I have been thinking about this lot… I need a little hobby inspiration!
Let’s Talk Hobbies!
My biggest hobby (no surprises here) is reading. I could (and do!) read for hours and and hours. I also love running (though that’s slow going; my body just can’t run the way it once did), and yoga (haven’t found a good yoga studio here in Charleston – I miss my old studio in New York so much). I have always loved crafts and bought all the stuff to make paper flowers… but it’s still sitting in my guest room, waiting for me to get my act together and craft. To be honest, I think I’m a little bit intimidated?
Movie watching is also big hobby but that can feel a little bit lazy and sedentary. Leading up to the Oscars I obsess over watching every single best picture nominee. Right now I am really really into watching older movies as I’m trying to see all the films from the AFI 100 list.
It is interesting to me that the hobbies we had as kids usually also the things we love doing as adults.
When we interviewed Elizabeth Gilbert for Bad on Paper, she talked about this. I thought it was really accurate. As a child, I had so many hobbies. I was really creative and artistic, which I miss. Crafts were probably number one. I loved stringing beads and making jewelry, I was always crafting things out of polymer clay, at one point my best friend and I constructed a whole “business” selling paper dolls (and accompanying outfits) to my two younger sisters. Someday I am going to write all of that down… we were such scrappy child entrepreneurs!
I was (and still am) mostly an indoor kid, although we had woods behind our house and my sisters and I loved building forts and planting herbs and vegetables. I’d love to have a vegetable garden someday when I have a house… during lockdown in Brooklyn I had more outdoor space and loved growing tomatoes and herbs.
Sometimes I am envious of online crafters… specifically the needlepoint or knitting communities! Both of those things seem like such a nice way to end the day… keeping your hands busy as you watch TV or a movie.
Anyway, I’d love for you to share your hobbies (and how you found them) in the comments, if you feel comfortable. I was so inspired by this reader comment… Elizabeth, and how she took up both ballet and kickboxing!
photo by Laura Saur.
I think one “hobby” is online window shopping since Covid. I used to drive to Chicago (closest large city) to browse…look at styles/feel fabrics and see colors, try new makeup, etc. Have not done that much past 2 years which make me sad but online is better than nothing. For me it is both fun and relaxing. I recently joined a knitting group of wonderful older women who are teaching me to knit. Its relaxing and I hope to make small blankets to donate to the local animal shelter.
I love that!!! One thing about knitting is that I can’t think of anything I would want to make myself and actually wear. But donating blankets is so much better.
Love this thought provoking post! I too just to love crafting as a kid and young adult, and have lost some of that creative juice since having kids. I love the idea of maintaining a hobby and working on it in the evenings, but life stuff gets in the way! I’ve thought about getting a Cricut but like the paper flowers, starting from scratch seems in intimidating! Just curious if you would ever join an in person book club in Charleston, especially now that you’re leaving the pod? I’m in 2 book clubs and though I dont make it to both each month, it’s been a fun way to make some fellow book worm friends and share a “solitary” hobby with others.
I love that! I really want to be craftier but agree that it has felt intimidating. As for a book club, I don’t know. I’m trying not to be in the mentality of “now that I’m letting one thing go, let’s add more” and I probably would only do it if it was like say a 3 or 4 person book club with my mom and a couple friends, I don’t really like big groups! But you are right, there is something so nice about sharing a solitary hobby with other people.
Yesterday, I woke up and immediately logged out of Instagram and decided it was Disconnection Day. I settled in with a book and a journal but my mind was active and I couldn’t focus. I’ve been wanting to paint my room since I moved a month ago, but it was SO INTIMIDATING. I’ve never painted on my own, and I didn’t feel like taping things off, or dealing with moving furniture… it felt so daunting.
But I had the paint… and the supplies… so I just went for it. I put on an audiobook and started with one wall… then moved on the another… and 3 hours later, my room had a fantastic first coat of Balsam Fir paint. Honestly, I’m terrible at painting and it’s a total mess and I’m absolutely asking for help on the final coats… BUT WHATEVER. It felt SO satisfying to complete something that felt insurmountable.
