Hobbies and interests

I recently found a list of hobbies and interests that I had written in the first of the year. My list included 5 hobbies and 4 interests.

Hobbies: Camping, Photography, Birding, Gardening, and Reading.

A hobby is “an activity done regularly in one’s leisure time for pleasure” (internet dictionary). By that definition, I would need to re-work the list as I have not yet done any camping (although I used to enjoy it in my youth) and gardening is more a way to be more responsible and sustainable in this world. And photography and birding are hit or miss each day ~ often depending on what else I am doing, how I am feeling, lots of things.

I am still trying to learn how to use one of the many cameras I found around this house. I chose the Canon Rebel 7 to learn. I have gotten the very basic learning of how to change the two attachable lenses as well as which to use for which type of activity. I have also used the portrait/closeup settings as well as landscape and have tried out the sports setting. But, I am not a photographer at all…just someone who enjoys taking pictures of her backyard and birds.

Birding is another hit and miss hobby. I do not engage in it daily but frequently. I am enjoying identifying the birds that come, but once I know them….well, I begin to lose daily interest in them unless they are not frequent visitors. In February, I went on a birding walk with others and saw a lot of birds I had not seen before. I learned to recognize a few. I also learned of a Audubon center nearby, but I have yet to visit it.

The list of birds that I have identified so far this year are: Robin, Blue Jay, Chipping Sparrow, House Finch, Bluebird, Summer Tanager, Mourning Dove, Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Red-tailed Hawk. There may have been one or two that I missed, but these are the ones that seem to have lived around my yard ~ especially the cardinals. I must have had several families of that bird. There have also been Crows in the neighborhood as well as Mockingbirds, but none have landed in my backyard.

I guess I could count the photography and birding as hobbies…just not daily ones. However, the hobby on my list that truly happens everyday is reading. I belong to several online book groups and read several books at the same time. I read on the Kindle, actual hard and paperback books, online ebooks, and audiobooks. And, frequently I have at least one of each going.

Reading for me is pleasure and escape. However, I find that, sometimes and not on purpose, I am reading on the same topic or area of the world in several of the books that I have going. Or I find that something I am reading applies to the everyday-ness of my life. It is really nice when I am reading an old book that speaks to the current situation.

My favorite genre is mystery, which makes it even more surprising when it speaks to my today world. I also like fantasy and paranormal. Each of these genres are easy to understand how they help me to escape my usual world…and maybe why they provide pleasure. I always have read…and probably always will. When I have a book, I relax. My mind lets go of whatever is causing it difficulty and I return refreshed.

Well, that is the first part of my thinking…about my lists. Next post will be about the interests.