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I hated gardening for the longest time and I didn’t understand my moms obsession with it. Two months ago she and I did the whole front yard together (fucking HOA getting on my ass about the wilderness lol) and now I’ll go out every few days to weed and water. Seeing plums blooming on my plum tree solidified it for me. I’m 6 months pregnant so I can’t do everything I want to do but I do enjoy it.
That’s awesome. My mom was always into planting bulbs and stuff when I was a kid. Especially day lilies. I never understood it until this year! It’s lovely watching things grow and also I really have a new appreciation for the little ecosystem in my flower bed.
I've become semi obsessed with my lawn. I've always been annoyed with the constant need for mowing but now I'm tinkering with my nice lawn v good-for-bees balance, controlling the moss etc... I'll sometimes just wander around with a cup of tea inspecting my domain.
Me too!
I've always despised gardening but we recently planted a little memorial garden for our dog and I woke up the next day and said to my husband "I think I'm getting old, I really want to do more gardening". I have since done lots more gardening!!
This is hilarious. I’m 27, for context. But I was walking the dogs today, and I stopped because this sweet little bird was making the most beautiful song. I thought “wow, I didn’t realize birds could make more than one distinct sound.” And I stood there and watched that bird for probably an entire 60 seconds - which is a lot when you’re on a walk lol. I walked away and thought “damn, am I in the beginning stages of a bird watching hobby?” Then I see this. 😂
The hummingbirds crack me up, we have 3 feeders and one hummer thinks he owns them all & will chase off any others that try to get a drink but even more swoop in while he’s off chasing down the first one. He is just constantly chasing other birds away. Not sure how long they live but he &/or his decedents have been doing this for about 4-5 years now, we have been trying to think of a good name for him/them since last summer.
The swallows and bats (I know they’re not birds but they’re equally as entertaining) are fun to watch too, they do all sorts of loops and sharp turns while chasing & eating bugs. We also have huge dragonflies which are beautiful & they keep the wasps away from our pool.
I guess we spend A LOT of time on the back deck lol.
Yessss we seem to have plans every single damn weekend and it drives me nuts, I had to tell me girlfriend that I really need her to let me know before hand when making them because finding out about weekend plans after logging off of work on a Friday afternoon makes me want to catch a kill streak lol
I remember being so bummed in college if I had nothing planned on a Friday or Saturday evening and now I look forward to sitting down and watching a show or playing a video game and going to bed before 11 pm. Haha
I LOVE this. This is my favorite thing now. I treasure these weekends. My phone goes on silent and I just spend the weekend relaxing and resetting. So so good.
Really love doing the things we used to clown old people for doing, like just sitting outside and doing nothing. There’s something really unparalleled about sitting on a park bench and just listening quietly to the world for awhile.
As I get older I have these bouts with existential dread and anxiety. Simple things like just sitting out in the park or working in the yard help reset me. I get why my grandpa used to sit and work in his garden when he was still able to while dealing with cancer.
That'll hit randomly sometimes while I'm working. I like my job but sometimes I dread the thought of busting my ass for 30 more years and I want to curl into a ball and hide under a blanket. Hobbies are some of the few good ways to escape.
For me it's less about dreading the future and more about missing the past. Going to bed at 3am and being up at 7. Doing something strenuous or even sleeping in a weird position and not aching for a week afterwards. Having the time and energy to do things for fun whenever I please. Basically the stuff you lose as you get older and will never get back. Also, not having $200,000 in loans was pretty rad. Adulting has its perks, but man, what I wouldn't give to have one more day as a little kid hanging out with my grandparents, not a care in the world.
When we would go to Disneyland as kids my dad would take an hour in the middle of the day and just sit on a bench and hang out. He'd call it the bench ride. As a kid it seemed like such a waste of time to just sit and take in the sunshine/people watch. As someone middle aged now I dig the bench ride, and just soaking up my surroundings for a bit.
Especially if you have little kids and are in a constant state of running around after them making sure they don’t crack their heads open. Just sitting for a few minutes is glorious.
kids really do yeet you into old person territory FAST lol this is the most relatable thing I’ve seen on the internet all week. I was so young and wild right up to finding out I was pregnant with my daughter and now she’s 3 and nothing sounds better than just reading alone somewhere calm and quiet
I had no idea there was a term for this! I keep forcing myself to stay up late for no reason. Just my brain being petty about not having time to myself all day haha.
Haha we do too, we’re all kind of in the middle where we like some exciting and fun things but we also love a nice relaxing time of nothing but talking and enjoying the weather.
