The only way I’m going to come close to achieving these goals is to make them all work closely in concert with each other. The ideal hobby will be one that I enjoy, is social, provides exercise and costs very little money – or ideally, generates some income. Since I’m aiming for 3-4 new hobbies I think meeting 4 out of 5 criteria for two of them would be a major win.
How do I go about finding great hobbies that will meet these criteria? I’m going to start in the logical place, which is in my past. Over my life a few things have really caught my interest.
Other assorted, briefer interests include cross country, rugby, building computers, scuba diving, hiking and camping.
The problem with many of these past interests is that the way I participated before was all-consuming. I considered a career in theater and in research. Violin was lessons, orchestra, quartet, music summer camps and weekends for the vast majority of my early life – not to mention that I also was taking piano for the first 10 years. I’m not sure that I could do any of these with satisfaction at the “hobby” level.
This leaves Frisbee and reading. I adore Ultimate Frisbee. The people are usually really laid back and accepting. It’s low cost, provides exercise and is social. In July I found pickup games in DC and in September I joined a fall recreational league. I can raise or lower my committment very easily and it doesn’t have to be all consuming. This is a winner, and I’ll continue to do it.
1 hobby down… 2-3 to go. There are some areas of my past that I can look at again to find more possibilities, but next I’ll look at learning something new.
