try something new, for we live too short of lives to stick to the same thing every day.