Happiness Hiding in Hobbies

Over the last ten years, our first cousin, Toya has had to endure excruciatingly painful neck and back surgeries. 

For weeks of recovery, including hours of physical therapy, it was hard for her to do much more than lay on the couch and focus on her pain. 

Then one day, someone sent her a simple paint-by-number canvas. 

It’s the set we’re all familiar with; the pre-printed and numbered canvas, the series of acrylic paints in small plastic pots, along with the set of inexpensive brushes.

At the start of her recovery, Toya could only concentrate on her paintings for just a few minutes, with her son helping her set up her small easel and canvas. 

Over time, Toya grew stronger and eagerly looked forward to her time spent with brush in hand while watching her favorite TV program. 

Soon Toya had not only finished several canvases, but she’d also regularly go online looking to pick up new canvases, better brushes, and paints.  Family and friends sent her canvases as gifts. 

Toya’s interest expanded into learning more about painting, including how other artists customized their pre-printed canvases or mixed colors to create tailored blends. 

Talk to Toya today and she can tell you everything about paint-by-number.  Because now, what started as a way to take her mind off of her pain has become a well-loved hobby. 

 Hear me out here.  If you’re looking for a way to boost your mental health, curb boredom, or find a leisure activity to lean on, look no further than a hobby.  

There are so many benefits to having hobbies.  Surely, you’ve had tons of them over your lifetime.  But because of a perceived lack of time, it's easy to find our knitting needles and yarn in the back of the closet or our basket of glue bottles that once were so handy for scrapbooking, dried and useless.  

I think it’s time to dust off those once-beloved hobbies or explore new ones and once again put hobbies back on our priority list. 

You can start a hobby from virtually anything you are interested in or curious about. 

There are so many things you can do. 

From learning a new language to taking up painting or pottery.  If you like to read, how about joining or starting a book club?  If you’re more the outdoors type, there’s always hiking, distance running, or horseback riding. 

From rediscovering old passions to trying something for the first time, the list of potential hobbies is endless. 

Take my friend Darlene. 

She lives in Fort Worth, Texas, and at 66 (soon to be 67 – we’re both “June babies”) she’s just about to finish her second master’s degree - this one in Lifestyle Health Science from a medical school in Texas.  

She calls herself a “born hobbyist.”  She’s passionate and in love with a million things and has the collections to prove it.

Her Jewelry Collection    

She tells me her love affair with baubles and beads started with her Aunt Juanita from New Orleans. As a young girl, Darlene admired the fine metal, gold bracelets and jeweled necklaces that tastefully adorned her aunt. When Darlene had the opportunity to gaze at Aunt Juanita’s treasures, her eyes, “grew as big as the moon.”  She was forever in love.       

To this day, jewelry is Darlene’s ongoing love affair.

She sees every earring, necklace, or bracelet as a piece of sculpture. 

With over 500 pairs of vintage costume jewelry earrings and countless other pieces, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Darlene without wearing a fabulous piece of jewelry. And she’s a generous friend, gifting me several wonderful pieces.   

Because her foundation is in art and design her hobbies run the gamut from “collecting color” (this summer the color is orange) to percussion instruments, textiles, and more. 

She says she used to be a “total arts and crafts girl” " but she said, with a giggle, “if you’re not careful, the arts and crafts can take over your life.” Which I think is hilarious.  But, trust me, I know what she means. 

She ended our chat by saying she’d love to have a dedicated studio space where she could create one day. 

But I’d say she’s doing fine, staying busy and loving her hobbies without one.  

During the beautiful month of May, we'll talk a lot about the fun of hobbies and interests. You'll meet another Darlene - but this one is not into jewelry - she's into dance. You'll also discover how hobbies can save you $$ and we'll end the month with a powerful story on how a hobby saved a life.

It's going to be a fun month, so stay with us. As always, we hope you talk with us in the comments. ❤️