When you talk to a child, straight away they tell you their favourite dinosaur, or bug, or whatever it is that has caught their fancy. They love something, and they just want to share that joy with you! It doesn’t matter if your interests are different. It is the shared joy of being passionate about something. At some point, we worry about whether our interests are ‘cool’ or not, or we get embarrassed about being ‘different.’ So, we only share what we think others are interested in or start a hobby that we think others will like and forget about the things we were passionate about.
Throughout school, I was known to love music, and if there was something musical happening, it was a sure thing I’d be there. I even helped with the school musical the year after I graduated because I didn’t want to miss a chance to play music! Then I went to university. I was focused on my degree and wanted to make sure I passed. By the end, my ‘best friends’ didn’t even know I played music! Looking back, even though I had a lot of fun at uni, I didn’t really feel like I was myself.
After graduating, I moved cities, got my first job, joined a local band, and had disposable income to pursue my hobbies and rediscover myself again. I tell everyone I know that I don’t have normal hobbies for my age and gender, but I still love pursuing them. I like folk music and crochet (even though I’m only in my 30s), I love trains (even though I’m a girl), I rollerblade, returned to gymnastics as an adult, play video games, took up archery, finally invested in my love of puppeteering and joined a pirate band. And now that I have a son, I watch cartoons and play on the playground (actually, I watched cartoons before he was born, but now I watch more).
I happily share what brings me joy with others, and I love listening to what they are passionate about. I also love discussing the similarities or differences of hobbies with others. For example, almost every sport or hobby has its ‘gear’ that can be discussed, so you can appreciate the passion someone has for the equipment they need, even if you don’t understand the specifics. I can tell you that I want to buy rollerblade wheels that light up when I skate or details of the new archery bow that I have my eye on, and hopefully, you can relate when thinking about your own sport or hobby.
Life is too short to care what others think. Do what you love and share it loudly with the world! Tell everyone your favourite dinosaur (mine is the triceratops)!
Cheers
Sarah Tinney
Author – Jack’s Noisy Day
