Get A Hobby...Shake-off Routine

Last week, I was chatting with a group of school friends and we touched up on the subject of hobbies we had in our childhood. From stamp collection to writing letters to pen friends (yes - there was a concept of pen friends in '90s) to more evolved - playing a musical instrument. Sadly - none of these hobbies / interests could survive. We had not only had lost touch with hobbies of our childhood, but have no hobby to talk about in present day.

It wasn't difficult for the group to make peace with lack of a hobby in our life..."we are busier now- have a family, have a job... we are settled!".

This discussion led me to think: to feel settled in life...it is as much about being in a steady job and / or steady relationship, as it is about living a routine based life. From getting up in the morning to hitting the bed at night - most days follow similar routine.

There is comfort in doing known things, there is lesser pressure to think "what to do" every day and there is a general sense of calm & control all around - this is what routine based life offers. Along with the said calm & control - there is an almost certain boredom that tends to creep in every now & then. Boredom is just as natural as the calm & control offered by routine.

Most of us beat boredom by passive activities - my guess is that TV viewing would top the list. There would be certain obvious others - reading, eating, movies / music (watching / listening)...sleeping ;).

In my view, pursuing passive intersts, over a period of time, does not break the monotony of routine... unfortunately, this too becomes part of the routine. This may definitely help us relax and unwind, but the pleasure of doing something gets diminished as this too is now a routine. Reading a book may be viewed as better than being a couch potato - but after a while it neither adds to you (vocabulary / grammar / philosophy) nor challenges you to make changes to your life.

Having said that, it is for each individual to realise and thus prioritise - whether there is scope of pursuing active interests. Off-late, I have started to believe that there is more to life than the routine we live out and the passive entertainment we derive pleasure from.

On my part, thanks to a friend who pushed me towards it, I started writing again. It hasn't been very long, but the fact that I have managed to keep it up for last 9 months - I know how good it feels to do something...to create something...something original...something mine...something to share...and more importantly, something besides the routine!