Hobbies - Who needs em anyway!

When I was around 8 years old, it seemed EVERYONE around me had a "hobby" except ME!

Thus the story has gone for the rest of my life. Now, is there any truth to this feeling? Well, not exactly because I've had hobbies. They just haven't been consistent so then I get in this "I need a hobby" state of mind. When in reality, I have hobbies I CAN do, just doing them is another story.

At the age of 9 I finally taught myself how to crochet. There was a loner crocheted slipper in my mom's drawer that my DAD crocheted... yeah, I never knew the story behind that one but I had friends who crocheted and it looked fun so I did it! AND... it wasn't sewing. My sister sewed so I could never do that of course :) I finally learned something other than the chain stitch so potholders and THICK doilies were crocheted by the hundreds! It wasn't until I was an adult (ish - I was married anyway...) and an elderly lady in our church taught me how to read patterns. Oh man, a whole new world opened up. Jeff's aunt gave me a ton of old pattern books from a subscription she had (I still have them, so fun to look at the way things have changed over the decades). I quickly found that selling these items did not make me any money. Making gifts was fun but handmade things tend to only be special to the one who made them - there's a song in there somewhere.

Through the years, I learned that I'm a creative. I've never taken the time to get past the amateur stage of any of my short lived hobbies. Sketching, painting, singing, crafting, decorating, refinishing, musical instruments, writing, hiking, running... they've all had their famous 15 minutes of fame in my life! Crocheting has been the one thing that I will pick up every so often and do a few projects. I have a Pinterest board FULL of inspiration that will more than likely never get done. As I type, there is an unfinished pumpkin hat for our newest little pumpkin staring at me. Now, it's Christmas time... so...

Hobbies can be a great breather OR they can be a great stresser. The actual definition is a regular activity that is done for enjoyment during ones leisure time. That would summize that if it's a stresser, it's not a hobby, it's a job haha

To answer the question in the title - Me! I need hobbies, I think it allows my brain to recharge and get rid of some of the cobwebs. Who knows... maybe you need one too! If you have one, what is it and how does it fit into your life?