Hello, bookish friends! ‘Tis me, stopping by with a not-quite-bookish blog post. As much as I love reading, and as much as so many facets of my life are centered around literature, I wanted to share with you a few of my other interests, and how I developed those interests into hobbies.
Knitting - I first learned to knit years ago. And then I didn’t really do it for years. But in my second year of law school, I needed an outlet that could provide a sense of calm and accomplishment. If you’ve ever been in law school, you may have experienced something similar to what I did - an environment that literally breaks you down and reshapes you - adjusting how you learn, how you think, and how you relate to the world. I don’t regret my law school experience, because it was the only way I could get my dream job, but I struggled. And so, I returned to knitting. It was something that tethered me to positive memories of my past, and gave me something to do when I was feeling anxious or stressed.
Photography - I mostly tell folks that I got interested in photography so that I could take better pictures of my cats. And that’s mostly accurate (after all…I say that one of my cats is my best friend and the other cat’s soul and mine were created to exist in this same timeline together - not to be dramatic). But, I’ve also really enjoyed the process of learning more about photography and getting creative with it. I’ll take walks around town, often drawn to bodies of water (as I’ve been my entire life), and I’ll just get lost in my environment as I try to capture the beauty of my surroundings. So many of these creative activities I’ve explored have been in search of a sense of inner peace during a tumultuous time. And photography has certainly fostered that sense quite frequently.
Music - Okay, full disclosure. I grew up playing music. I started piano lessons in second grade, cello in fourth grade, and handbells through my mom’s church sometime around then as well. And with the exception of the handbells, which I continued to enjoy until I stopped attending churches that provided me the opportunity to play (and then stopped attending church altogether), I fell out of love with playing music sometime around high school. I think this was mostly because I was in various groups and classes that required me to play, and I just wasn’t dedicated enough to justify the amount of time all of that required. But, in the last couple years, I’ve tried to kickstart my love of music again by giving myself permission to explore various instruments that I always wanted to learn to play (or wanted to get back in to playing). And so, during the pandemic, I started off by picking up the guitar, then I decided to compound that by learning the ukulele as well. Then I got back into piano, but focused only on songs that I wanted to play, rather than ones I had to play for lessons. And finally, I picked up the fiddle. Now, I’ll admit that I’m not particularly good at any of these (I’m okay at piano, mostly from the years I played it previously), but candidly I’ve enjoyed giving myself the space and grace to learn something in an environment that is completely devoid of outside pressure. I started a new job during the global pandemic that I stress about all the time - I hit the ground running with it, and people rely on me to provide information and make decisions that are hard to make when everything is so new. I have an incredible support system at work and people who always make themselves available when I’m nervous or don’t understand what I’m doing, but that doesn’t take away the pressure. When I’m learning a new instrument though, since I have no desire or intention to become a musician, I just can learn at my own pace and any mistakes or failures won’t hurt anyone, including me.
Sewing - This is my newest Covid-inspired activity, and I’ll tell you from the start - I am not good at it. I got a sewing machine for Christmas, and I think I’ve jammed it with thread every time I’ve tried to use it. But much like my musical activities, I’m using this as a way to teach myself that that’s okay. I don’t need to be good at everything - and I certainly don’t need to succeed the first time I try something new.
This isn’t really a hobby, but no summary of my life could be complete without mentioning my cats. I got my first cat when I was in law school and my second one during the pandemic, and I legitimately cannot imagine my life without them. Being a cat mom brought me closer to friends I’ve made and provided me a source of comfort in the last two years, which I think we can all agree have been hard.
So, what non-bookish activities or facets of yourself bring you the most joy or comfort? Share below!
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