Life: How do you pass the time?

[Rhea]

Spawned from "what are you thinking right now,". How about a discussion on whether you find your days easy to fill with enjoyable things, and whether that's been constant over your years. Has it been automatic or deliberate? Does it bother you?

Wannt some of my hobbies?

Apparently I need some of them.

Have had varying hobbies over the last 5-10 years, but now in a lull in the road. Add to that having a stress free job, and being far more technically proficient than I need to be at work and the result is a snoozefest.

Attaining all of my dreams isn't all it's cracked up to be apparently.

This is a fascinating discussion to me. It's a real philosophical excursion. This could make for a long and interesting thread about how does would like to spend one's time, does one need to fill it, what can one do to fill it. And how does that change during the course of one's life.

I'd be interested in that thread.

For me it just seems to be a problem of pace. I've played sports, watched sports, played music, written a novella, written blogs, traveled, been to museums and art galleries, attended theatre, drank loads of craft beers/whiskies/coffees/teas, tried almost every restaurant in my city, cooked, had relationships, read extensively, mastered a trade...... etc etc

In my twenties I voraciously looked for novel experiences, but it turns out that when you do this eventually it gets harder and harder to find novelty. I mean.. yea there is a ton of stuff I could do but after all I've done I don't want to just go buy a camera and stare at birds, or build an arbitrary piece of furniture to pass the time. I want to do something I genuinely care about but outside of supporting my partner, family, and friends those things are getting harder to come by.

 

[bilby]

I make and drink beer.

The 'make' side of things takes up plenty of time, although I have just purchased some kegging gear, and that should cut my bottle washing time dramatically.

 

[Toni]

I've fallen into the bad, bad, bad habit of not devoting enough time to things I truly enjoy. Yes, it bothers me. A lot.

I love: reading, art, sewing, playing around (very amateurishly) with photography, hiking, playing with my dogs. I like making things, I like going places.

Mostly, these days what I make are messes and where I go is to and from work. Not how I want to spend my life.

 

[TV and credit cards]

I've never had trouble busying myself. Drawing, plastic model building, and reading occupied my time throughout my teens.
Then life told me I had to get a job and along came the navy. The navy has a knack for stripping your hobbies down to reading and drinking. Drinking was more of a habit than hobby, or a habit I built into a hobby. I've never cared for the taste of alcohol, being drunk, or hangovers. I think, I hope I am finally done with it.
I thought of auto mechanics and home repair & improvement as hobbies but given how I often have to push myself into it on any given day, I came to realize I'm more attracted to not having to pay someone else to perform these tasks for me. I've pretty much burned out on both.
Over the past few years I find myself loosing interest in movies and books, the latter of which I find unsettling. I thought I would read until the end of days. I've left more books unfinished over the past few years than I've completed.

My one love true is nature. Whether it's hiking, biking, or driving, I love the beauty and solitude of nature. Surrounded by life, I am alone without feeling lonely.

 

[KeepTalking]

My days are much too easy to fill with enjoyable things. So much so that I am often forced to pick from among the things I enjoy spending my time doing. Of course, I am easily amused, and I actually like my job (software development), so that helps. Recently I have had my interests shift somewhat, with the arrival of grandkids. They take up a considerable amount of my free time, but I enjoy spending time with them, so it is a net positive. It seems I have given up my Warhammer 40k hobby as the most notable sacrifice to the kiddos. I also do less reading and writing than I did before, and most of my reading these days consists of short stories and comic books/ graphic novels, rather than longer material. Though I am currently finishing up the final book of The Wheel of Time, knocking out a few chapters a week, usually just before bedtime.

 

[rousseau]

Spawned from "what are you thinking right now,". How about a discussion on whether you find your days easy to fill with enjoyable things, and whether that's been constant over your years. Has it been automatic or deliberate? Does it bother you?

Wannt some of my hobbies?

Apparently I need some of them.

Have had varying hobbies over the last 5-10 years, but now in a lull in the road. Add to that having a stress free job, and being far more technically proficient than I need to be at work and the result is a snoozefest.

Attaining all of my dreams isn't all it's cracked up to be apparently.

This is a fascinating discussion to me. It's a real philosophical excursion. This could make for a long and interesting thread about how does would like to spend one's time, does one need to fill it, what can one do to fill it. And how does that change during the course of one's life.

I'd be interested in that thread.

