最近天氣又開始變差了，這是之前農曆過年前的某個晴朗的午後，跟好久不見的朋友聚餐完後，我獨自到附近的文創園區走走，打算曬曬冬天的太陽，還好有陽光，儘管當天氣溫不高，加上我一直在走動，我卻完全感覺不到寒意，太陽曬在身上，特別舒服。
總之，走著走著，遇到一個周末市集，周末市集的名稱其實不重要，重點是市集內的店家賣甚麼商品，我稍稍看了幾家攤位，果然又是賣文創小物，假如是我年輕時，還算喜歡這類有設計感的商品，但是隨著年紀漸長，我更注重商品的實用性，假如我沒有需要的話，再有設計感的商品，我現在都是看看就好，並不打算買回家，占空間，有幾家攤位推出應景的年節商品，這類商品倒是看的人多，購買的人也很多，我猜，購買者的心理可能是快過年了，求個好彩頭也好。
突然想到我有位年輕的女性朋友，她平常有正職，但是因為興趣關係，對於手作小物很有熱情，之前聽她提過，她也會趁周末帶著她的手作小物到各個市集擺攤，賺點外快，順便推廣她的手作課程，當然我問過她生意狀況如何，她沒有正面回答，我猜想，應該是沒賺甚麼錢，完全是靠熱情在支撐。
可能是景氣不好，和時代的趨勢，很多人除了在正職之外，也發展自己的第二專長，假如，副業做得好的話，可以把正職辭掉，專心做自己較有興趣的副業，這或許是為何市集越來越多的原因之一，我曾經有過類似的想法，但後來發現，天下沒有白吃的午餐，搞副業很花時間及精力，不是那麼好搞的，所以，還是有空時逛逛市集，享受自己還可以的人生，就好了。
The weather has been getting worse again lately. This was on a sunny afternoon before Lunar New Year, after having lunch with a friend I hadn’t seen in ages. After we parted ways, I decided to take a stroll around a cultural & creative park and soak up some winter sun. Thankfully, it was a bright day—though the temperature wasn’t high, I didn’t feel cold at all since I kept moving. The sunlight on my skin felt especially nice.
As I wandered around, I came across a weekend market. The name of the market didn’t really matter—what mattered was what the vendors were selling. I took a quick look at a few stalls, and, as expected, they were mostly selling handmade creative goods. If this were years ago, I probably would’ve been into these aesthetic, artsy products, but as I’ve gotten older, I care more about practicality. If I don’t need something, no matter how well-designed it is, I’d rather just appreciate it from a distance instead of buying it and cluttering my space. Some stalls were selling festive New Year products, which seemed to be attracting a lot of customers—I guess people like to buy things for good luck before the new year.
That reminded me of a younger female friend of mine. She has a full-time job, but she’s really passionate about handmade crafts. She once told me that on weekends, she sets up a stall at different markets, selling her handmade items and promoting her craft workshops. I once asked her how business was going, but she didn’t really give me a straight answer. I’m guessing she doesn’t make much money—it’s probably just passion keeping her going.
Maybe it’s because of the economy, or just the trends of our time, but a lot of people are developing side hustles on top of their regular jobs. If the side gig does well enough, some even quit their main job to focus on it full-time. Maybe that’s why these markets are becoming more common. I used to think about starting a side business too, but eventually, I realized—there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Running a side hustle takes a lot of time and effort. It’s not as easy as it sounds. So in the end, I figured it’s better to just browse markets when I have time and enjoy life while I can.