Hobbies

  When my dad retired he received 3 pieces of advice: have an inside hobby, an outside hobby, and one that can cross pollinate. He tried out a number of different activities: cooking, baking, music... but finally landed on golf, photography, and birding.
  I have always struggled with hobbies and downtime. Vacation is hard for me. Long periods of unstructured nothingness literally drive me crazy. And sometimes I feel like I should be doing more! I feel guilty for taking breaks and downtime. Part of the perfectionist/workaholic in me.
  A couple of years ago I began a journey to develop more hobbies.  I’m a pastor so my job is mostly with my head and my heart. I also work on my computer a lot. So hobbies that required a lot of emotion, thinking, and a computer were out. I tried to continue in music (I play acoustic and electric guitar, bass, mandolin, and banjo) but with young kids that became really hard. At first jigsaw puzzles were too difficult with young kids (I’ve done more of them recently but we are consistently missing 1-5 pieces at the end of the puzzle, so...), but I do really enjoy them.
  So here’s what I have right now. First, I garden. I love to get my hands dirty in the muddy, to do some physical labor, to plant seeds and see them grow, there’s even something satisfying, almost spiritual, about pulling weeds!  This year I bought some things to start seeds indoors. But that hasn’t gone too well, they aren’t surviving outside! Frustrating.
  Second, I have coffee. I love coffee. Black. None of that fru fru sugary stuff. I currently have a pour over Bodum coffee maker I use and just bought a French press and cold brew maskers!
  Third, I love to read. I think I’m currently reading about 7 books right now. I get up at 5amish every day to drink coffee, read, and bask in my lamp. Best part of my day!
  Finally, I’ve taken up drawing. I have colored pencils and pastel chalk. The pastel is so much fun because you use your fingers to smudge and draw.
  If I’m being totally honest though I am sometimes ashamed of my hobbies. Gardening, drawing, music? What about some more manly ones? Like woodworking, cars, or science!  However, this is the way God has made me and I’m becoming more and more comfortable in my own skin.
  What are your hobbies?