Enjoying Hobbies - Tuning Into Your Inner Child
What Do You Think About When You Don't Have To Think | The Wonder of The World | Rekindling the Child Within | Feed Your Inner Child | Couples Who Play Together Stay Together | Photography | Tips
Volume 1 Issue 8
Editorial by DR Rawson - The Possibilist
What Do You Think Of When You Don’t Have To Think?
Did that catch you off guard? DR, we’re always thinking. Well, that’s true but about what. Let me give you some examples from two different scenarios:
At Home
Ok, the chores are done kicks tucked away, clothes laid out for work or whatever your evening routine happens to be. Now, it’s just you. You’ve done everything demanded, or expected of you and fulfilled the responsibilities you’ve committed to doing. Nw what?
Relax; what’s the first thing that pops into your mind now that you don’t have to think? Surprise, you’ve probably found what is most important to you. It could be a person, place, or thing. It could be a song, video, or conversation you wanted more from. It could be so many things.
Whatever it is, you don’t have to think about it. You could have turned your attention to world peace, the real algorithm that controls Medium, or why your loved one pushes toothpaste from the bottom of the tube.
Instead, you chose to think about… time to pay attention to what you're thinking about when you don’t really have to think.
At Work
Somedays it’s hard to keep up, learning new software, processes, policies, names of new contacts, employees or just the password you changed for the eighteen time this month. So much to think about including the fact that you’d rather be at home than dealing and thinking about work.
Aside from the fact that there may be an “in the moment” problem, there are always times during the day when a break is in order. You don’t have to think! It’s a break. What do you think about? What you don’t do is stop thinking. So, what do you think about?
Home, a loved one, a misstep, a hobby, a trip, the future, anywhere but here and the list goes on. Pay attention; you’ll find the things you regularly think about when you don’t have to think are your passion, your true self. It’s a window of time and space into who you are. Think carefully.
Stay with us…
The Wonder of the World
Dr. Gabriella Kőrösi
What if we could step back into the body and mind of our childhood? When the worries were less and we could just play? I have been learning more and more in the past few years to look at the world with a child's eyes of wonder. I love to get lost in the beauty of nature, play and lay on the grass, walk in the sand, and create different artworks as a hobby. I love it when I sit down in front of an empty canvas with the uncertainty of what I will make on it. I let my imagination take over with no pressure. I am truly here to play. I create my artwork mostly for family and friends I have given them away to people I care about. If I don’t like one I redo the top, pour over it, or scrape the paint off. The idea is to get lost in the creation of the art piece.
I feel the same about my garden. I enjoy planting different flowers and creating small patches of mixed flowers and edible plants. I enjoy watching things grow and love to go foraging in my garden every morning in the summertime. I look for different types of berries growing. The best thing is to find new treasures every day. What it will be like today? A wild blackberry or a golden raspberry that is ready to pick and eat?
Our hobbies like gardening and creating art bring a sense of calmness and joy into our lives. These are moments when there is no hurry to go anywhere we are free to take our time and create. I love it when I get lost in my hobbies and activities and look up to see that many hours flew by and I did not even notice the time. I feel the same about writing articles, books, and poetry as well. I sit down to write in a journal or on a computer and hours can go by without noticing the time. I am in the zone of creating that brings joy into my life.
I feel that any hobby that brings someone a sense of calmness, joy, and wonder is worth doing. Another favorite of mine is creating new recipes and sharing them. Creating fresh smoothies, juices, and soups from plants I collected in the garden and a few minutes before they were connected to the earth is one of my favorite activities. The flavors and sensations of freshly picked fruits and vegetables are beyond this world. There are flavors that can be hard to explain because the words we have in our vocabulary do not give justice to the robust explosion of the nourishing substances that are created by nature.
Rekindling the Child Within
By Shubha Apte
Rediscovering Joy Through Childhood Hobbies
Can we rekindle the child within us? Absolutely! It's a delightful journey that allows us to embrace our natural selves and rediscover the joy of childhood. Let's explore how hobbies can help us tune into our inner child.