If you find yourself with a free afternoon, I suggest an audiobook and paper flower making! Even if it’s just one flower at a time.
This is the actual most inspiring ever – thank you for sharing!!!!
Those are all great hobbies! Mine are reading, bike riding, and scuba diving (though I don’t get to do that as often as I’d like). I guess Peloton cycling and running, too? Might as well throw shopping in there 🙂
Love that!
Hi Grace! This post came at the right moment – I’ve been feeling “burnt out” on my hobbies. For the last year or so I feel like any hobby I’ve had, had to be something purposeful, something productive. Instead of just reading crime novels (which I love) I felt like I should be reading non-fiction to educate myself. Instead of just baking for the sake of baking (I love baking so much), I felt like I should also be taking proper pictures and put the recipes and pics on my blog, because if I didn’t blog it, then did I even do it? (So dumb, I know). I’m having a hard time untangling the topics of hobbies, purpose, how I spend my free time and my feelings of self-worth right now.
I could not relate more. Did you see this comment from another blog reader? She called it “betterment burnout,” which I deeply related. Sometimes it’s nice to just do something just for fun, not to be purposeful. Easier said than done!
“Betterment burnout” sounds like the perfect term for it – I’m gonna look into that!
I started pottery a year ago – signed up for the waitlist of a class, ended up going the next night all by myself with really zero art experience. Was intimidating at first but has become a space to put my phone down for a dedicated set time and get messy creating. I am a management consultant by day so very different and is such fun to have the balance. As I’ve improved I am shamelessly proud of myself of being able to make things of use – eating salad (more often pasta) out of your own bowl is so rewarding, but am intentional to feel the joy and relaxation even when I am “bad” at pottery one night because the results are not the point.
I love that. I’m going to look into classes in Charleston! I feel intimidated by it but the idea of doing something with my hands (that could be useful later) sounds ideal.
I also started pottery lessons recently- I wanted to try something new, hands-on, with no screen time involved. For someone type A like me it’s been a challenge (but a good one)! I am glazing my first bowl this week and can’t wait to bring it home.
I’m an indoor/outdoor kitty! Basically all of my hobbies are fueled by learning new things — I don’t just hike, I learn about the wildflowers, the birds present at that time of year, the people that historically occupied the land, etc.
Outdoor – hiking, camping, birding, reading in a hammock by a lake
Indoor – reading, researching whatever my latest curiosity is, cat snuggles (this requires two hands and full attention), yoga, and learning Spanish.
I don’t think I’ve ever really felt my enneagram was accurate more than just now.
Yes!! Hobbies for me feel selfish sometimes because it’s often about attaining ALL THE KNOWLEDGE. But it makes things more enjoyable, too. Applied learning.
This is a great post, as I am into being a jack of all trades and a master of none- I want to dabble a bit in all the things! My latest obsession is adult paint-by-number kits; I like that it is a creative outlet, but I don’t have to think too much, because the painting is laid out for me.
Sometimes I wish I had more time for all my hobbies!!! I started a sourdough starter a little over a year ago, and I’ve had so much fun trying different breads or yeast based things with my starter (english muffins, pizza crust, crackers, today I’m making homemade pitas!) It’s also something that is so fun to give away to friends/family and it doesn’t take much initial investment.
When I was little I learned to cross stitch, and after a long hiatus, I started again! I’ve gotten pretty invested, my husband even bought me a software so I can create my own patterns. It’s perfect for sitting down at the end of the day with an audio book or TV and doing something with my hands, and then I get a cool piece at the end of it! The great thing about it is that you can easily step away for long periods of time because it’s all so small it’s easy to put away.
