Image from Pixabay
By Rebecca Fending
Are you looking to enrich your life and spend your time being productive? Finding a hobby doesn’t have to set you back a pretty penny. Whether you want to volunteer or hone your artistic skills, these five hobbies are great options for anyone looking for a new purpose for their downtime.
Give Back by Getting Out
One great way to spend your time is by donating it. Volunteering for a local cause or with a local organization can be a great way to get out and find hobbies that mean something to you. Not only is volunteering great for your chosen organization, but it can also benefit you through a number of physical and psychological factors. From adding the incentive to move your body more to allowing you to see yourself as a contributor to a great cause, volunteering can change your life for the better.
Some volunteering opportunities even allow you to volunteer from home a majority of the time. You can stay in and make cat toys and healthy dog treats to later deliver to your local shelter or even remotely assist visually impaired people with everyday activities. Whichever way of volunteering suits you better is still beneficial in the long run.
Get Going with Gardening
Gardening is a hobby that is incredibly rewarding as you get to reap the benefits of the time you invest in your garden. For many people, they choose to tend both floral and edible gardens. Giving away flowers grown in your own garden can be a perfect and sentimental gift to a friend, family member, or neighbor. In some cases, you can even control the color you’d like your flowers to be, such as in the case of hydrangeas. By tweaking the pH levels of the soil or water in which hydrangeas are planted, you can switch the color from blue to pink to white or a mix. How’s that for designer?
Would you rather be able to consume your gardening efforts? Vegetable gardening is a great activity to devote your time to as you can share the fruits (or rather, vegetables) of your labor with those around you. Just like floral-focused gardening, with vegetables, you can control what you want or don’t want. Don’t like tomatoes? Plant cucumbers instead! Gardening is a great addition to customizable hobbies that let you learn and appreciate your local climate and soil.
Write Away an Afternoon
Another great idea when choosing between different hobbies to pick up is writing. Not only can it be incredibly mentally stimulating, but it’s also completely free- you just need a pen and paper, or any computer. Start by organizing your general storyline. Next, plan characters around the plot. Then, try putting it together and filling in the gaps with third or first-person descriptions and dialogue. Bring your thoughts and talent to life with your fingertips.
And in case you didn’t know, it’s okay to mess up. It’s alright if you read back the paragraph, page, or whole story you just wrote and decide that it’s a mess. The beauty of writing is that unless you decide to share your work with anyone else, nobody has to read it until you’re ready. Ultimately, creative and expressive writing should be to benefit you. Take your time and keep returning to your work in order to view, edit, and add to it with fresh eyes. It’s an art and follows the artistic process.
Are you inspired to dedicate your time to a cause, either for yourself or an organization? Get started today to find your purpose by choosing from a variety of different hobbies.