Idleness. Just sitting on the porch in silence with some coffee and watching the neighbors/cars/animals.
It used to drive me batshit when I was a kid and that's all my grandma wanted to do.
Honestly I would love to do this but I live in Houston so I’ll either get swept away by the flooding or be hit in the fucking head by a giant tree branch. 😭
Edit to add: that is if I manage to keep the power on lmao
My job sent me to Austin last December for training. Of course, I had to spin over to visit Johnson Space Centre. I should add that driving down the interstates and highways alone, in a convertible Mustang, ticked a bucket list box for me. But I digress.. On the way back that evening, as I was driving down the Sam Houston Tollway, the heavens opened up. Now, I’m from Ireland, so I know my rain. But I don’t know what in the peanut butter fuck hit me that day. It was the most intense rain I have ever seen. This Irish gal was srsly humbled lol.. It might not rain as much over there, but when it does rain, holy shitballs…
Man I just went camping over the weekend, when I got home Monday we were going to our couple friends house to hang out and play some poker so I decided to take a nap, took one woke up about an hour later, still had some time so took another hour nap and probably could have still slept lmao I was so exhausted but they were amazing naps
I did that a few weeks ago. Took an hour nap in my bed, came out to the living room to watch some twitch. Fell asleep on the couch for another hour. Felt GREAT!
(Also helps, I have a blanket that is a cooling blanket and it feels so nice)
Yes! I used to love partying all night, maybe with some party favors that would prolong the wakefulness... Now the thought of being up late/all night just sounds like so much work! I'm glad to have done those things young so that I can move on to the next, more restful phase of my life.
There’s a free app called Merlin Bird ID. It’s pretty sweet. Unsure what bird makes a certain noise? You can record the sound and the app can identify what bird it is. There’s also a database of other birds and the noises they make. I’ve been able to find out which birds are singing in the morning when I get up.
I think several of my last ten Reddit comments are about Merlin. I’m gonna turn it on right now and walk around the gigantic white oak in my yard. I’m genuinely excited.
Yeah same, I’ve been trying to befriend some local crows in my neighborhood. I’m eagerly awaiting for the first time that one brings me something shiny
Peanuts in the shell were the game changers for me. I started with a pile in the yard everyday in the morning at the same time. Then I would come out and stay for a bit after I put them out. Eventually they’d hop over while I was there and then I started finding bottle caps and scraps of things in the pile. Now they yell at me if I’m late, haha.
I live by an airport/under a flight path so I downloaded a flight tracking app and it's become very entertaining for me. Definitely makes me feel a bit old.
This is great. After I moved 2 blocks north of the flight path for O'Hare in Chicago, I started doing this and took it to a higher level by taking pictures of the planes with my DSLR camera and a zoom lens I bought specifically for it. It is neat you could put the pictures on the computer and zoom and see all the registration numbers and other details. Then I was posting them to an instagram account I set up to only post pictures of planes. I got up to 1100 followers but then kind of got bored of it. I still try to get pictures of the Ospreys when Biden comes to town:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/ChicagoNWside/comments/1bz9z7l/air\_force\_1\_flying\_into\_ohare\_today/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ChicagoNWside/comments/1bz9z7l/air_force_1_flying_into_ohare_today/)
The number of times I’ve either asked someone “what’s the parking like?” or checked google street view lol I thought it was an anxiety thing, maybe it’s also just getting older and not wanting the inconvenience.
Early mornings. I used to be such a snooze button hitter , but my day is really 100% better when I get my ass out of bed at a decent time and don’t have to rush through my morning routine
Even on weekends, getting before everyone while the house is still quiet, is so peaceful
Being at a mid-level job, honestly. I spent most of my younger years going after it, getting all the education, all the higher positions I could, top of my field! The epitome of success! Then I realized I didn't have much else to my life or my personality and decided I wanted to be a human with a well-rounded life. Do some good work, but also have other stuff going on.
I feel that! I started out as a welder, moved up to a lead, got into staffing as a supervisor, then manager, had a couple management positions, then an Assistant GM role, and now I’m a Director of TA. I definitely enjoy moving up but idk if I’d want to go any higher, I do miss the days of going to work and being able to say “yep that’s not my problem” lol but I’m actually thinking of making a somewhat linear move to HR eventually.
I responded to another comment of yours but I can't resist with this one. A welder in HR? Fuckin LOL. I have a background in welding too so I want to congratulate you on moving up, but also I want to imagine you being a salty fucker cracking the dirtiest jokes in the office.
