nobody really tells you that adulthood is basically a long series of weekends where you’re trying to remember what it is you used to like doing before you became exhausted for a living.
May I suggest...word collecting? I´m interested in writing and word collecting might someday help me be a better writer, but in the mean time it´s just so much fun. Everytime I read a book or peruse Substack or even watch TV, I´m on the lookout for great words. Sometimes they´re words I didn´t know the meaning of like agapanthus. Sometimes they´re foreign words. Sometimes they´re words that just sound cool like ragamuffin or hoity toity or quipster. Those who are picky about the order their words come in might want to pay for the very best linguistic combos, but there are gobs of words available for nothing, words that are sitting around waiting to be noticed by frugal collectors like, maybe, you. Fun!
I do this! It's so interesting that sometimes we passively do things / have interests that we never recognize as a hobby, but it really is just that, a little hobby. Adding "word collector" to my mental résumé!
P.S. Some of the words I've saved recently: bucolic, victual, elan, and inanity :)
Yes to Word Collecting! Dating myself, my favorite book is a dictionary. Starting in elementary school, I'd go to look up a word and end up scanning pages for words I didn't know and read the definitions.
As much as I enjoy the ability to touch a word on a tablet and have the meaning pop up, I miss getting lost in the pages of an old school dictionary.
And I'm always delighted to find authors that use words I don't know.
Lately, I've been reading Booker Prize winning novelists. I love the differences between dialects and the wonderful turns of phrase. UK English feels more charming and playful than American English, which frankly can feel brutish at times. Ah, the joys and comforts of aging.
I ❤️this! I used to type (as in a typewriter so I’m dating myself) a long list of words I didn’t know while in graduate school. I love your notion of calling it a word collection. I think it could fit well in a commonplace notebook. I have been writing down words in Spanish for a while but that is in service to my learning that language. I think I will start words I just really like, the sound of them of their precision.
Thanks! I´ve used notebooks and wrote the words out longhand before, but now I prefer to keep it online. It´s alphabetical and sorted by category, different categories for different parts of speech and further broken down by syllable count.
Thank you. Once I hand dyed a piece of fabric and wrote with walnut ink words that touched my soul from The Bible. You have inspired me, maybe just a list of fun words like alabaster next. ❤️
Great read, "realizing that without work, errands, or social obligations, you’re not entirely sure what to do with yourself" hit home. Because that's typically when the tv turns on, the phone comes out or anxiety begins.
I was thrilled to read your list and realize I have done about 70% of your ideas! When I wanted to learn how to paint with acrylics in my 40s, I remember really struggling with the commentary in my head. I constantly heard my dad’s voice saying I was wasting my time, I needed to be doing real work, I should even be ashamed for being so frivolous. I pushed through it anyway. I now love painting. Sold a piece to the director of our local arts center years ago. I don’t try to sell my stuff at all. I actually hang my paintings in my preschool😂. I’ve also learned to play the cello (not at all good at it but I love it), knit, spin fiber on a spinning wheel and drop spindle, make candles and soap, on and on. So many people sell off their hobby supplies online - stuff they tried but didn’t like. You can find really cheap supplies. I hope everyone tried something that brings joy!!
Thank you for this! I struggle so much with hobbies as an adult. In the sense of, I don't feel fulfilled by hobbies. Everything seems... meh. If it's not productive, it's like it's not worth it, or if I'm not immediately good at it, I give up. I needed this reminder that things can be done (badly) only to pass the time.
Also remember those Pom-pom animals where you wrap yarn around a piece of cardboard and then snip the ends to make a little body or head and glue eyes on. Or something like that! And tissue flowers. Nuns helped us learn to make those
Last week I decided to delete Instagram from my phone. 48 hours later, I came across Sara Covey’s film photography and felt so inspired that I decided to pick it up as a hobby, beginning with a simple disposable camera. I loved reading your list - it’s so important that we don’t forget to live while we’re…doing the rest. xo
I love this, and the list is wonderful, I’ll be ticking them off one by one. I see your adult ballet, and I raise you adult gymnastics… that’s been my favourite way to connect with my inner child
I’ve been overloading myself with all the hobbies so I can have options when I am ready to put my phone down. I’ve taken up paint by numbers, color by number (digital on IPad), acrylic paint, gouache paint, word searches/crosswords/Sudoku all on paper, baking, bass playing. Because at the end of the day, anything worth doing is worth doing badly. And I’m bad at all of them lol
I think so many of us have a hard time engaging in low-maintenance hobbies like these because we feel we need to be productive 24/7, and so the only escape we have is the overstimulating distraction that doom scrolling provides. I know for certain that I need to be more intentional with my downtime, and allow myself to breathe—even if that means staring at the ceiling.
