"Find three hobbies you love: (1) one that makes money, (2) one to keep you in shape, and (3) one that makes you creative."
Most of my friends call me a "jack of all trades" because I like doing a lot of things which are not really completely relevant from each other. For example, my love for art, books, and home-cooked-food versus my love for landscape photography, camping, and road trips. I have this built-in double personality that loved the extremes (the comfort at home and the thrill of adventure). And I must admit that what started as hobbies when I was a kid grew up to be pretty much my personality now. Maybe there's just one thing that connects all of my hobbies - my hunger for new experience!
If I have to trace back my hobbies in chronological order, it could be this:
1.) Washing dishes - This is not a joke! One of the earliest memories I have was during a holiday season when my late grandpa was still alive, that was before I entered kindergarten. I got really interested in washing dishes when I saw how my grandpa arranged all the plates and mugs so neatly. I even grabbed a chair trying to reach the sink and broke a glass. But my late grandpa never scolded me for it. He even asked my help when he washed the plates on the evening of a holiday (probably a Christmas gathering if I remember it correctly). This might be the weirdest hobby I ever had but to be honest, I still like doing the dishes now that I am a grown-up. Maybe because washing dishes reminded me of family gatherings and my late grandparents.
2.) Sketching - When I was a first grader in elementary, I used to draw a scenery of a mountain with rice fields and a single tree on the hill on the left side of the view with a sun either setting down or about to rise up. I remember putting some numbers on my drawings and asking my seatmate to spot the numbers I hid in the drawing. But oh, we don't do that while the teacher is lecturing because I was a really well-behaved pupil back then.
3.) Drawing using numbers - This one has to be the weirdest of all. I used to doodle using just numbers when I was in third grade. It was also the year when I first entered a school publication. Since I was given the task to interview teachers and relay it to my seniors, I got bored easily. I often go to the Math club often to answer some problems and ended up doodling on it. I do not play with my classmates often because I never had made many friends during elementary. I was an introvert.
4.) Reading the dictionary - My father loves to read and so I sort of learned it from him by example. There was one time during third grade when I memorized the Philippine and USA's Presidents, and the states of America as well. It was during the power outage and overnight I was able to memorize all of it. From then on, reading a book became a hobby.
5.) Chess - I never made it to become a really good chess player but it was fun. I started when I was in fourth grade when I had to use excuses just to never go out of the house. Playing outside was really not my thing.
6.) Oil painting - When I became a sixth grader, I was introduced to oil painting during a summer workshop by a family friend. It was the first time I got so fixated at one thing. I even thought I'd be an artist when I grow up but look at me now (I became an Engineer and a mom with crypto side hustles). After oil painting, I also tried chalk and oil pastel, water color, and charcoal painting. It was the most beautiful hobby I ever had. Seeing the world with so much colors was euphoric. I kind of miss it. Whenever I see art, my heart is jumping out of joy and nostalgia. I am now even thinking of buying art materials. What do you think? Shall I go back to painting?
7.) Writing - When I entered the school publication in Elementary, I am not much of a writer myself. I started to like making poems in highschool along with my love of art. And I was able to express how I perceived world in a poetic and colorful manner. It was one of the best hobby that I always want to go back into. Now, I am still writing stuff but can't really be a poet like I used to. Life is cruel that my poetic spark had died out years ago. Sad but it's okay, I felt no one would want to read my poems anyway.
8.) Coffee - I started drinking coffee at a very young age - fourth grade. But I officially liked it that I would rather have coffee than soda is when I graduated from highschool. I felt I finally stepped into the adult world and drank more coffee than water. I still like coffee now and even grind my own beans and manage to recreate recipes from coffee shops I like. You can actually scroll on my profile and see lots of coffee photos. One fun fact about me is that I snack on these beans like I snack on peanuts. * wink *
9.) Photography and Adventure - When I entered college, writing stories were still my hobby. And I became a part of an organization and contributed write-ups. I wrote short stories about love and tragedy. It continued like that until I bought my first camera - Fujifilm XA3! I took a lot of photos to places I went to. I photographed the sky as if its never going to be the same again in the years ahead. I captured smiles and tears of people in events and I made them tickets to their memories just by looking at their photos. It was one of the most satisfying hobby. I was able to make other people happy. Now, I sold my Fujifilm XA3 but my husband gave me his Nikon D5600. I still take photos from to time but I am now hooked to my new hobby - crypto!
10.) Crypto - I have been around the crypto world since 2017 (right after graduating from college) and that was during steemit days. Five years later, I was able to explore different blockchains and crypto technology. One thing that's keeping me awake these days is - Telos! It has a wide range ecosystem! I love the Telos Native dApps so much that I have summarized my most favorites here! Of course I still love Hive because this is where I can express myself. Writing stuff like this and be connected with my internet friends is what I love the most.
Life is about experiencing and feeling a lot of things. It's about adventure. And our hobbies are what made our life meaningful. Some generated money out of it while some blew off steam through their hobbies. But one thing's for sure, no one can live without hobbies! I'd like to hear yours as well. Comment down below and let's share some of your experiences. Maybe I could learn a thing or two from you. 🤗
This has been @nikkabomb, the mom-gineer that's juggling the duties as a mom, as a site engineer, and as a crypto enthusiast. I am glad you stumbled upon my post in the Hive blockchain. Will appreciate to hear from you in the comment section below.