When I ask people if they have a hobby, some jump right in and tell me all about it. But lots of time, I hear, “I don’t, but I probably should.” And they're right.
One of the most rewarding aspects of having a hobby is that no matter what you choose—you get to do it in your own time, in your own way, for as long as you want. Here are five reasons having a hobby is a good idea: 1) a proven way to reduce stress 2) boost your creativity 3) make new friends 4) learn a new skills 5) improve your mood January is National Hobby Month and a good time to start something new. Not sure where to begin? Top hobbies include: • collecting • reading • cooking • knitting • gardening • fishing Looking for inspiration? The Art of Manliness presents “45 Manly Hobbies." They call them "manly hobbies," but there's something there for everyone, manly men—and interested women!
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It was a beautiful, clear morning with light wind, and one by one, members of the Sky Streakers R/C club arrived . . . eager, focused, and ready to fly.
Remote control aircraft. This is a hobby that allows for craftsmanship and skill on many levels, and can range in cost from under a hundred to thousands of dollars, attracting all ages. The youngest "pilot" we encountered was 11-year-old Seth Dixon who builds his own planes with help from his dad. They had at least three planes built from scratch (no kits for these two) using plans they found online. And they were beauties . . . gliding, rising, and swooping under Seth's deft control. Burt Dumond and Ray Labonte from Ray & Robin's Hobby Center were onsite. Burt, who usually goes for model helicopters, came out today with his first model plane; Ray was there with his super sleek (and super fast) sport jet; and David Skillings took flight with his TW-5 Navy VT-16. Clubs like the Sky Streakers offer camaraderie, experience, and buddy-box remote control training (recommended for your first flight). If you're interested, look for a club in your area. And the next time you hear the buzz of a plane, look up(!), it could be a quarter size model of the real thing. Mexican Hot-Chocolate Cookies "She broke out of a bout of self-pity and |
| | Pursuits Magazine Take a peek at our first issue! Published quarterly Pursuits is a print magazine devoted to promoting hobbies, passions, and pastimes as a way to reduce stress, boost creativity, and increase happiness. It's a collection of activities, how-to, insights, and inspiration. This first issue is our working prototype. We want your feedback. Do you like the cover? Are the articles too short? Too long? Will you write a love letter? (Is a fill-in-the-blanks model helpful?) What about the Quizzical, will you try to solve the puzzle? Post a comment and be entered in a drawing to win a FREE BOX of Winter Beauties. Post a comment and be entered in a drawing to win a FREE BOX of Winter Beauties.We'd like to be part of your wellness program. Learn more about sponsoring a customized edition of the magazine to enhance your wellness program. Why? Because hobbies, passions, and pastimes can help reduce stress, boost creativity, and make you happier. Join our mailing list (form on the right) for subscription information. Post a comment below we'd love to hear from you! Click here to see the Quizzical answers circled. |
JAN 29 - National Puzzle Day No matter your profession, hobbies are a good way to de-stress, re-focus, and unwind. We believe that the best part of hobbies, passions, and pastimes is that you are free to map your own journey, customize, revise, and innovate at will. And that can be very rewarding. What's your hobby? Make a comment and tell us about it! Click on image to enlarge. |
Happy New Year and Winter Greetings! From pagan celebrations of light to the dropping of the ball in Times Square, these year-end events are widely noted. But these changes take place with or without celebration. Midnight tonight will slip away in star-filled skies around the world and we'll wake to a new year. We'll move forward hour by hour, day by day, finding ourselves, on occasion, surprised at "how time flies." And winter. It begins on the shortest day of the year and then minute by minute the days grow longer. It's hard to notice the difference, but sometime mid-January someone will comment on how much more light there is, and we, too, will see it. There is a lesson here of course: big changes are made possible by small measure. As 2014 comes to a close I'm holding fast to big changes from small measures. Rather than resolutions, I'm working toward goals in 2015. It's an idea that I'm adopting after reading how Chris Guillebeau puts it to work each year. It struck a chord with me and I'm giving it a go. Working in small measure toward big changes, here's a partial list of my goals for 2015: Pursuits magazine - January 2015 This is a big one! I've been working on a prototype and it's time to launch. Pursuits is a print magazine with a focus on hobbies, passions, and pastimes. Designed to help reduce stress, boost creativity, and increase happiness, it is a compendium of activities, how-to, insights and inspiration. I'm very excited about this new magazine and look forward to sharing it with you. If you want to be notified when the magazine is launched, join our mailing list by filling out the form on the right. Learn to Juggle I spend a lot of time sitting at the computer, and I'm looking for activities to balance the time spent behind a desk . . . a pastime to clear my head. If I'm able to master juggling in the next month or so, my goal is to pick another challenge, playing an instrument . . . I'll keep you posted! Stationery Line - I like writing letters and often make my own stationery. I've got lots of ideas and it's time to bring them to life. What goals will you set in 2015? Write them down, and tell us about them by posting a comment below. |
Finding the Light It was the night before Thanksgiving, 11:15 pm, and I was ready to go to bed. It was a full day of holiday baking, cooking, and cleaning. We were planning dinner for seven the next day and things were in good order. Until the lights went out. I knew it was possible, the forecast called for heavy snow (and power outages) starting at about noon, and the pop of a large pine branch giving way at about 4:00 pm put us on guard. With the power out, and not knowing when it would be restored, we couldn't guarantee family coming from out of state that we could cook a meal let alone keep them warm. We had to cancel. It was so disappointing. But as it is so often the day after a storm, it was bright, sunny, and still outside. And we had nearly a foot of snow on the ground. Snow that was heavy, wet, and good for snowballs. Good snowball snow is the beginning of a great snowman, and I knew just what to do. Gathering my supplies, I headed out to build a snowman, a new winter beauty. (See the Shop for more.) Oh, by the time I was done I felt so much better. The power of doing turned what started as a cold, bleak day into a day of gratitude and light. --------------------- P.S. Fortunately, our guests had purchased a turkey earlier in the week and cobbled together a fine meal at home. Our power was restored 24 hours after it went out. We turned the heat up and put the turkey in the oven! So much to be thankful for. |
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