For me it just seems to be a problem of pace. I've played sports, watched sports, played music, written a novella, written blogs, traveled, been to museums and art galleries, attended theatre, drank loads of craft beers/whiskies/coffees/teas, tried almost every restaurant in my city, cooked, had relationships, read extensively, mastered a trade...... etc etc

In my twenties I voraciously looked for novel experiences, but it turns out that when you do this eventually it gets harder and harder to find novelty. I mean.. yea there is a ton of stuff I could do but after all I've done I don't want to just go buy a camera and stare at birds, or build an arbitrary piece of furniture to pass the time. I want to do something I genuinely care about but outside of supporting my partner, family, and friends those things are getting harder to come by.

To add to this, these days I seem to have way too much productive energy, and nothing particularly productive to spend it on.

In my early twenties, and even last few years I've been a bit angsty about the idea of starting a family. For a while I had mental health issues, and later I didn't have full time employment. During the time I was content to read, learn, experience, travel, do. But I seem to have gotten to a point now where I feel as though there isn't much left for me to learn or experience, and I'd like to start transitioning into the application of my knowledge: using my newfound ability to do stuff.

This year I've had a great time organizing work on our house and planning for our wedding, but above and beyond that I still have way too much energy, and not enough I want to actually spend it on. I hear a lot of people worry about kids making their life harder, but these days I actually need my life to be harder. Anymore I don't think I can be content lazing around my house from 5 - 10pm, Monday to Friday, for the next thirty years.

I don't want to act as though having kids would just be a puzzle piece in my life, I know they'd be enormously gratifying to both my partner and I, but I am starting to understand and believe that parenthood is a natural part of an average life. I don't think people were psychologically meant to be single and live entire lives of leisure. I'm starting to become convinced that stress and activity gives us meaning, and lack thereof usually just results in anxiety and depression.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Spawned from "what are you thinking right now,". How about a discussion on whether you find your days easy to fill with enjoyable things, and whether that's been constant over your years. Has it been automatic or deliberate? Does it bother you?

I love my job. I really do. I spent 20 years in the navy working on missile fire control, now i have a job as an instructor for the company that makes the missile fire control It is literally my job to talk about my career. It's like being paid to tell sea stories.

When not employed to jabber on about fire control, sailors, submarines, missiles and related topics, I read. I've been reading since i was wee.

Relatively recently, about 20 years ago, i got into reading fan fiction. The biggest take-away i found in those stories was, "My god, I can do better than that." So i spend about as much time writing as i do reading, really.

The cool thing about reading is that i can always take a book to someplace there will be down time. All my doctor's know me as a reader, bringing my books into the waiting room, the exam room, the pharmacy.
I can't read during wasted times at work. But i can map out the next NCIS/Stargate crossover, or the fetish sex scene. And after all those years of navy training, my face automatically turns to follow whoever's talking at the Start Of Work meeting or the Status Meeting or the SWS Week pre-brief, no matter what's going on in my head...

 

[gmbteach]

During my recent convalescence i found the days would pass without me really doing anything except TV, iPad games, a little,reading, here and Facebook. Pathetic hey?

Now I am trying to break this habit and do more, such as chores etc.

 

[rousseau]

I've never had trouble busying myself. Drawing, plastic model building, and reading occupied my time throughout my teens.
Then life told me I had to get a job and along came the navy. The navy has a knack for stripping your hobbies down to reading and drinking. Drinking was more of a habit than hobby, or a habit I built into a hobby. I've never cared for the taste of alcohol, being drunk, or hangovers. I think, I hope I am finally done with it.
I thought of auto mechanics and home repair & improvement as hobbies but given how I often have to push myself into it on any given day, I came to realize I'm more attracted to not having to pay someone else to perform these tasks for me. I've pretty much burned out on both.
Over the past few years I find myself loosing interest in movies and books, the latter of which I find unsettling. I thought I would read until the end of days. I've left more books unfinished over the past few years than I've completed.

My one love true is nature. Whether it's hiking, biking, or driving, I love the beauty and solitude of nature. Surrounded by life, I am alone without feeling lonely.

Why books?

This seems to be happening to me rather rapidly, too. Turns out it wasn't books themselves, but the material I wanted from the books. Now that the material I want to know about is drying up, they have less draw.

Might be why I'm now increasingly turning to news channels, as they're ever changing, and ever novel.

 

[iolo]

I've been recovering from cancer and stuff, so medical considerations order my life rather. Spare time I learn Latin, paint, write poetry, read and drink beer, but most of all I recall the nightmare it was to clear my Mother's house, and spend my time checking and burning old papers.