I recently started crocheting a blanket. My great grandmother used to crochet all the time, and my parents and aunt all have multiple blankets that she made years ago. I think it’s so cool that it’s a useful heirloom, so I decided to make my own! It’s similar to stitching, it’s something to occupy my hands and then I spend less time scrolling on my phone.
Over the last 2 years I also started sewing more and more. I’ve been making nap style dresses, they’re not that difficult to make and super comfy at the end of the day!
Reading is definitely my #1 hobby but it’s also my job (I’m a Buyer for an indie bookstore), which means that sometimes I really need another hobby to give me a break. My other favorite is seeing live music. It keeps me going and keeps me feeling like myself! For me it is the most fun outlet/activity — finding and scheduling shows, listening to the music in preparation, discovering new bands based on who’s opening, sometimes traveling for the right concert. It’s a good excuse to go out with my husband without our kids, it’s a great chance to invite other friends with us sometimes, it can be a PERFECT solo activity that gives me a chance to hang out with myself, and now it’s something my teen daughter and I do together too. The best!
My hobby or should I say my passion is my horse. It started in childhood and is still with me. I currently own an off the track thoroughbred(OTTB), and show him in dressage. I am toying with the idea of riding as a pro again, and I am working on a business plan to offer equine massage for sport horses. It is a lot of work, but the barn is my happy place.
My indoor hobbies are yoga, ballet, needlework, sewing, and reading.
I agree with the advice that the hobbies you enjoy as an adult might be the same ones you enjoyed as a kid. I also loved crafts as a kid and still love them as an adult. Earlier in the pandemic I tried watercolor tutorials from “Let’s Make Art” on YouTube and really liked them! I also enjoy crocheting stuffed animals (very specific, haha) and have loved the patterns from “Ed’s Animals.”
Relearning the kid hobbies is so true, but now we get better tools! I loved embroidery and crafts as a kid and now I sew my own clothes and do home refresh (light remodel) projects like new tile, trim, and furniture building. I feel about my sewing machine and saws the way I used to feel about glitter and look forward all week to a few hours of me time every weekend!
Reading is my favorite hobby, followed by running.
I used to also go to a boxing gym and was really into photography for a while after taking a class at a local studio. I think I need structure to pursue a hobby…left to my own devices I don’t motivate well.
During Covid I finally applied myself to golf and signed up for lessons (and actually practiced) and can now hold my own on the course.
I don’t consider myself crafty at all but I love the idea of creating something just for the enjoyment of it.
Over the past 1.5 years, I’ve been really into letter writing! Writer Rachel Syme set up Penpalooza, a pen pal matchup and I signed up through that. I currently regularly correspond (letters or postcards) with ~30 pen pals all over the world! I’ve met 3 of them in real life so far.
Through letter writing, I’ve become obsessed with stationery. I’ve loved getting to know people I never would have met otherwise and exchanging thoughts, stories and little gifts!
I love letter writing too! I try to send snail mail daily!
This is amazing! Going to look into Penpalooza now. Snail mail and fun greeting cards are the best.
My friends and i always send snail mail. It’s so rare to get something personal in the mail instead of a bill or advert. It can really make someone’s day!
I give myself fun “homework” projects. I pick a place or time in history that interests me (like Dutch Tulip Mania, Victorian Christmas traditions or mid-century Florida style) and will read books and watch movies centered around that topic. I always end up down a rabbit hole and learn so much about history and politics in the process. If I have a trip planned, I will consume books and movies set in that city/country before I travel.
Hi Mary, this sounds like such a cool thing to do and right up my alley. How do you come up with the topics?
I just follow my curiosity and immerse myself. A lot of times, a TV show or book will inspire more research on a time or place. Look up the fashions and architecture of the times. Listen to music that would have been popular then. Go on a local search for a dish described in a book you love. It always leads to the next thing.
I got into cross-stitch right before the pandemic, and it’s a great little hobby! It’s really easy (even knitting seems too complicated to me ) and so nice to have something to do with my hands while I watch TV. The “startup costs” are low (I started with a kit that had everything I needed), and the supplies take up very little space. I find a lot of traditional cross-stitch patterns a bit kitschy, but there are lots of nice modern ones on Etsy (I like the ones from the HyggeCrossStitch shop).