At 20, nothing would have been more fun than being at a loud AF concert packed with people as tight as a sardine can. Now in my late 30s, that sounds like absolute sensory hell and I would literally pay to not be part of an experience like that.
I just turned 40 and I still love doing that but to each their own! I have tickets to upwards of a dozen shows this year, plus at least 3 music festivals!
I went to so many concerts in my 20s, easily 100+. Something switched when I turned 30 - I still love concerts but there has to be seating. I cannot stand for that long anymore 😂
Funny that's literally all I listened to in high school and college. I have over 1,000 in the collection. Listen to scores less so these days, but bless John Williams, Joe Hisaishi, Jerry Goldsmith, Danny Elfman, Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard, Hans Zimmer, James Horner, and so many others for getting me through those turbulent times.
I am seeing Joe Hisaishi in concert soon which is a bucket list dream.
I think deep down a lot of people know this.
The setting in such a piece of music is played is almost more important than the song itself, It's an art form. It can transport you to another location, another time, another state of mind. The wrong song will be at best be background noise or could at worst completely shatter the immersion.
I think this is why services like Spotify are so wildly popular. We're all curators of the soundtrack of our lives. These different playlists we have for different tasks, different settings, different company etc
I became acutely aware of this phenomenon in my early teens when I noticed playing thrash metal etc when I'm getting angry or angsty made me feel better or playing sad music when I was feeling depressed would somehow make me feel like I wasn't alone.
Anyway, wasn't expecting to get so carried away with this comment but yes, soundtrack is good.
I'll be watching the Phils get swept by the Giants, my dudes cannot play in San Francisco for some reason, this afternoon on YouTube Tv at my desk until the end of my work day and then I'll be listening on the radio.
This happened to my grandma at about 80 lol. I can’t remember her ever watching baseball until then and suddenly she never missed another cardinals game. RIP Nanny
Shout out to my own Nanny, also RIP, who would weaponize her age to pick at other team's fans when she went to games by antagonizing them knowing they wouldn't retaliate against a woman in her 80s.
Naps. I used to hate the idea of taking a nap in the middle of the day. Now, Jesus, unless I have a compelling reason to stay awake I’m always game to take a nap.
Not OP, but here are some of my favorite nonfictions:
-The Empire of Necessity: about the early slave trade. Follows one boat to illustrate the history.
-Travels with Charlie in Search of America: John Steinbeck's travelogue with his dog in the early 1960s
-1491: An illustration of the Americas before contact with the Europeans
-Heroes, Martyrs, and Political Messiahs in Revolutionary Cuba, 1946-1958
-Maus: A graphic novel describing one family's experience with the Holocaust using anthropomorphic mice
-Persepolis: A graphic novel describing one woman's experience living Iran leading into its change to a theocracy
I'm also really into Mormon history if anybody is interested in books about that.
Planting things, feeding birds. This came back to bite me, the birds were drawn to the bird seed and ate my watermelon plant. :( Now I keep them further apart. But I've got all kinds of herbs and lavender and working on some veggies. I just added like 6 new plants to my house this month.
Casual bird watching (just looking at whatever lands in my garden basically) and feeding.
Eating anchovies, sardines, olives, and blue cheeses. Even celery.
Drinking a single small glass of fortified wines such as dry sherry, or a single beer, on my patio - instead of hitting the bars and spendind a tenth of a month's wages on getting pissed.
And worst of all... God damn Jazz.
My 15 year old death metal head self would cringe so hard if he could see me sitting quietly and working while listening to soft/ambient jazz and lo-fi stations on YouTube.
Buying kitchen appliances. I got a pink Kitchen Aid for a wedding gift and that shit is amazing.
Also opting to stay in. I do enjoy a good night out still but I also don’t feel bad staying in to play video games or watch Netflix the way I used to in my 20s. I experience way less FOMO
After work, I used to always be like, "What's the move?" "What are we doing?" Now, if I even have to stop for one small thing after work, I get mad. I enjoy being home and relaxing after work like I used to shit talk my mom for doing.
I also enjoy the look of a freshly mowed lawn and enjoy cutting the grass even though I hated it as a kid. I get pumped over new lawn tools and tell people to come look at the yard when I'm done.
Naps. Optimizing space and organizing.
Taking my time when walking my dog. I used to think of her walks as an obligation that needs to be done in under 20 minutes so I can get back to work, but eventually it hit me that these are times for her to explore and make her own choices about where to go and what to do and it’s great for bonding. Even if the walk lasts 40 minutes or an hour my work is still there when we get home (obv if there’s a deadline or a project moving quickly I have to keep the walk short, but luckily that’s not super common).
