Hobbies Matter: My Top Five

Welcome back to Daughter of the Light, friends! Today I’ll be talking about my top five hobbies! I just finished reading Annie Down’s new book This Sounds Like Fun. It was soo good (everyone, go buy it right now!) but it got me thinking about the importance of having fun hobbies – things that don’t give you money, things that you don’t do for work, but things that are simply fun and relaxing.

So here are some of my hobbies. If you don’t have any, think about getting some as you read through this post. It doesn’t have to be big or expensive, just find something that you love doing and something that brings you a little joy in this busy life. ❤

#1: Writing

Writing has and (I hope) always will be my top hobby. I’ve been writing stories ever since I was five or six years old. I love it so much! That doesn’t mean that I don’t have slumps or writer’s block. There was a whole year where I barely wrote anything. But I found my way back to it and for the first time since I was really little, I’m actually enjoying it again.

Writing is a big umbrella covering a lot of things. So what types of writing do I enjoy? Well, stories obviously. I love writing short stories and novellas. Since 2020, I’ve finished three novels and am currently working on my fourth (believe me, there were several novel ideas in there that got a few pages in and then died). I also love to blog. Blogging comes easier than story writing in many ways. I love to journal and have been doing that daily since 2015. 🙂 I love to write letters and emails (though I’m not as regular at it as I used to be!)

Writing is such a huge part of my life. In a way, it’s how I make sense of the world. I can’t imagine what I’d do without it! I’m so thankful for everyone who has supported my writing. And thankful to you for reading this when you could be doing a million other things!

#2: Research

I’m guessing a lot of people don’t see researching as a hobby. But for me, it is! I absolutely love picking a subject and then diving into books and articles to find out as much as I possibly can on said subject. There is so much knowledge out there, just waiting to be found. There are endless things to study and to learn about!

So whether I’m learning about ancient Greece or sugar gliders or how to make the perfect gluten and sugar free cookies, know that I am enjoying every second of it!

#3: Baking

Next comes baking. I’ve enjoyed this for years. I am a huge fan of sweet things, so what better way to enjoy them than to make them myself?

I started out making cookies and simple desserts like that. Years later…I’m still making cookies. XD But I’ve also learned to do more complicated desserts. A big thank you to my family who eats everything I make, even if it doesn’t turn out like I envisioned!

We go on a lot of diets, and baking normal-tasting desserts is a challenge! But man, it is fun! It’s fun to figure out how to take a normal recipe and change it to fit the dietary restrictions. And when I succeed in making a good tasting dessert without any sugar and without gluten or dairy or whatever thing we’re avoiding at the time, it feels so good!

#4: Running

Ah running! As a kid, I absolutely loved running. One of my very favorite things to do when we lived in KC was to go to a bike trail that had long, dirt paths and to run down them barefoot. I’ll never forget it! The wind rushing through my hair, the cool ground under my feet, muscles burning, panting, my siblings laughing and chasing me…It was as close to perfect as the world gets, I think.

Nowadays, I run on the treadmill. I’m currently taking a break because I hurt my leg, but I want to get back into it as soon as possible. There is so much freedom in running. When you push yourself that extra few minutes or that extra miles, there is such a feeling of accomplishment. When you look at yourself in the mirror, all sweaty and red faced with your muscles burning and you say to yourself, “I did that. I broke my record. I ran those extra miles even when I was completely exhausted and thought I couldn’t.”…it’s amazing.

#5: Photography

I loved to take pictures as a kid. I had my little camera that I took everywhere and photographed everything I saw! In KC, my parents both learned how to be professional photographers, and they taught me and Jehosheba some of what they’d learned. It was so cool to watch my pictures go from mediocre to…not so mediocre. XD

I enjoy taking pictures a lot. It’s not my top hobby and I could live without it, but it is something that I enjoy doing. 🙂 There are so many moments in life that are worth capturing and I love knowing that I have the ability to do that.

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That’s all for today, friends! What are some of your hobbies? Why do you think it is important to have a hobby? Let me know in the comments!

~Hattush