08 January 2017

Winter Warmup & A Question For You

The slow-but-tiny warmup continues as it's 8° above, this morning. At least it is, here on the hillside. Down below, it's 4°, but even that's warmer than before.

I have a question for you, friends: have any of you found that, as you move into middle age (for those of you who are, or who have) that your interests have changed? Hobbies that once occupied me constantly no longer seem important. I find that I don't want to write much. I haven't played my guitar - a hobby begun in 1969, and later a vocation - in months. All I want to do is sit and read, lately.

Maybe it's just a phase. :)

Still, I'd like to hear from others who are roughly my age about whether they've experienced anything similar. And if so, whether it was a permanent change, or just a passing thing.

16 comments:

Tewshooz said...

When I reached middle age I developed new hobbies and skills. Viewpoints change as we get older, I think. By the time my mother was 85, she no had interest in anything. I do not want to be like that. Although I am way past you in age, I think that we still evolve into new things; at least that is how it was for me. Physical restrictions now dictate what my interests are, happily range time is not one of them.

Rev. Paul said...

I thought it might be something like that. Thank you.

RockPilesandCaterpillars said...

I agree that our hobbies and interests do change over time. I feel like we slowly move from one thing to another as adults. Maybe that's also why, I'm a firm believer that kids shouldn't be pushed to figure out what they want to be career-wise before they end their Freshman year in high school or that they should go to college right after high school. That's an age where interests are definitely changing at a rapid pace. It seems to slow down over time, but we still evolve in our interests. It's probably what helps to keep us interesting instead of seeming like a piece of stale bread to all our family and friends.

PolyKahr said...

Rev. Paul,

One thing I have discovered is that aches, pains, etc generally change some things on their own. For example, once upon a time I liked to ride my bicycle long distances. Well, now I do other things. We no longer travel as much due to, of course, various aches and pains. But as long as I have breath, I hople to continue to have something I am interested in.

Wade
aka PolyKahr

Toirdhealbheach Beucail said...

True for me, Reverend. For the most part it has been a good thing - the things I do know are for the most part all things I have picked up since turning 40. I anticipate (and in some cases see already) that these will change again - in some cases morphing into something else (for me, writing) or falling off the landscape altogether.

At the same time, I am trying to be mindful of the fact that I cannot get better in anything if I am always picking up and dropping everything, that for some things (and therein lies the choice) I have to push through my boredom or waning interest if I truly want to improve.

Ed Bonderenka said...

O found that circumstances other than age, unless you count maturity, changed my interests.
Including my conversion.

drjim said...

In my case, I've picked up hobbies that I had before and enjoyed, but had to put on hold due to job, budget, and family life constraints.

Working on cars is my current example, and getting back into Amateur Radio some years back is another.

One "hobby" I've always kept is reading, probably due to the fact that it costs practically nothing.

Rev. Paul said...

Thank you all for your input; I thought perhaps something was wrong, as my hobbies have lasted for years. Until now, anyway.

Reading has always been my friend, and still is. I suspect I'll get my mojo back & start doing other things - eventually - but have decided to just relax and go with the flow for now.

drjim said...

What was the old saying...."Life is what happens when you're living"?

To me it implies we have to be flexible in our day-to-day living of our lives.

Sometimes we all get into a "funk" or a "fugue" or what ever it's called.

Sometimes we have to put aside the things we enjoy for while to realize how much we enjoy them when we go back to them.

Rev. Paul said...

Jim, that's also possible. Since deciding not to worry about it, it only bothers me a little bit. Life moves on. :)

Guffaw in AZ said...

It's probably not a fair comparison (and NOT because I'm older!), but my lifestyle changed.
Significant illness, and reduced income have made some of the things I used to enjoy less accessible/less often.
(like shooting - increasingly crummy car and inability to afford ammunition, range fees, etc.)
Having said that. I have gotten slower and get more from being a couch potato.
Hopefully, with my 'new' insurance including gym coverage, I can choose to be more active(?)

gfa

threecollie said...

I think it is perfectly normal to not only change major interests but to pause to rest and reflect between as well. Especially in winter. I too used to be passionate about music, played every day, practiced with the bands I belonged to for four or five hours every night. Now arthritis says no way, so I go out and count birds. Hang in there...as my dad always says that better days are coming.

Peteforester said...

As a teenager, I was a "fast recreational" bicyclist. Later, I got into mountain biking. I remember, a few years back, attacking a really steep hill, while some teenagers were using the downhill side of that hill to "get air" on a jump off to the side of the trail. As I dug in and powered up the grade, one of the kids said "LOOK AT THAT OLD GUY GO!" I'll never forget it.

Truth is though, I don't mountain bike much anymore. Things just changed. The physical is less important. The intellectual and spiritual are more important. I've got some aches and pains, but not enough to stop me from climbing those hills. I guess there are more important mountains to climb than those of dirt and rock...

Rev. Paul said...

Guffaw, you're only a year or two older than I, so that's not "old". :) But thanks for the response, and I hope that your 'new' arrangements are an improvement.

Marianne, I understand. Like the Book of Proverbs says, there is wisdom in a multitude of counselors. Which is why I sought input here; not only am I not alone, I'm in good company.

Pete, I still like casual bike riding, and on a city trail, still run off & leave my wife and daughters in the dust. And I just pedal casually, honest. But I haven't ridden much in the last few years, either.

Sandy Livesay said...

Rev. Paul,

I don't think it's a phase. As we get older, I believe slowing down and simplifying our lives gives us the abilities to appreciate all the gifts the good Lord provides. Changing hobbies and interests is just one step toward slowing down and aligning ourselves towards the next stage of our lives.

Rev. Paul said...

Thank you, Sandy.