When I was entering fourth grade, my family moved to a small town in Indiana where the Amish culture was prevalent. Along with people asking how you were, people asked what you were making – even children were asked this question. Everyone was making something with their hands. I think when we are restless, our spirits are calling us to create – to make something with our hands. Just like we make reading, exercising, housekeeping, socializing, cooking, errands, skin care, etc. part of our daily life, creating something with our hands can be a significant part of our life.
I love this! Something about this comment really speaks to me.
What’s funny is that some of my main hobbies are similar to my job. I’m an architect specializing in historic buildings, and two of my hobbies are thrifting/antiquing and researching old buildings. I started an Instagram account for the old buildings around my neighborhood in Chicago and it’s been so fun taking pictures of buildings on walks and then researching the history behind them! Jess Keys was the one who convinced me to start the account after I was always replying to her stories about old buildings in her neighborhood. It’s been so much fun and rewarding too! It’s also great to have an activity that isn’t just endless scrolling or revoking around eating/drinking (which are also hobbies of mine..).
Hello to another Katie from Chicago! Can you please share your IG handle? I’d love to follow!
2020 drove me to finally pick up all the hobbies I swore I would for years but just seemed to put off for a later date. Well, being “locked” at home, the date was now here! It began with embroidery, moved to needlepoint, and then blossomed from there into gardening, flower arranging, calligraphy, baking and cooking, cocktail making, watercolor painting, yoga, golf and so on. I’ve always been an avid reader but pushed my comfort levels by picking books I would normally shy away from and have been surprised to find some of my favorite books are those I would never have chosen years ago, same with music!
Ultimately, that is my end goal- to push my comfort zone and find new ways to elevate what I am already doing.
I’ve also started keeping a list of things I wish to try or expand my abilities in: pottery, hiking (my state has a “passport” to visit all the state parks!), painting needlepoint, join a book club, learning a new language, etc.
I love thinking about my hobbies as a kid…. They were hilariously similar to my adult self. They all involved indoor things, and I often was more caught up in the planning/business aspect of the event more than the actual “fun.”
I always wanted to be an adult when I was a kid and loved playing any game that involved that – pretend grocery store, law office, radio station, aerobics studio
As an adult I really love collaborative work. I find my best friendships at work and today consult with companies on how to improve their go to market strategy. Playing adult and sharing my opinion. I am very lucky!
I did also pick up puzzles, which I love. And I read and listen to books, podcasts, etc a lot more. For me, audiobooks and podcasts almost feel like my imaginary friends. They keep me company when working from home and alone.
I have learned I love a puzzle. Thanks to the pandemic, it’s the only way I can really tune out the world. I know some people love to read, but I find that can be hit or miss for me. A puzzle can consume me for HOURS. I also took up tennis last year and have been loving it. Need to get out and do it more though.
xo Jessica
an indigo day
I think this counts–writing letters to friends. I have a few friends who I correspond with regularly through snail mail, and there are always friends who I just put a card in the mail to even if I’m not sure I’ll get a reply back. I’ve always loved to write and I like writing letters because it’s a way to talk about my life, but instead of journaling where I am my own audience, my recipient is my audience and I can spin my stories a bit differently depending on who is getting my letter. There’s also nothing better than keeping up with new designs of stamps, buying stationery, and of course getting letters back in the mail!
I love this! I make cards and write short notes to family and friends and I too love the idea of good mail!
Yay! I love this topic. I decided to learn how to ride horses last year, which turned into learning how to jump horses. I love that it takes me outside, out of my head, and off my phone, and I look forward to riding every week. I want to learn how to play tennis next.
