The Case For Useless Joy

One thing I have learned while being alive, is that life in fact has a way of piling on top of us. The older we get the more layers seem to accumulate. Bills stacked like bricks, work deadlines marching in a never ending parade, responsibilities multiplying as if they've found some secret breeding grounds that we didn't know about. Somehow between learning to budget, remembering to answer emails, keeping ourselves alive, and showing up for the people most important in our lives, adulthood becomes heavy and hard. It's not that joy just disappears from our lives it just gets buried under the things we should and must do. Because of the weight our busy lives give us, I am a firm believer that every adult needs at least one hobby that is absolutely pointless.

When talking about a pointless hobby I don't mean a side hustle, a side job, this shouldn't be something you can write off on taxes. Just pure, unnecessary fun, something insanely silly it reminds you that joy can exist for no reason at all. For me, my hobby is collecting hot wheels.

I don't collect hot wheels for investment, not because they'll be worth a fortune someday, not because I plan to have a display case curated like a museum. I collect them simply because they make me happy, they bring so much joy to my unnecessarily hard adult life. I even have a favorite hot wheel to collect; the Pontiac Trans Am or the Pontiac Firebird. Any year, any paint job, any tiny die cast variation. If it has that iconic muscle car attitude, that screaming chicken bird decal, or the gorgeous shape, it's coming home with me.

Wanna know the funniest part? It's such a small, silly object. A few inches of metal and paint. A toy, technically. Something most adults walk right past without even a second thought. But every time I find my certain hot wheel, whether it be behind a different model, sitting on the shelf at the store, or hidden some place random, the moment I find one it sparks a jolt of happiness inside of me. This reminds me not everything in life has to make sense, not everything needs to serve a grand purpose. Somethings can simply just be fun.

My personal opinion, I think every adult needs some kind of hobby that brings them joy, just like me. Maybe for someone else its is collecting silly socks with funny things on them like chickens, ghosts or pizza slices. Maybe its a sticker book, building Lego sets, collecting figurines or even painting them. No matter what it is, the hobby should feel a little ridiculous, in the best way possible.

Here is one truth we all seem to forget as we grow older, unproductive joy is still joy. Adulthood tries to trick us into believing that everything we do must be meaningful, profitable or self improving. Guess what? Fun alone is a valid reason. Joy without justification is still joy. In a world that constantly demands results, doing something just because it makes you smile is quietly rebellious.

My hot wheels collection won't get me a promotion in life, it won't lower my bills, it won't solve any majoy adulthood crises. But everytime i hold one of those tiny cars, especially the little Trans Ams and Firebirds that mirror my dream vehicle, I feel lighter. I feel a small, childlike delight that has nothing to do with output and everything to do with being alive.

Sometimes being an adult means allowing yourself to love something silly and deciding that's a valid enough reason to be happy.