 

[TV and credit cards]

I've never had trouble busying myself. Drawing, plastic model building, and reading occupied my time throughout my teens.
Then life told me I had to get a job and along came the navy. The navy has a knack for stripping your hobbies down to reading and drinking. Drinking was more of a habit than hobby, or a habit I built into a hobby. I've never cared for the taste of alcohol, being drunk, or hangovers. I think, I hope I am finally done with it.
I thought of auto mechanics and home repair & improvement as hobbies but given how I often have to push myself into it on any given day, I came to realize I'm more attracted to not having to pay someone else to perform these tasks for me. I've pretty much burned out on both.
Over the past few years I find myself loosing interest in movies and books, the latter of which I find unsettling. I thought I would read until the end of days. I've left more books unfinished over the past few years than I've completed.

My one love true is nature. Whether it's hiking, biking, or driving, I love the beauty and solitude of nature. Surrounded by life, I am alone without feeling lonely.

Why books?

This seems to be happening to me rather rapidly, too. Turns out it wasn't books themselves, but the material I wanted from the books. Now that the material I want to know about is drying up, they have less draw.

Might be why I'm now increasingly turning to news channels, as they're ever changing, and ever novel.

Loosing interest/the inability to focus and I think in part how quiet my home is. I do find myself leaving the news on much longer, if only for background. I think reading was more enjoyable when I had to get away to do it.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

When I was young I spent countless hours and days playing in the orchard and the garden. Making things grow was an obsession. Now I spend countless hours and days doing the same thing. I think about my ancestors a lot.

Some years ago the lot beside the house came up for sale at an unaffordably high price. But it was right next door so I agreed to the price, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Now I grow blueberries and raspberries and black raspberries and blackberries and pumpkins and pawpaws and apples and peaches. And I watch the rabbits while I fetch with the pups and all is good. And I don't have to drive to a place that is far away. It's right here, right outside the basement door, a walk into Eden.

Reading used to be an obsession but that has passed because it takes too much time. Now I spend the time erecting a support for the red raspberries while a rabbit munches on some orchard grass not five feet away. A robin in the peach tree lets me stroke her feathers and feed her worms while she sits on her nest. It's good. I open the door from the basement and a black snake is coiled under the pear tree. It's home here so I walk around it and move on.

This year I took my first stab at grafting. Had some trees that weren't producing the best fruit so I cut them and did bark inlay grafting. The grafts are growing like crazy, never thought that would happen but it did. I think about the next twenty years, about being able to physically meet the demands of being a warrior farmer like my ancestors, but I think I'm up to it.

And in my spare time I think about Amelia Earhart, Isn't that crazy? But I do, and I think she spent the last days of her life as a castaway on Nikumaroro. Call me crazy but that is where the preponderance of evidence leads. If I had a few million to spare I'd look for her Electra on the reef face because I think it's there waiting to be found.

The wildflowers are maxing out right now. The milkweed is going to seed and the monarch butterflies and zebra swallowtails have completed another cycle. The digger wasps should be showing up in another couple weeks after which I'll be bringing home discarded bags of leaves to distribute across the beds of wildflowers, lovage, rhubarb and mulberry. Life is good.

And in a couple years I will retire and make these activities a permanent endeavor. Not so exciting I know, but satisfying. I saw two box turtles last year. Don't know where they come from or where they're headed but they're welcome here.

 

[Philos]

And in a couple years I will retire and make these activities a permanent endeavor. Not so exciting I know, but satisfying. I saw two box turtles last year. Don't know where they come from or where they're headed but they're welcome here.

joedad,

Are the turtles still with you?

We recently had a parakeet fly in the window and spend the night. He (I'm sure about that) strutted up and down the bookshelves in a Mussolini impersonation and crapped on my first editions. Next morning he was at the window. I opened it, he hesitated and then flew into the blue like an arrow; amazing speed!

Unforgettable.

A.

 

[southernhybrid]

I am semi retired and, and I can't always account for my time, but I do know this. The older we become, the faster time seems to fly by. I'm a news junkie so I spend at least two hours every morning reading the NYTimes and WaPo. I listen to a lot of music from many different genres. I have pet chores to do and housekeeping chores. I float in the pool on hot summer days. Sometimes I sit on the front stoop and watch butterflies on my tiny container garden. I join a group of other older women to do aerobic exercise three times a week. I work two days a week in a somewhat stressful job. I keep in touch with my family by phone a couple of hours a week and my husband and I go grocery shopping almost every single day. He's my chef. I think that's where we spend most of our money and much of our time. In spite of that, we eat lunch out at least three times a week while reading newspapers on our phones, then we discuss what we've read.

