Re-Discovering Childhood Passions/Hobbies as an Adult

[borealis]

Has anyone else re-discovered their childhood passions? What joy do they bring you? How do you build them into your life as an adult?

 

[Retired To Win]

...Has anyone else re-discovered their childhood passions? What joy do they bring you? How do you build them into your life as an adult?

 I am so curious to hear about others' experiences and passions.

It hasn't worked that way for me.  The avocations that absorbed me in my 20s, 30s, even 40s don't give me a rise anymore.  I've tried to get back into some of them, but the interest is just not there.  Thank goodness I have found new avocations and passions!  ;)

[winostache]

I went back to my childhood interests when I wanted to get involved to something besides work.  As a kid, I took a lot of classess and lessons, which I thought would be a nice way to meet people into my new town.  I had sunk deep into work and started to feel like all I did was go back and forth from work and home.

I decided to get back into horseback riding which has been a ton of fun!  I was a nerdy horse-girl as a kid, but as an adult, there is so much more to learn and I have been really enjoying the challenge and exercise.

How it fits into FIRE? So far it's been a drain to pay for lessons and gear, but I have always had fun tutoring and mentoring, so I could easily picture being an instructor.  I plan to offer to help out at the barn in the hope that I could barter labor for lessons.  That would lower the cost now and give me a foot in the door as an instructor.  I worry about how that might fit alogside my day job, but I won't know until I ask.

[Gone Fishing]

Loved kites as a child, and still do.  Considering buying a $150 para foil for a retirement gift to myself!

[big_slacker]

I was crazy into bikes as a kid. Rode my bmx everywhere, crazy stupid jumps, etc. I gave it up when I went to high school. Later around mid 20s I was living in the mountains and on a whim picked up a mountain bike. Early 40s now and I've not been without a bike or two since.

I ride to work several times a week and I ride dirt on the weekends. Recently rediscovered the jumping part of bikes too. Ill be riding till I die, one of my true passions.

[use2betrix]

I would love to but I don't always love in areas where I can. I miss snowboarding and snowmobiling more than anything. Unfortunately I do contract work all over and it usually means I end up down south. It sucks, but the pay is so significantly better it's hard to turn down. I hope those are things I'm able to pick up more once I'm settled down in one place.

[2ndTimer]

Whenever we are looking for a new hobby at my house we start by asking ourselves what we really loved as children and explore it again as adults.  You can do so much more with a hobby when you have adult control of your time and money.

[Miss Prim]

I tend to go through hobbies and burn out from them.   Right now, I really don't have any other than reading, which I like to do off and on.  If I find a good book, I will read it until I am done.  Sometimes I get into cooking, and other times I hate it.  I grew a big garden and canned a lot, but it seemed more like work than fun! 

I do love to downhill ski.  I guess that is my passion.  But, I only do it a few times a year, because it can get expensive.  That is a hobby I have enjoyed from the time I learned to ski at 20 years old.  I am 62 now, and still enjoy it.

                                                                               Miss Prim

[Big Boots Buddha]

Nothing can be forced. If a person loved something so much, why don't they do it?

I'm in my 30's and play full court basketball with guys in their early 20s. Im not the worst player on the court so as far as Im concerned, everything is going wonderfully. Once Im the worst guy on the court I will start playing with older guys, maybe in my 40s play with guys in their 30s.

I love basketball. Why would I stop? Although I just had shoulder surgery, so Im on the sidelines for a while, though I did a little coaching.

I do go through other hobbies, but that's mostly seasonal. Hiking in summer, board games in winter.

[Gremlin]

When I was two I used to run naked around the front lawn, playing with the water hose.  Now that I'm in my 30s, I don't think my neighbours are that forgiving...

[FrugalFan]

As a child, I was completely obsessed with animals/zoology/nature/biology.

I had countless field guides of every type imaginable, watched every nature documentary I could find, drew my own field guides, took photographs of birds at our feeders, regularly took books about animals out from the library & devoured them, collected and classified feathers/seashells/bones, started an environmental club at my elementary school, donated much of my allowance money to whale rescue organizations, volunteered for stream cleanups, nursed injured wildlife back to health, etc...

As I got older, I somewhat grew out of this obsession, although it has always been simmering in the back of my mind.  In recent years, it has come back in a big way. I once again am doing almost ALL of the things I mentioned above, or at least some variation of them....


Has anyone else re-discovered their childhood passions? What joy do they bring you? How do you build them into your life as an adult?


 I am so curious to hear about others' experiences and passions.

I remember your post in the wildlife watching thread. You really were into it! You should have become a biologist!

I was a bit like you but not to the same extent, and that is what I do for a living now. Two things I loved as a kid that I don't get to do much of now is read books for pleasure, and art. Once I got to high school I was on a science track and was not able to take art classes in high school or university (my university degree was sort of like a double major so I had no electives). I would love to do more of those things if/when I FIRE. But I will always be passionate about nature and biology and it will always be a part of my life.

[darkadams00]

The Great Outdoors! I grew up playing in the woods, fields, and streams near my house. I camped out. I built treehouses. I rode bikes. I climbed rocks and trees.

And then I turned 16 and got a car. And a part-time job to pay for said car. And car insurance. And gas. And maintenance. And traffic tickets. And collision repairs. And higher insurance premiums due to said traffic tickets and collisions. And I got another part-time job. And gave my bike to my younger brother because bikes weren't cool.

In my later 20s I rediscovered the woods, streams, and trails and began to spend more time backpacking and canoeing. Then in my early 40s I bought a bike and began to bike to work and other places around town. Now I would rather bike than drive and rather walk than sit. I've learned to embrace the rain and the cold again. The occasional discomfort and uncertainty that being outdoors brings. I don't "play" like I did when I was a kid, but I do spend a much higher percentage of my time outdoors than I did 15-20 years ago. Hobby? Maybe not. Activity? Definitely.

[FrugalFan]

Ha! Maybe we should switch spots for a while. I've been feeling quite restless lately and I think it is a combination of factors. I love some aspects of my job but not others. And I love my two very young kids and love every minute I get to spend with them, but that means that "me" time has gone out the window over the past three years (they are 3 and 1). I think that will change as they get a bit older and I will be able to pursue some hobbies. I don't want to feel like I am waiting to FIRE. I want to enjoy ALL of my life now.

[Daisy]

I used to like to draw and color as a child. So I went into engineering...that makes sense.

I've questioned my career choice for a long time, but right now I just accept it and see it as the fire hose of money it is. I do get some personal satisfaction at work. And some of my "big picture" thinking goes well with my current role. I try to avoid writing software as much as possible because I don't think I'm good at it and I certainly don't enjoy it now.

I took a sketching class during a 5 month sabbatical and loved it. The teacher kept trying to teach us about the industry of art, and that real artists now only manage their underlings that do the actual art. I wasn't really interested in that because I just wanted to learn how to draw and not make money from it necessarily.

So I've resigned myself to being the whiteboard artist at work. People really dig my drawings. Then I get the question "what are you doing HERE, with talent like that?". Sigh...