Sunday – the day of rest. I hope today you will be able to set aside some time to relax and enjoy your hobbies. Since many people pursue hobbies on Sundays, I thought this would be the perfect day to tackle your stash of hobby supplies.
Most of hold onto supplies for hobbies long after we have lost interest in the hobby itself. We think, “I should keep these, because I may return to this hobby someday.” The word SOMEDAY can be a red flag, as that day typically never comes around.
It is both normal and healthy to try new hobbies over the course of a lifetime. We may lose interest in an old hobby for a variety of reasons, such as:
- Technology has changed (e.g. listening to cassette tapes)
- We can no longer pursue it (e.g. because of a physical limitation)
- It isn’t as popular as it was in the past (e.g. scrapbooking)
- We simply no longer enjoy it
- We have found other pursuits that we enjoy more
- Our supplies fell out of date and we never updated them
- We don’t live in a location where we can pursue the old hobby
The possibilities are endless. The good news, the reason we are no longer pursuing a hobby doesn’t matter at all. Everyone is allowed to choose what they want to do for fun and relaxation. Similarly, we have the right to clear away what we are not using and prioritize our space for what we are enjoying now.
For instance, let’s say you used to like working Sudoku puzzles. You have a shelf full of books that you used to pull down and work through on a regular basis. However, in recent years, your interest has waned. You haven’t touched a Sudoku book in ages. Now you’ve become interested in crossword puzzles. You’ve bought some fun crossword puzzle books, but you don’t have any place to store them because your shelf is full of Sudoku books. In order to prioritize your current interests, and to make it easy to enjoy them, the right decision is to let go of the Sudoku books and replace them with your crossword books.
Of course, this is just a simple example. You may have knitting supplies, athletic gear, stickers, craft papers, cooking equipment, fishing poles, clothing, tools, or any number of other items. The bottom line is, if you really aren’t using them anymore, feel free to pass them on. We want to live in the now, and we want our space to reflect this priority.
One last thought: if you have half-finished projects from old hobbies, such as a partially knitted sweater, those can be pitched as well. As I said on Friday, we don’t want to hold onto pieces that place a burden of “should” on our backs. Hobbies are for fun, not guilt. It is okay to pass on things we no longer use.
What is your favorite current hobby? What could you clear away to make more space to enjoy your current hobby?
Very Good advice if you have left a project because you have lost interest. Sometimes we just have things we can’t seem to have time for. I have a friend who said her sister asked her “How are you coming on your UFO’s” meaning unfinished objects. It’s a common problem. Good advice as usual.
That’s funny, Dianne! I’ve never heard that phrase before, but I will definitely be borrowing it now!
I don’t even know if I have any hobbies these days – other than reading. Scarlet is a serial hobbyist and we just cleaned out SO MUCH of her old bedroom. That said, we gave her this awesome rolling cart that she can use as an arts and crafts corner, that moves! And it’s so well organized. She likes to roll it through the house pretending she’s a librarian, or the concessions lady on the Hogwarts Express selling chocolate frogs and pumpkin pasties.
I can totally picture the cart. I am a HUGE fan of rolling carts for craft supplies and even homework supplies. All you need is a place to park the cart and clean up becomes pretty simple. Both of my girls loved hobbies and crafts, so I can picture the scene:)