Down time doesn’t last long at our house. It is cherished, but very quickly becomes foreign to our usually hectic, beautiful, chaotic life. I love to read, but if I am waiting on a book from the library or just finished something that I need to sit with for awhile, boredom can creep in, and just like that old If You Give a Mouse a Cookie book, it will lead to something else…and something else…all from one moment of boredom.

If I allow myself to become bored, I find myself logging onto social media or Pinterest, and before I know it, the afternoon is gone and I’ve accomplished nothing…unless you count being educated in the most current Fake News stories, or Pinning a million posts for a house I’ll never live in. When I think I’m getting ahead with my downtime by catching up on emails, I sometimes begin creating a million random jobs for work which usually involves drama, so I find it best to avoid the computer at all costs. Since we avoid TV at our house, and the weather this year is limiting my garden preparation, these last few months I found myself picking up old hobbies that continue to challenge me without having to involve work for anyone else.

Domestic Hobbies

I love to sew, I can knit anything with a straight edge and am learning to crochet. {Disclaimer: I will log onto YouTube to refresh myself, but I set the timer for 10 minutes and then shut it down.) Sometimes, I am fortunate and my downtime coincides with a class at the local recreation center.

I also love to bake. Baking from old recipes fills my heart and house with flavorful aromas and memories. It also allows me to spoil family, friends and neighbors with homemade goodies. Bless my families’ and friends’ hearts, they are all getting bread, blankets or washcloths for Christmas this year.

Photography

I love black and white candids and still art, but this is one hobby that I have to force myself to keep trying. I am not a patient person and leaving my camera on MANUAL is totally fine with me, but how the heck do Instagram celebrities do it? Is it the lens? The lighting? The filter? Or is it just having a knack for seeing the world in a more crisp or exposed way? Despite my best efforts from a class from the rec center a few years back, I am only good with the definitions of what my user manual means, but I am still determined to further my exploration with this hobby.

Writing

I love stationery. I also love writing. My handwriting is atrocious and more than once have I delayed colleagues’ productivity as they try to decipher my penmanship. Over the years, my handwriting has improved and I love corresponding with friends and family through letters or notes in the mail. Currently, I’m working on teaching myself calligraphy with children’s magic markers but I’m longing to take a class this spring or summer.

What do you like to do when you are bored?

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