The Piano Class Adventure
For months, I pondered joining a piano class. The fear of being laughed at—learning piano at 65—held me back. But one day, I decided to listen to my soul and take the plunge. I enrolled in a piano class, and the joy was palpable.
The institute welcomed senior citizens like me, eager to reskill and learn new talents. In class, I found a mix of ages—kids, teenagers, and fellow seniors. The kids taught me valuable lessons.
Learning from Kids
Kids approach learning with unbridled enthusiasm. When they master a new song, their excitement is contagious. They proudly share their achievements with everyone. As seniors, we often guard our emotions, but there's much to learn from children's uninhibited joy.
Attending piano classes transformed my outlook on life. I learned music and harmonium in my childhood, but adulthood's busyness pushed those hobbies aside. With time on my side, I've reignited my passion for playing the piano and sketching.
Remember, age is merely a label. Learning may be slower as our brains age and cognitive skills decline, but it's never too late. Life is an ongoing journey without a fixed destination, so why stop ourselves from learning and growing?
My mother is my biggest inspiration when it comes to learning new things. In her 70s, she memorized the Bhagwat Gita, reciting the entire scripture without referring to any book. She was a living example of the saying 'Age is just a number.'"
Express Like a Child
Let's keep our inner child alive. Express freely, just like kids do. Don't hide emotions; let them flow. Whether it's playing the piano, dancing, or creating art, embrace the child within you.
It's been a month since I embarked on my piano-learning journey. Alongside the notes and melodies, I've befriended many spirited young kids. Their eagerness to assist and converse is heartwarming—they share stories of school, friendships, and dreams with unbridled enthusiasm. Spending time with them has not only enriched my keyboard skills but also my perspective. Their innocence and zest for life remind me to embrace the joy of learning. They've shown me that making mistakes is part of the process and that stress is unnecessary. From these young maestros, I've learned to approach learning with curiosity and playfulness, much like a child discovering the world for the first time."
Conclusion
Rekindling our inner child isn't about escaping adulthood—it's about integrating playfulness, wonder, and joy into our lives. So go ahead, make those snow angels laugh unabashedly, and let your inner child lead the way.
Remember, your inner child is always there, waiting to dance, dream, and explore. Let's embrace the magic together!
Feed Your Inner Child
by Leah Linch
Daily routines getting you down waiting for something more profound Stuck in mundane tasks schedule engraved the same old day replayed Needing a spark to ignite new goals activities to warm your soul Playful passion purposeful dreams adding to your expertise It’s never too late to light up your heart rediscovering your art © LC Lynch 2024 Embrace your inner child and do things you enjoy. Finding new hobbies helps reignite your passion and brings fresh energy into your life. Daily routines are serious enough already. It’s important to have an outlet for your creativity. Making time to have fun on a regular basis has a positive impact on your mood and mental health.
Couples Who Play Together Stay Together
Hobbies make a house a home
By Libby Shively McAvoy
Envato Elements Purchased Image License 86DFXSL9UM
Hobbies are Healthy for Couples
Couples need to bond in mutually agreeable activities or hobbies. Life has enough stressors, but when couples take time to enjoy activities together, they can forget about stress for a short period of time and enjoy each other, rekindling the passion they feel for one another.
Couples Who Play Together Stay Together
Embrace your inner child and let your spirits soar. Whether it’s a playful race down the street or a friendly cooking competition, the key is to have fun together. Maybe you are pickleball fanatics. You may enjoy home renovation projects together, volunteering, or playing games. Perhaps you enjoy dining out or planning short getaways.
As long as you share interests and can appreciate each other’s playful inner child, you will keep each other young at heart. Explore, try new things, learn, laugh, and grow together.
It is also very healthy to encourage each other to find your own hobbies and explore personal interests. Time apart gives you more to talk about and share with each other.