When I was a kid, I liked to read, sing and do musical theater, wander and play outside. I still like going on walks with my dog and my thoughts (or a podcast!) and wish I did more hiking. I always am so happy when I do yardwork and garden but never make time. Now that the weather is turning I want to prioritize getting out there and digging in the dirt! I still love to read, and while I have been trying to get into novels again (just finished Wish You Were Here and LOVED it) I mostly read news and rat hole on reading all about topics I think are interesting. Right before the pandemic started I thought about joining a choir, but that seems like a dicey hobby at the moment!
I also love reading, yoga, and running just like you! But my number one hobby I’ve had since childhood (besides reading) is making music. I took piano lessons for several years growing up and have some very basic guitar skills. I wrote a lot of songs around the time I started college and now, 12 years later, I’m really trying to hone that creative habit again. I’ve started dabbling in electronic production and I’m getting re-familiar with my guitar and piano. It’s hard because my writer’s block is SO real but I’m trying to persevere and maybe even release an EP or something. I wish hobbies it was easier to cultivate and partake in hobbies as an adult, but it’s so rewarding if you can get into a flow!
My main hobby is tennis! I play with an adult group at the local university twice per week. I found it just by doing a simple google search in my area. It’s been such a great way to get out of the house, be active, do something playfully competitive, and meet new people without the pressure of having to sit and talk face to face with them… we are focusing on the game but chatting a little bit between shots and when we wrap up. Highly recommend it as a hobby, even for beginners!
Oh, hobbies! I miss having them!
Before children (my twins are about to turn six) I would sporadically paint. I found that I needed to be “on vacation” from my day job to have any creativity to give, so I’d go in spurts around the holidays when I had time off.
Now my “me time” is walking with my audiobooks on, entry-level gardening or going to row class. I have a seasonal hobby of embroidery — I think you might enjoy that. I took one class, learned some basic stitches and now I just improvise. I find that it doesn’t have to be perfect which is what I like about it. I make Christmas ornaments for people which is what makes it into a seasonal hobby for me. It’s an ideal activity to keep your hands busy, off your phone, while hanging out.
I’ve honestly been frustrated because almost all of my hobbies stopped because of the pandemic.
I play a musical instrument and my chamber music group was no longer allowed to meet in person (Zoom ended up being too difficult). Similarly, my gym shut down and then heavily reduced spin and boot camp classes that I’d attended for years (I adored the instructors and liked the other gym members).
I’d really like to pick up a new hobby but I don’t want to do it virtually because I already spend all day in front of a screen for work.
Sorry to vent – in a similar place of wanting to partake in hobbies, but it’s been hard ever since the pandemic began and it’s frustrating to feel I have to find a “new” hobby now because my old ones basically stopped because of the pandemic.
I have needlepointed for more than 30 years and still love that satisfied feeling of watching a canvas fill up with silky yarns. An annual project is to needlepoint custom designed Christmas ornaments for my two grand daughters. This year I had their soccer team logos painted on canvases. I always add their name and the year I made the ornament.
I’m also a knitter but only for the past 5 years or so. A baby blanket is on my needles now. I’ve taught my granddaughters to knit and they do but on a limited basis. Soccer is their thing for now!
I started a new sport this past summer, tennis! I was certain I would never buy a tennis skirt and just wanted to try it for fun one or two times. Now, I have lots of tennis skirts and play 2-5 times a week! It’s such a social sport (my friends and I will play and then grab lunch after) and is something me and my spouse do together as well with other couples. I love that my new hobby is physical and can be enjoyed in the sunshine.
Love this post! I turn 30 this year, and this is something I’ve also been thinking about as I enter the next decade of my life. I joined a tennis team a couple years ago, and that’s been such a fun hobby to take up (I only played tennis in middle school, so I had very very little experience). I agree that needle pointing sounds like such a fun hobby! I used to knit as a kid, and I’d love to get back into it.
I think I heard somewhere that you’re always supposed to have at least three hobbies: one for your health, one for fun, and one for your brain. I can’t remember where I heard this… who knows, maybe I just made it up!