I needed this today. We lose ourselves in the wanting to be successful with everything we touch but it’s not required to experience the joys of hobbies. Beautiful piece 🤍
Great piece! You have to embrace the aspect of trying something new, being bad at it and learning to slowly become better at it. It’s not only about the activity, it’s about what learning something new does to your brain.
Took up a new sport in my mid-50’s and have been playing vs others who have been doing it for years. It was learning new skills, movements and strategies. I’m never gonna be close to being very good or great at it, but it activated my mind in ways that allowed me to appreciate the process of it.
No matter what task or activity that you’re thinking of trying, it’s about being able to find yourself fully immersed in something where you’re not thinking about anything else. Putting your mind in a state of flow is a wonderful thing.
I really love this! I didn’t realize this until you said it i.e. that it is less about skill and more about permission to be a beginner again. Oh and I am totally going to invent a signature omelette and tell myself it’s ok if the first one is burnt…or raw…or burnt and raw!
May I suggest...word collecting? I´m interested in writing and word collecting might someday help me be a better writer, but in the mean time it´s just so much fun. Everytime I read a book or peruse Substack or even watch TV, I´m on the lookout for great words. Sometimes they´re words I didn´t know the meaning of like agapanthus. Sometimes they´re foreign words. Sometimes they´re words that just sound cool like ragamuffin or hoity toity or quipster. Those who are picky about the order their words come in might want to pay for the very best linguistic combos, but there are gobs of words available for nothing, words that are sitting around waiting to be noticed by frugal collectors like, maybe, you. Fun!
I do this! It's so interesting that sometimes we passively do things / have interests that we never recognize as a hobby, but it really is just that, a little hobby. Adding "word collector" to my mental résumé!
P.S. Some of the words I've saved recently: bucolic, victual, elan, and inanity :)
Good to know I´m not the only one. I like every one of your picks!
Yes to Word Collecting! Dating myself, my favorite book is a dictionary. Starting in elementary school, I'd go to look up a word and end up scanning pages for words I didn't know and read the definitions.
As much as I enjoy the ability to touch a word on a tablet and have the meaning pop up, I miss getting lost in the pages of an old school dictionary.
And I'm always delighted to find authors that use words I don't know.
Lately, I've been reading Booker Prize winning novelists. I love the differences between dialects and the wonderful turns of phrase. UK English feels more charming and playful than American English, which frankly can feel brutish at times. Ah, the joys and comforts of aging.
I ❤️this! I used to type (as in a typewriter so I’m dating myself) a long list of words I didn’t know while in graduate school. I love your notion of calling it a word collection. I think it could fit well in a commonplace notebook. I have been writing down words in Spanish for a while but that is in service to my learning that language. I think I will start words I just really like, the sound of them of their precision.
For anyone with young kids I highly recommend the book “the word collector”!
Might make a page for this in my commonplace
How lovely! Where do you keep your word collection?
Thanks! I´ve used notebooks and wrote the words out longhand before, but now I prefer to keep it online. It´s alphabetical and sorted by category, different categories for different parts of speech and further broken down by syllable count.
Is there a specific website that works well for the organization, or do you keep a google doc or something?
I subscribe to Confluence through a group called Atlassian. But I imagine Evernote or any number of free notetaking programs would work just as well.
I do this too! Some all-time favourite additions: pebbles, panache, petrichor, fetch, gregarious, intrepid, vessel.
I was thinking the same thing 🫶
I was doing this at a point. Thank you for reminding me.
Thank you. Once I hand dyed a piece of fabric and wrote with walnut ink words that touched my soul from The Bible. You have inspired me, maybe just a list of fun words like alabaster next. ❤️
This is a cool idea!
I used to do this! Two words I remember being on my list are "consortium" and "amalgam". I just liked the way they sound.