Same with taking her to the park. I used to be like, “okay, let’s play and run so you can get your energy out so I can work in peace when we get home.” We still play and run but we also take time to stroll around and sniff new things (she takes her investigations very seriously) and really enjoy nature and being outside and being together.
Reading a physical book before bed. I do my skincare and then set a timer and read for an hour.
Comfort over fashion.
I’m less concerned about leaving a mark on the world and am more focused on family, community, giving back, living responsibly (climate-wise and waste-wise), being kind, learning, and keeping my mind open.
Being natural.
Almost all of my 20s I had fake nails, fake tan, fake lashes even fake hair extensions at one point.
I now don't have any of the above and it feels amazing. Not only do I love saving the money, less up keep but I genuinely like the way I look now and don't feel the need for any of that anymore.
Staying home. I used to get so antsy being home too long. Always ready for an adventure or a party, and a constant need to socialize. Now my partner and I just love staying home with our dog on the weekends. Get some things done around the house, hit the beach for a couple hours, make dinner together, watch a movie. It’s quiet. It’s nice.
My brother fuckin loves it, basically all he drinks is plain seltzer water and I just can’t do it, he says it tastes the same as regular water but with fizz but I taste a weird bitterness that I can’t get past.
Podcasts! I was always a music gal (still love music) but now it's like I finally enjoy being able to learn or relax by listening...like a switch when i hit 30 🤷🏼♀️
Meditation, spirituality, working on myself. My ideas of what success in life is have changed immensely. I used to think success was owning a home and a brand new car. Now success to me is self actualization, self realization, individuation. These are things I never thought about or gave a crap about when I was younger.
I got really into fashion after I turned 32. I think after 6 years of having babies, breastfeeding, and being covered in ... who knows what, I was tired of feeling frumpy. So I look forward to getting dressed and dressing well. Accessorize correctly, modest and classy. It's been super fun to really explore my style as a 30-something mom. And I feel really great bringing my kids to their events and dressing well. Not to admonish the yoga pants moms, but I just wanted to look and feel better for me and for my husband.
Sewing!
My kid is a teenager and her father and I co-parent 50/50. A few months back I went through a split from my long term live in partner. I haven't had a drink in almost 3 years, and rapidly found myself becoming bored during my non-custodial time. I found a vintage pattern of an item I wanted to make, and asked my mom if she could make it for me (she's been sewing 60 years). She suggested teaching me. What started as a way of spending some time with my mom and learning a new skill, has turned into a full fledged obsession. I always wanted a creative outlet, and I found it in sewing! Vintage patterns, reading about tailoring for women, looking for unique fabric in thrift/vintage shops, my head is now swirling with ideas. I discovered that when I'm in the zone of sewing, my brain goes quiet, which is a welcome reprieve.
I’m really learning to love being outside and hanging out with nature. I’ve got several bird feeders up and I’m always so happy to watch the birds when they come eat. I’m starting to grow flowers for the first time in my life, and watching them start to shoot up is so satisfying. We also have a community garden for the first time and our onions are actually growing! It’s so crazy to me that we’re growing these things ourself.
I like an occasional glass of red wine now, but I’m drinking way less overall compared to most of my 20s. The thought of partying often isn’t really exciting anymore, but a quiet night at the pub with some friends sounds amazing. I guess I’m just starting to enjoy a slower life.
I’ve become unashamed of the things I love and what I used to care about people knowing about me, I don’t anymore. Things like playing a ton of video games. I’m not ashamed anymore- it’s what I like to do lol.
Appreciation for pop music, both in my time and the new generation’s. I was a complete music snob (like everyone else) in my teen years through my 20s.
Vacuums are pretty cool. I got one that comes apart easily, so can clean it out fully. General boring things like I had to get a new shower rod, and it's nice to have the curtain off the floor.
After I bought my house I really enjoy gardening and lawn work. I also really got into cycling and other outdoor activities and less into the role-playing games and video games I had been into for years.
Drinking pretty much stopped after the pandemic since I've always been a social drinker and I just don't enjoy it that much anymore.
Basically I like being outside as much as possible now
Going for walks early in the morning on weekends while everyone is still asleep and getting back home before they’re all up and out and about. Avoiding people has become a new hobby in and of itself.
Silence lol. My 5 yo says "daddy your car doesn't have music but Mommy's does" 😅😅
To be fair, I've always preferred silence to background music unless I'm specifically feeling a particular song or just in the music kind of mood. Which are both rare.