I may not be all that productive, but I'm very happy with my life and I'm never bored, because I can always look up things to read on line or read a book on my kindle if I run out of other things to do. I find life to be a lot more satisfying as an older adult than it ever was when I was young. That's probably just the way I perceive things now, but when you're content, it doesn't matter.

 

[Toni]

I am semi retired and, and I can't always account for my time, but I do know this. The older we become, the faster time seems to fly by. I'm a news junkie so I spend at least two hours every morning reading the NYTimes and WaPo. I listen to a lot of music from many different genres. I have pet chores to do and housekeeping chores. I float in the pool on hot summer days. Sometimes I sit on the front stoop and watch butterflies on my tiny container garden. I join a group of other older women to do aerobic exercise three times a week. I work two days a week in a somewhat stressful job. I keep in touch with my family by phone a couple of hours a week and my husband and I go grocery shopping almost every single day. He's my chef. I think that's where we spend most of our money and much of our time. In spite of that, we eat lunch out at least three times a week while reading newspapers on our phones, then we discuss what we've read.

I may not be all that productive, but I'm very happy with my life and I'm never bored, because I can always look up things to read on line or read a book on my kindle if I run out of other things to do. I find life to be a lot more satisfying as an older adult than it ever was when I was young. That's probably just the way I perceive things now, but when you're content, it doesn't matter.

This is pretty much what I'm hoping for. In my fantasies, it includes a bunch of travel and perhaps more contact with grown kiddos. And since we are talking fantasy: a grandchild or two would be nice.

I'm some years from retirement and I find that it takes longer and longer for me to 'de-tox' from my job. That is, to clear my brain and mind of all the things I dislike about my work and get back to being just me.

 

[southernhybrid]

I am semi retired and, and I can't always account for my time, but I do know this. The older we become, the faster time seems to fly by. I'm a news junkie so I spend at least two hours every morning reading the NYTimes and WaPo. I listen to a lot of music from many different genres. I have pet chores to do and housekeeping chores. I float in the pool on hot summer days. Sometimes I sit on the front stoop and watch butterflies on my tiny container garden. I join a group of other older women to do aerobic exercise three times a week. I work two days a week in a somewhat stressful job. I keep in touch with my family by phone a couple of hours a week and my husband and I go grocery shopping almost every single day. He's my chef. I think that's where we spend most of our money and much of our time. In spite of that, we eat lunch out at least three times a week while reading newspapers on our phones, then we discuss what we've read.

I may not be all that productive, but I'm very happy with my life and I'm never bored, because I can always look up things to read on line or read a book on my kindle if I run out of other things to do. I find life to be a lot more satisfying as an older adult than it ever was when I was young. That's probably just the way I perceive things now, but when you're content, it doesn't matter.

This is pretty much what I'm hoping for. In my fantasies, it includes a bunch of travel and perhaps more contact with grown kiddos. And since we are talking fantasy: a grandchild or two would be nice.

I'm some years from retirement and I find that it takes longer and longer for me to 'de-tox' from my job. That is, to clear my brain and mind of all the things I dislike about my work and get back to being just me.

Well, don't give up on the grandkids. My son had his first child at the age of 41 and then number two was born, when he was 43. I didn't expect to have any, so now I just need to relocate to be closer to them. That's easier said than done, I'm afraid.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

And in a couple years I will retire and make these activities a permanent endeavor. Not so exciting I know, but satisfying. I saw two box turtles last year. Don't know where they come from or where they're headed but they're welcome here.

joedad,

Are the turtles still with you?

We recently had a parakeet fly in the window and spend the night. He (I'm sure about that) strutted up and down the bookshelves in a Mussolini impersonation and crapped on my first editions. Next morning he was at the window. I opened it, he hesitated and then flew into the blue like an arrow; amazing speed!

Unforgettable.

A.

There is a lot of very good habitat on my tiny piece of Eden. I have not seen turtles this year but that does not mean they are not there.

Unlike other years this year seems to be the year of the toads. I am finding them everywhere - which is a good thing as they feed on bugs. My brother has a much larger area than mine and it seems he is beset with japanese beetles, an exotic import that can devastate foliage. But I found they love the native evening primrose, which keeps them off the fruit trees, the foliage of which they love.

Very cool on the parakeet - non crapping part. I never thought I would ever be able to stroke a robin on its nest before this year.

