Adult Hobbies are Hard

I've been out of school for nearly 5 years. Since then, I spend the majority of my time working, sleeping, cleaning, eating, and drinking. I watch TV (and way too much TikTok), I play with my dog, I play some video games, and pre-Covid I went out a lot.

I used to read, but I struggled focusing on books.

I used to write, but I was lacking inspiration.

I used to draw and paint, but I felt like I'd lost my talent.

I was binge-watching another TV show when I realized... I don't have a "real" hobby anymore. When people asked me what I did for fun, I struggled to come up with anything other than watching a lot of TV and drinking.

In order to try to find a new hobby, I started paying attention to what other people were doing, noting what looked interesting to me, and I re-visited some things I have done in the past.

Please keep in mind, I did all of these in a span of a few months. Some of them are more ridiculous than others, and some are ridiculous simply because of the amount of money I spent compared to how long I stuck with it or because I gave zero thought before diving in.

1. Witchcraft $$$$

This one is probably the wildest one. I had been on WitchTok for a while. I did some research, I ordered a couple of books, and I started digging in.

I'm definitely more spiritual than religious, and I really vibed with a lot of the things I was reading. I found myself realizing that it was less about "magic" and more about meditation, intention, and learning more about myself.

So I ordered crystals, two different "kits," candles, small jars, incense, an alter cloth, and a spell book. I also purchased a 6 cube storage unit, turning the top into my altar and using the rest for storage. I spent a lot of time setting everything up, I meditated with my crystals, I even attempted a spell or two. I gifted two different talisman I created for my friend and my fiancé.

The fascination wore off, and I found myself not having the energy to perform this spell on Friday night, and this one on Tuesdays or during a Full Moon.

2. Acrylic Paint Pours $$$

Now - this one I'm still doing... But I spent over $50 on materials before ever even trying it, so it was a bit of a risk. I also just dumped even more money into it recently.

I'd seen several paint pouring videos on my socials, and I my Christmas budget was so much smaller than usual. My thought process was that I'd create a bunch of different paintings and do hand-made gifts. I made 8 paint pours in like 2 weeks time, quickly discovering how relaxing it was.

Unfortunately, it is messy, so I do it in my garage. And since I do live in Nebraska, the decent days are few and far between at the moment. I also have to rely on natural light. That being said, this is 100% the most fun art project that I've done in quite some time. Everyone loved their paint pours, and I've done a few more for myself and other friends this year as well.

3. Plants $$$

Now, I'd had a couple of succulents. One I'd had for quite a while and almost killed a couple of times. But after hanging out often with a friend of mine who had so many plants, I wanted to do something similar.

I've never been super great at keeping plants alive, so I'm not sure what I was thinking.

I joined a succulent subscription box (now cancelled). I purchased two different sets of matching white pots (12 pots total). I tried propagating the ones I already had. I purchased a custom propagation jar on Etsy. The seller set me a clipping of one of her plants, so I bought a special self-watering planter for that. I bought a grow light, special succulent soil, and succulent food.

I put away all my witchcraft memorabilia and replaced it with the plants and grow light.

I have since killed three succulents. I almost killed another but it's slowly coming back. All of my propagations have failed with the exception of the clipping that was sent to me. I water everything once a week, and quietly hope that most of them will survive this winter.

4. Puzzles $$

I enjoyed working on puzzles as a child, but I really hadn't touched one since. My fiancé's sister loves puzzles, and I started helping her as she tried harder and harder puzzles.

Even when she wasn't staying with us, I would have the urge to work on a puzzle, so I brought a couple from my parents' home. Once I did all of those, I started buying puzzles. I even received a few for Christmas. Suddenly, I was spending all my week nights working on puzzles, having a glass (or three) of wine, and casually watching TV.

The last puzzle I did by myself was the succulent puzzle pictured below. I randomly stopped doing them after finishing that one, and now have all of these puzzles on a book shelf. Hopefully I'll go through phases and find the time and energy to do more puzzles, especially the ones I already have...

And I'm going to try to refrain from purchasing anymore for the time being...

5. Vocal $

To be completely honest, I had mostly given up on my writing. The people in my life will be disappointed to hear that, but I would sit down and try, and I just couldn't find any words. I hadn't written more than a journal entry since the Spring of 2018.

I had been getting ads for the Vocal Fiction competition, and on a whim one day I decided to create an account and dust off some of my older pieces. While I was going through, doing edits, and just reading some of my favorites... something sparked.

I started dabbling with more writing, and I found the joy I had completely forgotten about over the last few years. Now my page is a mix of new and old content, and I hope to get more and more new content out there for my friends and families to enjoy. The challenges give me an incentive to write, which gives me the push I need sometimes when I don't really feel up for it.

I think this hobby is definitely here to stay - whether it's with Vocal or not. It's just so amazing to be writing again.

I hope all of you reading this have a hobby that you brings you this much joy, and if not, I encourage you to try to find it. I promise you, it's out there. (And if anyone is interested in a bunch of witchy stuff, let me know.)