Hobby Lobby

Tonight I watched the movie Julie & Julia starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. It was a movie I secretly rolled my eyes at when I opened it Christmas morning. I wasn't the least bit interested in seeing it when it came out and never pursued watching it since. Until tonight.

Tonight I was bored. I'm not bored often so when I am I hardly know what to do with myself. It wasn't that I didn't have anything to do, there's always plenty to be done. But with nowhere to be and noone with whom to interact, I decided I'd pass the evening watching a movie. With the tiny selection of movies I own, I was able to mentally browse my options while rummaging through my refrigerator for some dinner. As I threw together some pasta on the stove, I figured a movie about cooking might be nice. Besides...it was a new movie to me.

Culinary legend Julia Child's (Meryl Streep) life and cookbook provided inspiration to fledgling writer Julie Powell (Amy Adams) to whip up 524 recipes in 365 days. Julie decides to cook all the recipes in the Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook. Blogging along the way, Julie discovers "a new recipe for life". Read more about the movie here.

Much to my surprise, I enjoyed it. Moreso, I was inspired.

Aside from the beautiful idea of one life affecting another so profoundly, both women found something they loved to do. And from it they found joy (and much more).

So, it's gotten me thinking - I need a hobby.

It's been a long time since I've actively pursued a hobby. I used to scrapbook. I used to spend hours designing pages and "creating memories." Aside from how time consuming and costly it can be, at some point I even stopped taking pictures. Somewhere along the way I decided I wanted to enjoy the moments I was living instead of worrying so much about capturing them on camara.

My mother, on the other hand, looks at life through a camara lens. It's true. She's rarely not taking photos. It's a hobby she pursues daily. My brother is usually wrapped up in the excruciating details of Fantasy Baseball or his favorite sports teams. A friend of mine plays poker for his hobby. Other friends of mine make things like blankets or stuffed animals or even paint things. All very fine hobbies. But what shall mine be?

I hadn't thought about this as much of an important matter until now. And I guess it brings about a deeper rooted question: what am I passionate about?

Unlike the two leading ladies from the movie, I'm certain that cooking is not my passion. And judging by the frequency of this blog, neither is writing I suppose. I care deeply about organization and aesthetics, but I'm not sure how that would translate into a hobby necessarily. And I don't think Sudoku counts for anything here.

So whatever it is, I'll figure it out. And with the New Year approaching, what better time then to pursue something that will bring me great joy...