 

[DolphinDynasty]

joedad,

Are the turtles still with you?

We recently had a parakeet fly in the window and spend the night. He (I'm sure about that) strutted up and down the bookshelves in a Mussolini impersonation and crapped on my first editions. Next morning he was at the window. I opened it, he hesitated and then flew into the blue like an arrow; amazing speed!

Unforgettable.

A.

There is a lot of very good habitat on my tiny piece of Eden. I have not seen turtles this year but that does not mean they are not there.

Unlike other years this year seems to be the year of the toads. I am finding them everywhere - which is a good thing as they feed on bugs. My brother has a much larger area than mine and it seems he is beset with japanese beetles, an exotic import that can devastate foliage. But I found they love the native evening primrose, which keeps them off the fruit trees, the foliage of which they love.

Very cool on the parakeet - non crapping part. I never thought I would ever be able to stroke a robin on its nest before this year.

I've done a complete run through of The Bible Reloaded, and no on the Quran Reloaded, which is necessarily shorter given the book is quite slim in comparison and sooo much more laughably ridiculous in its wishy washy absolutist rehash of the earlier books.

I've also finally decided to cut my own bullshit and first chance that I can afford it after my finances rebound I'm getting a stationary spin bike so I can work off my major sugar intake over the passed month, which will in turn leave less time to keep eating it.

Re-invited my kitty in the house even tho I never stopped feeding and watching out for him, and spent time in heavy contemplation on my next moves with house, school, work and leaving country. Still working on better/healthier ways of getting green-lit on all fronts.

I still think this life lark is just a parentally great con job (so the bio units are still shitbags for more than their abusive/complacent with abuse natures), but it now flows in the background in a less steady deluge, and more an achingly cold heavy river as of now.

Oh, and I still smoke a fuck ton, logical measurement that it is - jk- That way, my get out of shitty living card still safely tucked away in my cig pack.

Mildly interested in the new Game of Thrones to keep watching and actually considering looking into new Doctor Who despite the wasted potential in casting Peter Capaldi as the last one.

I may be able to salvage my car soon too and if so, first trip is out to a stable that works with physical/emotional disabilities to begin therapy with the only element of this world I've observed steady compassion in as long as there's no threat/abuse or stupidity in movement present.

Other than that I might try learning to cook more than roasted things for a change but prolly not as I cant stand wasting time watching shit boil, or half burn while frying/sauteeing.

 

[gmbteach]

There is a lot of very good habitat on my tiny piece of Eden. I have not seen turtles this year but that does not mean they are not there.

Unlike other years this year seems to be the year of the toads. I am finding them everywhere - which is a good thing as they feed on bugs. My brother has a much larger area than mine and it seems he is beset with japanese beetles, an exotic import that can devastate foliage. But I found they love the native evening primrose, which keeps them off the fruit trees, the foliage of which they love.

Very cool on the parakeet - non crapping part. I never thought I would ever be able to stroke a robin on its nest before this year.

I've done a complete run through of The Bible Reloaded, and no on the Quran Reloaded, which is necessarily shorter given the book is quite slim in comparison and sooo much more laughably ridiculous in its wishy washy absolutist rehash of the earlier books.

I've also finally decided to cut my own bullshit and first chance that I can afford it after my finances rebound I'm getting a stationary spin bike so I can work off my major sugar intake over the passed month, which will in turn leave less time to keep eating it.

Re-invited my kitty in the house even tho I never stopped feeding and watching out for him, and spent time in heavy contemplation on my next moves with house, school, work and leaving country. Still working on better/healthier ways of getting green-lit on all fronts.

I still think this life lark is just a parentally great con job (so the bio units are still shitbags for more than their abusive/complacent with abuse natures), but it now flows in the background in a less steady deluge, and more an achingly cold heavy river as of now.

Oh, and I still smoke a fuck ton, logical measurement that it is - jk- That way, my get out of shitty living card still safely tucked away in my cig pack.

Mildly interested in the new Game of Thrones to keep watching and actually considering looking into new Doctor Who despite the wasted potential in casting Peter Capaldi as the last one.

I may be able to salvage my car soon too and if so, first trip is out to a stable that works with physical/emotional disabilities to begin therapy with the only element of this world I've observed steady compassion in as long as there's no threat/abuse or stupidity in movement present.

Other than that I might try learning to cook more than roasted things for a change but prolly not as I cant stand wasting time watching shit boil, or half burn while frying/sauteeing.

Good to see you and glad you are reunited with kitty.