What's your "activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation"?

Over the last few weeks, I've come to realize how much I enjoy my hobbies.  For years, I've been answering different sorts of questionnaires that ask me about my hobbies - whether online or simply as a get to know you activity at a workshop.  A hobby, by definition, is "an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation."  Coming up with an answer for something that I pursue for "pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation" was always a tough question for me to answer.  Why?  Because according to this definition, I had none.

The thoughts that rolled through my head when asked this simple question usually went like this:  Hobbies?  Do I have any?  What do I do for pleasure or relaxation?  Well, something that gives me pleasure is being caught up with my school work, yet since a hobby is not supposed to be a main occupation, I can't list that. Plus, I'll sound like a workaholic.  Cleaning? Again, something that I don't necessarily enjoy doing, but I do feel better when our house doesn't look like a tornado swept through, which in turn makes me feel less tense, but I don't recall "less tense" being a part of the definition.  Running, hmm.... I don't necessary feel "pleasure" when doing this, but running consistently is good for my health, and when I feel strong, I do feel better about myself.  Sometimes a good run does give me that runner's high. Okay, that's one that I will write down, but I'm not truly convinced it's a hobby, by definition.  Cooking - well, not the daily stuff, there's no pleasure there.  I like to make pies and cupcakes and try out new recipes, and all that takes time, and I sure as hell don't have time to do that which is too bad because both kids love to do it too, and it's so cute and fun when they help, but then the process takes so much longer, and I really don't have time for that.  What about reading?  I love to read, but after reading papers and prepping for school and cleaning the house and reading with the kids before bedtime (not my choice of reading materials), the last thing I have the energy to do is keep my eyes open and read at bedtime. Plus, if I do actually sit down and get engrossed in a book, then I can't get anything else done because I become so wrapped up in the book that I lose track of time and forget to feed the kids and don't get that damn school work done.  Writing...yeah, right.  I do love to write - even in college when it was papers for class, that was easy, but that was a long time ago, and I didn't get to choose the topics.  When did I actually write something when I chose the topic? Ah, the Christmas letter from three years ago. That was fun, unfortunately, it doesn't quite classify as a hobby if it's been three years since I've done it, and last year's letter was never written even after I ordered the "Here's to a Happy 2012" cards - those are still sitting in a box downstairs. Scrapbooking!  Rats! I spent $300 at a Creative Memories party when I was pregnant with Ellie. I busted that thing out and made a scrapbook of our wedding - that was fun.  I haven't scrapbooked since, and Ellie's almost 10.  Oh! I love a good glass of wine or a flavorful beer, and I do this "for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation"!  But, I probably shouldn't list that because even if I write "fine wine connoisseur" or "beer aficionado" I will look like  a drunk.  Hmm. 

So I lied.

If I had the time, my hobbies would be.....reading, running, cooking.  I will leave out writing (I don't want anyone to know that it's my dream, but I never do it), relaxing with an adult beverages (we'll keep this our little secret), and traveling (because let's face it, even though I want to do it, it doesn't make it a hobby).

  

A friend recently told her husband to get a hobby. They bought a smoker, and now he smokes their own meat. It's tasty, too.  I looked at my own husband, and thought, he does not get a hobby if I don't, but at the time, I was sour grapes because I was still working, and why should he get one if I don't?  But does watching sports on T.V. or playing video games with our son count as a hobby?  Maybe. Another friend says she runs for sanity.  My own father has always had an interest in horses. The math teacher I worked with was always borrowing books off my shelves to read before bedtime. 

The point it, it's important to have "an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation."  I think that's part of the reason why I was teetering on the edge.  In the last year, I read four books.  Four!  And I was an English teacher.  And those books didn't really count because I had read them before, and I was reading them section by section with my seventh graders "as [my] main occupation." I had started a few books at home, but I hadn't completed them. Now that I am committed to making time for my hobbies, I am reading a non-fiction book by one of my all-time favorite fiction writers, Stephen King. In On Writing (another book I started years ago and never finished), he says you can't be a writer if you don't read, and he personally is a slow reader, yet he manages to read 70-80 books a year.  I was simply amazed; he takes the time to read all of those books and still manages to crank out a few books of his own.

Maybe you have already figured out this balance between work and pleasure, but I know that there are a lot of people out there who haven't. And until recently, I was one of those people.  For years I had been telling myself that I would be okay as long as I could keep my head above the water with my job.  I didn't realize just how exhausting treading water becomes if you never stop.  I simply never felt I had the time to enjoy "an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation."

I am looking forward to maintaining a balance between work and pleasure.  I can't wait to see how many books I can read, miles I can log, and cupcakes I can bake all because I'm doing "an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation."  And, putting all of this in writing helps keep me focused and accountable.

What will you do?