Might I suggest a book which I came across but haven't read yet. It's called Ello Minnow Pea, where as the book goes on you lose vowels I guess.
you could tell me this little list was a poem and i'd never think anything else <3 i love u & ur writing & this. thank you🤍
“Imperfection makes things warmer” is such a beautiful line. 🥹
Great read, "realizing that without work, errands, or social obligations, you’re not entirely sure what to do with yourself" hit home. Because that's typically when the tv turns on, the phone comes out or anxiety begins.
I was thrilled to read your list and realize I have done about 70% of your ideas! When I wanted to learn how to paint with acrylics in my 40s, I remember really struggling with the commentary in my head. I constantly heard my dad’s voice saying I was wasting my time, I needed to be doing real work, I should even be ashamed for being so frivolous. I pushed through it anyway. I now love painting. Sold a piece to the director of our local arts center years ago. I don’t try to sell my stuff at all. I actually hang my paintings in my preschool😂. I’ve also learned to play the cello (not at all good at it but I love it), knit, spin fiber on a spinning wheel and drop spindle, make candles and soap, on and on. So many people sell off their hobby supplies online - stuff they tried but didn’t like. You can find really cheap supplies. I hope everyone tried something that brings joy!!
Thank you for this! I struggle so much with hobbies as an adult. In the sense of, I don't feel fulfilled by hobbies. Everything seems... meh. If it's not productive, it's like it's not worth it, or if I'm not immediately good at it, I give up. I needed this reminder that things can be done (badly) only to pass the time.
I loved doing latch hook as a kid! Might add that one to the list!❤️
Also remember those Pom-pom animals where you wrap yarn around a piece of cardboard and then snip the ends to make a little body or head and glue eyes on. Or something like that! And tissue flowers. Nuns helped us learn to make those
Oh I surely do love latch hook. Good idea, I need to do this again. Need to channel the days when life was so simple…. Can get that back again. ❤️
Last week I decided to delete Instagram from my phone. 48 hours later, I came across Sara Covey’s film photography and felt so inspired that I decided to pick it up as a hobby, beginning with a simple disposable camera. I loved reading your list - it’s so important that we don’t forget to live while we’re…doing the rest. xo
I love this, and the list is wonderful, I’ll be ticking them off one by one. I see your adult ballet, and I raise you adult gymnastics… that’s been my favourite way to connect with my inner child
The Embroidery Guild of America will happily teach you to embroider. Everyone is welcome
Did not know this existed, but of course it does! Thank you!
I’ve been overloading myself with all the hobbies so I can have options when I am ready to put my phone down. I’ve taken up paint by numbers, color by number (digital on IPad), acrylic paint, gouache paint, word searches/crosswords/Sudoku all on paper, baking, bass playing. Because at the end of the day, anything worth doing is worth doing badly. And I’m bad at all of them lol
This was so comforting to read.
I think so many of us have a hard time engaging in low-maintenance hobbies like these because we feel we need to be productive 24/7, and so the only escape we have is the overstimulating distraction that doom scrolling provides. I know for certain that I need to be more intentional with my downtime, and allow myself to breathe—even if that means staring at the ceiling.
I needed this today. We lose ourselves in the wanting to be successful with everything we touch but it’s not required to experience the joys of hobbies. Beautiful piece 🤍
Such an enjoyable read. Adulthood is pretty much us parenting our inner child be gentle and free with yourself
Great piece! You have to embrace the aspect of trying something new, being bad at it and learning to slowly become better at it. It’s not only about the activity, it’s about what learning something new does to your brain.
Took up a new sport in my mid-50’s and have been playing vs others who have been doing it for years. It was learning new skills, movements and strategies. I’m never gonna be close to being very good or great at it, but it activated my mind in ways that allowed me to appreciate the process of it.
No matter what task or activity that you’re thinking of trying, it’s about being able to find yourself fully immersed in something where you’re not thinking about anything else. Putting your mind in a state of flow is a wonderful thing.
I really love this! I didn’t realize this until you said it i.e. that it is less about skill and more about permission to be a beginner again. Oh and I am totally going to invent a signature omelette and tell myself it’s ok if the first one is burnt…or raw…or burnt and raw!