My Hobbies

    For many years I have struggled to enjoy and maintain any hobbies. I did not bother with them when I was younger. Guess I was busy enough with school, extracurricular activities, and working to bother with any. It was not until after getting married and seeing my hubby enjoying his hobbies that I realized I was missing out. So after several years of trying to find a hobby that I would enjoy and researching what defines a hobby. Yes, I researched hobbies. I finally figured out that I enjoy reading, writing, and photography. I have enjoyed them for a long time but never really invested in them. You see, I was not sure how much time and energy I was supposed to invest into them. I am a type-A personality, I need strict guidelines and instructions on what to do and how to do it. Unfortunately, last time I checked hobbies do not come with instruction manuals about how to enjoy them. That sentence sounds ridiculous. There are no instruction manuals for hobbies because most people do not need them. Or at least I assume most people do not need them. I also battled with my anxiety through this process because I felt that any time that was taken up by a hobby or hobbies was time that I should be taking care of my hubby and our home. Even though he has spent the last several years encouraging me to enjoy my hobbies.

    Anyways, long story short, it has taken me a long time to not only permit myself to enjoy activities for myself but to commit to enjoying them regularly.

    For those of you who are still struggling to figure out what your hobby will be, here are a few questions I used to help me in my search. 

    1. Does it bring you life? Do you feel "filled" up when you spend time doing this activity? Personally reading a good book or taking a good picture is time well spent, but if I watch tv for more than an hour I feel that I have wasted that time. I still watch tv though.

    2. Does it relax you? Help you unwind and come down from a busy and long day or week?

    3. Does it bring your pleasure and joy? Do you notice yourself happier during and after said activity than you were before completing it?

    Another big thing for me was not letting it be a part of my regular work and family chores. ie. cooking. Cooking is a chore for me, not a pleasure. For those of you who enjoy cooking, all the power to you my friend.

    So, here are my hobbies and why I chose them and how I enjoy them.

    Reading. It relaxes me. So much so that I can easily fall asleep reading a good book. A dear friend and family member finds it funny actually because one minute I am reading and the next I am asleep. Now, I do not nap for long, generally twenty minutes, but it is still entertaining. I also feel satisfied when I have finished a good book. After I have spent a good chunk of time, at least an hour, I feel accomplished. Where if  I watch an hour of tv I feel like a scrub. That being said I do enjoy tv, just not in the same way as I enjoy a book. My favorite time to read is in bed before I fall asleep, and if I am lucky I can get into bed early and read for an hour and then I pass out. Yes, I can read in bed for an hour but cannot read on a couch for more than twenty minutes. Do not ask. I do not understand it either.

    My second hobby is writing. It helps me to process my thoughts. Whether they are profound or simply everyday things. I enjoy writing in my journal because it helps me to slowly process my thoughts before typing them up on my computer for my blog or even just for myself. I find it very therapeutic to take it slow and write in my journal verses type in on my computer because I can type much faster than write, so writing it on a physical paper vs a computer screen helps me slow down and properly process my thoughts. We live in such a high-speed, technology-crazed world so it is good to slow down, put the computer down and pick up a pen and paper. It is even more fun and satisfying when I am writing in my pink journal with my pink pen, with pink ink.

    My third and final hobby is photography. It helps me get outside and get fresh air. It also helps me to slow down, because if you want the picture to turn out you have to stop, focus on your target, adjust your setting, and then hit the button. Or you can put it into auto mode and make it do all the work, but where is the fun in that. Like reading and writing it helps me to slow down. One of my favorite things about photography is how it allows me to enjoy God's handy work in His creation. Most of my photography is outside, so I get to enjoy and marvel at all the different flowers, plans, and other such things in nature that He made. This is why my tagline for my photography work is called "Capturing God's Creation One Picture at a Time." When I take a really good picture and am proud of it, it is my way of saying "Good job God! What an amazing that you did. Thank you for helping me to capture it." You could say photography is also part of how I worship God. Not necessarily a "traditional" way of worshiping Him, but what does traditional mean anyways.

    So there we have it friends, these are my hobbies and my reasons why I love them. If you do not yet have a hobby you enjoy I hope that this post encourages you and helps you figure out what you like.

    As you can see from today's picture I also love drinking tea and having a little bit of chocolate while I read my book in bed.

    I pray this post blesses, encourages you on your journey in finding a hobby, or at the very least gives you a chuckle.

God Bless

~Ruth

Torn

    Torn is our word this week. It perfectly describes our feelings this past week in regards to our upcoming move. Last week we out in our notice for our apartment and we intend to move south to my hubby's hometown of Wallaceburg. A decision we are both excited about.

    What we were not expecting was the emotional rollercoaster that would follow. We have spent the last week excited for this new chapter and all that it will bring. My hubby has been working in his grandfather's mechanic shop since Easter and thus working away from home. He comes home on the weekends but it is not the same. So we are excited to have our family under one roof again.

    We have a problem though. We had no idea how hard it would be to say good buy to all our friends here. We have spent the last five years here, which is the majority of our marriage thus far. our first church is here along with our amazing church family. We have both had a handful of jobs here and therefore lots of close coworkers and friends to leave behind.

    I have been trying to remind myself this week that it's good to be sad because it means we made many friends and memories, which I am grateful for, but it is still hard. A dear friend of mine told me the other night that we have to give ourselves time to mourn the loss of what we are leaving behind. That it is okay to morn, so that is what we are doing.

    At some point this weekend I'll start packing. I am going to take it slow and enjoy it because it means we are prepping for something exciting and going slow allows us to morn and celebrate all the memories that we made in this apartment and this town.

    We are in a season of change, and just like the weather outside we have to morn and exit the season we are currently in so that we can make room for this next season that we are entering into.

    So to our Cambridge friends, we are going to miss each and every one of you and hope to say as many in person good buy as possible before we go. To our Wallaceburg family, seeing as the majority of the people in this town that I know, I share a last name with. Along with most of my husband's imminent and extended family live in this town or the surrounding area. Guess it is a good thing that I like my in-laws.

    So to those of you who fall into the same or similar situation as my hubby and I are currently walking through, know that I am walking alongside you in this exciting and yet sad season. Just remember that even if what you are walking into is exciting, it is still sad to leave other good stuff behind. Give yourself time to process your emotions, so that way when it's to make that first step into your new home, apartment, town, space, etc. you will be ready for it and be able to enjoy it.

    As always, I hope this post finds you well and blesses you today.

    God Bless

    ~Ruth