Would love to hear about what hobbies you get into!
COVID life really helped me to develop my hobbies, felt like I had nothing but time to fill.
Crocheting: kept ordering blankets online and returning them. Turns out I picked it up really easily and am really proud of the RH/Hampton vibe they give off.
Exercise: still working on consistency but realized how much I love Pilates.
Gardening: probably spent $1000 on what amounted to several large salads but it made me so happy to grow veggies and herbs during the summer months.
Cooking: shocker. Loved it. Still enjoying finding new recipes, trying them out and improving my skills.
Next up – encaustic art!
I love this! I was such a crafter growing up – had every kit! Wood burning? Check. Looms? Potholders for days. Calligraphy? Turned it into a money making operation as a kid – my wedding invite business paid my beer money after college lol! A beach day was never complete without my string and beads kit – bracelets for everyone! And collages from fashion and beauty magazines? All. Day. During Covid I rediscovered my love for art and started doing paint by numbers (oils and acrylic) for adults (can’t say ‘adult paint by numbers’ as that elicits a whole other reaction lol!) I absolutely love it and it is not only relaxing but it is truly meditative, and the results are quite good if I do humbly say so myself. There absolutely is inherent value in rediscovering activities that fulfilled you as a kid/young adult. Hobbies are fantastic, I highly recommend! ❤️
My most prominent hobby is picking up hobbies. I love learning how to do things, and am blessed with confidence where it isn’t earned. Meaning I dive into projects, and enjoy the dual frustration and bliss of “figuring it out.”
I enjoy looking at something (like a quilt or sweater) and thinking “Hmmm, I could make that.” My hobbies include: Crochet, writing letters, doing pro bono work for non profits, gardening, fixing things around the house, cleaning (an act of self care for me), quilting or sewing (if necessary, not my favorite), basket weaving, embroidery, watercolor, ceramics, cooking, fermenting, vintage shopping, yoga, hiking, fly fishing (just so $$$), reading, anything with my dog. I find hobbies from asking people. My mom taught me ceramics and how to crochet (both as an adult). My dad introduced me to fly fishing. It gives us something to talk about and explore together. I also like kits to try to dive into something new with minimal investment. Also… borrowing and renting! I got my sewing machine from my Brooklyn Buy Nothing group.
Take a class, try something out. Beginners are lucky!
My hobbies right now are definitely blogging (though this feels more like a full-time job—at least, I’d like it to make more money than it does now with how much work I put into it, ha!), learning about blogging/content creation, reading, planning trips/traveling, and being a college gymnastics superfan. I also love taking adult ballet, but there aren’t any good classes near me since I moved back to my hometown! I miss the class I used to take. I got into that with my mom when I was in college and kept it going through grad school.
As a kid, I was an avid reader. I sort of stopped reading for the past 10-ish years, so I’m thrilled to be back into it! (I have a lot to catch up on!) I also did a lot of sports growing up—soccer, basketball, volleyball, track & field. I eventually landed on horseback riding (hunter/jumpers) in high school because I had a friend with a horse and loved it! I had to stop when my college schedule got too crazy. I’d pick it back up if there was a barn near me/if I could afford to take lessons regularly.
For me, it’s HARD to make time for hobbies that are purely hobbies and not hobbies that may eventually make me money. I feel lazy if I sit around watching gymnastics or reading all day. I feel more productive if I spend my free time blogging or learning about blogging. I hate that that’s where we are in society—feeling the pressure to always be productive. Is that called something? Toxic productivity? LOL.
One of my favorite at home hobbies is coloring. I don’t have any skill in drawing or creating the images, so coloring is a great way to be creative and “create” the picture with a lot less inherent skill. I prefer colored pencils, but there are so many different choices that can appeal to different personalities and preferences. I also love that there are so many different types of coloring books and designs. I have a really intricate book of “enchanted forest” designs and stories that I’ve been working on for 6 or 7 years that I’m not even halfway done with. I”ve put a lot of thought into it and am so proud of it and plan to display it as a coffee table book when its done. My husband and I will listen to music or put on a TV show we love in the background and he’ll paint model figures and I’ll color and we always feel more relaxed and less stressed when we do.