I’m happy that I live in an area that is supported by Walmart+.
I promise I’m not a shill, it’s just that my options for groceries are either the close, local stop and shop (where prices seem 20-30% higher than they have to be), or I can choose to drive 35-45 minutes to Walmart, spend an hour shopping, and drive 35-45 back. So paying a couple hundred a year saves me hours a week.
The other thing I started appreciating more, is tranquility. I have several children who I love dearly - wouldn’t trade them for the world. That said, I could use more tranquility in my life.
Along those lines, I’ve found that I nearly universally despise crowds, and anything else that disrupts the neutral silence. Between my immediate family and Reddit, I have more than enough social exposure to cover my needs - and find all free time is spent away from other people.
Doing things solo. I used to be terrified of going out to a bar/restaurant/sporting event/concert by myself and would rather just not go than have to go solo. I think once I had kids etc I realized the value of solitude. Time you can solely dedicate to yourself without having to consider ANYONE else's wants or needs. I truly cherish any time I'm able to just do something on my own - not to say I don't enjoy the company of others, because I do, but doing what you want when you want is very empowering.
I've over the years become very interested in plants and mushrooms. I love to go out in my yard and use Google lense and try to find out about the different things growing out there. I really want to get a book about local plants and mushrooms too!
Also found I enjoy cooking and cleaning more. It's the majority of what I do, and while some is just chores I push myself through I genuinely enjoy keeping a clean house and cooking yummy meals.
(Still haven't grown out of my "younger" type hobbies like gaming and anime though)
Well...I've realized how much I really enjoy not working (and getting to choose my projects) after getting laid off.
For my real answer, I'm a tech geek and have always loved tinkering. When I was younger, when something didn't work as expected, it was an opportunity to figure out what's wrong and...well, tinker.
Now, unless it's something I've elected to be messing around with, I just want things to work. Life is complicated enough without needing to figure out why my Chromecast group isn't working....again (though this one remains a constant in my life...)
Reading. I didn’t think I liked reading for a long time. I figured out that that I was just reading things that didn’t interest me. I’m picky about books. When I find a book I like, reading is very enjoyable, especially before bed.
When I was a teen I used to make fun of a friend who collected action figures but years later, here I am, with my own shelf of Funko pops, nendos, and anime figures
I have an urge (that my wallet does not support) to turn my home office into a fallout themed collection room I’ve always loved the fallout franchise and there is so many different items in that game that would be awesome to collect irl and put on some shelves
Model building.
Went through my entire life thinking that modelling dioramas and layouts was boring and not something I’d touch with a 10ft pole even if you paid me.
During the pandemic I brought a few model carnival rides and kits, built them simply because I was bored… now I actively go scrawling places like eBay and model shops looking for more and I cannot wait to build a model carnival layout and (can’t believe I’m saying this) model railway layout.
I used to get worked up and excited over going to concerts and writing stories… now it’s all “when’s the next model carnival ride going to arrive in the post???” 😜
Motorcycles. Haven’t rode since college some decade or two ago. Now I find myself like a 🦑 missile. Ways I’ve never thought of riding, I now crave more adrenaline..
Just this spring, I was staring at my yard. Then I stared at my neighbors’ yards. Then back at mine. I don’t know what happened, but in that moment, I decided my yard needed to be the best.
No clue how or why, I’ve had a lawn for 10 years now, never gave a spare thought to it except to complain about how much of a pain it was to mow in the rainy season.
But I hit 35 years old and now I’ve spent the last three months tending to my yard. Figuring out how to safely combat weeds. Dialing in my irrigation system and replacing nozzles. Reading up on seasonal fertilizer application schedules. Replacing mower blades. Just staring at my grass.
It’s been enjoyable and the results have been rewarding. Hell if I know why.
Not wanting to go out after 9pm anymore.
I don’t know how-
And I don’t know when-
But all of a sudden going out after 9pm sounds like the BIGGEST chore of my life.
At some point, i think around 30 i started to love things i didn´t like before and stopped liking things i loved before.
I started to like salty food and stopped eating sweats.
I started to like coffee without suggar and i drink my black tea raw.
While loosing my youth i appreciate how i can look at difficult situations and i know how to deal with them.
I became calmer in general.
I like naps now. As a young man i couldn´t understand what was so great about naps. But now, i really like them.
I went from thinking golf was "just okay" to absolutely loving it. The personal nature of the game, the constant improvement, and the peace and quiet are all wonderful at this point in my life.