Final Thoughts
Remember, you are not competing against each other, so there is no reason to keep score. You are on the same team. Enjoy each other, appreciate each other, love life, and love each other. Life is too short not to.
Embracing each other’s inner child also helps during times of conflict. It allows you to see the vulnerability and innocence. You are likely to have more empathy when you see the hurt child in the adult body.
How Long do Inkjet Prints Last?
By Gary L. Friedman, Photographer, Author and Lecturer
Editor’s Note:
I’ve known Gary since late 1998. Photography was his passion then, as it is now. Given that he’s had a very successful career in fields other than photography, why photography? After knowing him for so long I believe he has to do with his breathing. If he’s breathing, he’s thinking photography. His priorities are his wife, his kids and grandkids, his photography, writing, and then everything else.
And now, this month’s contribution:
We all know the popularly-held wisdom: Inkjet prints will fade. Maybe they'll last 5 years, whether behind glass or not. The only way to get lasting inkjet print is to use pigment-based inks (along with special papers) which are quite expensive but can last up to 100 years. That's conventional wisdom.
Now let me share with you my own data point: I have framed and displayed inkjet prints dating back from 1997, and their colors are still strong - I estimate they faded perhaps 3% over the years. What ancient printer produced such astounding and expectation-busting results? It was HP's very first photo printer, the PhotoSmart (tm). HP was a pioneer in inkjet technology, coming out with the very first ThinkJet (THermal INKJET) printer in 1984 as a quiet, lightweight printing technology for their portable computers. In 1997 they produced the first printer that could actually make images that looked and felt like real photos (right down to the glossy surface and the thick paper stock) for a whopping $500, cheap by high-end printer standards of the day. And of course I bought one.
That first printer didn't make the splash in the world that it should have. Nobody but me seemed to be excited by this new personal capability - in fact the printer itself seems to have been forgotten by the internet. It probably would have made more of an impact had they marketed it to their actual demographic, the Apple Mac crowd since back in those days they perceived themselves as being more creative than us folks who loved to write scripts. But in a move that will go down in Harvard Business School textbook history as one of the worst corporate mistakes ever (right next to General Motors' decision to sell the Chevy Nova in Mexico without even thinking about changing its name), HP simply looked at the single-digit market share of Mac owners and declared, "This tiny market is not worth the trouble." But the image quality was superb. And just this week (as we continue to unpack - a year after moving in!!!) I was struck by how well these pioneering prints have held up. 26 years - that's longer than some of my conventionally-produced prints. Editor's note: I use Canon printers now. They don't have the bloatware that HP now produces, and they don't hate their customers like Epson. Anyone interested to learn more about inkjet longevity should visit http://wilhelm-research.com/ .
Gabriella - I enjoy spending time outside, walking and gardening. Any time spent in nature is a treasure. When you have a few minutes spend some time with Mother Nature.
DR - Sit, relax and remember that you started out as a child, what were you thinking?
Libby - Relationships need a break from seriousness. Bond over shared interests and have fun together. Get to know each other’s inner child. This way, when there is conflict, you may be able to see the innocent child and have more empathy.
GARY - The best camera for any opportunity is the one you have with you.
Gabriella - I enjoy spending time outside, walking and gardening. Any time spent in nature is a treasure. When you have a few minutes spend some time with Mother Nature.
DR - Sit, relax and remember that you started out as a child, what were you thinking?
Libby - Relationships need a break from seriousness. Bond over shared interests and have fun together. Get to know each other’s inner child. This way, when there is conflict, you may be able to see the innocent child and have more empathy.
Thanks for reading,
Dr. Gabriella Kőrösi, Founder
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I would love to know from our readers what hobbies they engage in!
What Do You Think Of When You Don’t Have To Think? That quote caught my eye.
It is the together fun time that bring a relationship to life!
I we can do all that outdoors, great!
I love this issue!