I did a lot of handwork as a young girl growing up. I was a very “arty” kid always making something. My mother was a good seamstress and I started sewing around the age of nine and made some of my own clothes.When I was in middle school I had a “business” making colorful crocheted lunch bags and sold them to my classmates. I also did embroidery learned from my grandmother. Even when I attended FIDM for my fashion degree, I much preferred the draping part of designing as opposed to drafting a pattern. The tactile act of using ones hands is very appealing to me. It’s probably why I enjoy cooking and baking so much. I even like wrapping gifts (my mom was an expert). I sew sporadically now and am thinking of taking up embroidery again. I love to read and watch movies, but I think of those hobbies as less “active”. Honestly though I could read for hours and be perfectly happy. Currently listening to “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert. I read it when a came out, but I need a refresher and it’s lovely to hear her narrating it herself.
I too am an avid reader. I’ve done some minor cross-stitching projects recently, and I enjoy my intricate grown-up coloring book. I enjoy taking care of my house plants and propagating new ones (starting with pothos because those are easy propagate, and I’m a newbie).
I subscribe to my Sunday paper & I cut out paragraphs/headlines, etc that stand out to me, and I make a little weekly collage in a notebook to serve as a little time capsule of the week.
When I’m with other people, I love board games.
Last, I’m not sure if you can consider a pet a hobby, but I love walking my dog & teaching her new tricks. I’m also looking into getting us certified as a pet therapy team so we can do read to the dogs programs for children at our local library!
Martial arts — specifically Krav Maga!! I’m so excited because after 2 years I finally have gotten back into one of my favorite hobbies of all time! So the back story is that I did Taekwondo in middle school for three years. I got to the stage where I was starting to prepare for the black belt test as a freshman in high school, and was trying to do too many extracurriculars, so I burnt out, got sick, and had to stop. Fast forward 10 years and I moved back to my hometown for a master’s degree program and was out of shape after developing bad eating habits and very little exercise during college. I remembered loving martial arts and went back to the same Taekwondo school from when I was younger. The school has a lot of adults in the classes and such a great community. I felt so welcomed and supported and I love the people there dearly. I started from scratch as a white belt again and got back to getting ready to test for the black belt when I moved again to start a PhD program. I wanted to stick with it so I joined a Taekwondo school in my new city, but there weren’t many adults who participated, so I decided to leave. After a year of no exercise, feeling lost, and healing an ankle injury, I started to look into other options and found an interesting looking Krav Maga gym. I started Krav in January of 2019 as a much needed source of exercise and stress relief and I truly cannot adequately communicate how helpful it is for my mood and just feeling confident, safe, and capable as a person, especially when I was living alone. When the pandemic started, I realized that the very high-contact nature of the sport and the high-risk individuals in my immediate circle of people made it no longer the right choice for me at the time. And now FINALLY this month I went back again and realized just how much I had missed it. The gym, the classes, and most of all the people. When you shared on your Instagram earlier this week about being frustrated and punching a pillow, it also reminded me of one of the big reasons why I look forward to a good Krav class at the end of the day!
This is so true! I still love the things I loved as a child. During the pandemic, I learned how much I appreciate being outdoors. My husband and I went hiking every weekend during the lockdown and now I crave that time outside, although I don’t always get it now that we’re back to our normally scheduled lives. It’s definitely something I want to try to fit in somehow. I would like to try to hike on Saturday mornings. That feels like a great way to start the weekend! Also, I started painting with watercolors during the pandemic and that satisfied my itch to be crafty/artistic without all the fuss. I just open my watercolor notebook, fill up some glasses of water, turn on some music and start painting. I love it! It’s very relaxing.