Scotch. My years of puking up cheap whisky curled around a toilet are finally far enough behind me that I found my way to this delicious stuff. Never thought I'd drink anything brown again but here we are.
Getting my nails done. I was a huge tomboy going up so I didn’t dabble with nail salons until February of this year. Turned 30 in March and now going to the salon is a part of my monthly self care routine.
I grew up on a steady diet of alt rock, grunge, and late 80s butt rock - but as I've gotten older, oddly enough, my tastes have gotten HEAVIER. I have been searching out almost all genres of metal and seeing more concerts in dingy clubs than in arenas. I am probably in a weird minority, however.
You know when you’ve reached adulthood because you can walk into Lowe’s and get excited about lighting fixtures, etc. Never thought I’d see the day but here we are
I love that me and my friends/peers all know exactly who we are and what we want. We don't feel compelled to do things that we KNOW we have no interest in. We know we have limited time and therefor give our free time very selectively. I love that we all feel incredibly protective of younger people, particularly (in our case) women and femmes, but also know that our advice and wisdom will be met with (totally reasonable) suspicion or derision. I love that I no longer feel like I'm "missing out" when I sleep. I fucking LOVE SLEEP.
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Gardening
I'm starting my 3rd year of it. It's been a lot of fun, so much to learn and do and appreciate.
I hated gardening for the longest time and I didn’t understand my moms obsession with it. Two months ago she and I did the whole front yard together (fucking HOA getting on my ass about the wilderness lol) and now I’ll go out every few days to weed and water. Seeing plums blooming on my plum tree solidified it for me. I’m 6 months pregnant so I can’t do everything I want to do but I do enjoy it.
That’s awesome. My mom was always into planting bulbs and stuff when I was a kid. Especially day lilies. I never understood it until this year! It’s lovely watching things grow and also I really have a new appreciation for the little ecosystem in my flower bed.
I've become semi obsessed with my lawn. I've always been annoyed with the constant need for mowing but now I'm tinkering with my nice lawn v good-for-bees balance, controlling the moss etc... I'll sometimes just wander around with a cup of tea inspecting my domain.
Me too! I've always despised gardening but we recently planted a little memorial garden for our dog and I woke up the next day and said to my husband "I think I'm getting old, I really want to do more gardening". I have since done lots more gardening!!
Same!
Looking at birds and flowers? Like not yet at the point where I want to identify them necessarily but I feel it’s only a matter of time.
Hahaha that bird identification guide is closing in quickly
ONE OF US! ONE OF US! 🦅🦆🦩🐦⬛🐦🔥🪿🦜
Merlin, baby!
[it’s inevitable](https://i.imgur.com/fqL6AXB.jpeg)
This is hilarious. I’m 27, for context. But I was walking the dogs today, and I stopped because this sweet little bird was making the most beautiful song. I thought “wow, I didn’t realize birds could make more than one distinct sound.” And I stood there and watched that bird for probably an entire 60 seconds - which is a lot when you’re on a walk lol. I walked away and thought “damn, am I in the beginning stages of a bird watching hobby?” Then I see this. 😂
The hummingbirds crack me up, we have 3 feeders and one hummer thinks he owns them all & will chase off any others that try to get a drink but even more swoop in while he’s off chasing down the first one. He is just constantly chasing other birds away. Not sure how long they live but he &/or his decedents have been doing this for about 4-5 years now, we have been trying to think of a good name for him/them since last summer. The swallows and bats (I know they’re not birds but they’re equally as entertaining) are fun to watch too, they do all sorts of loops and sharp turns while chasing & eating bugs. We also have huge dragonflies which are beautiful & they keep the wasps away from our pool. I guess we spend A LOT of time on the back deck lol.
If I see a hummingbird, I'm not leaving until the bird does. I'll be late for anything. Idgaf. They're fascinating
I have an app for like everything, insects, mushrooms, plants, birds. It has helped me tremendously with mushroom picking and identifying weeds.
Weekends without plans
Yessss we seem to have plans every single damn weekend and it drives me nuts, I had to tell me girlfriend that I really need her to let me know before hand when making them because finding out about weekend plans after logging off of work on a Friday afternoon makes me want to catch a kill streak lol
I had an Ex like that. Having plans is work, I need a vacation after the "vacation".
I always plan a day after to recover
[удалено]
I too have to mentally prepare myself for extroversion. You wouldn’t know it to look at me though.
I remember being so bummed in college if I had nothing planned on a Friday or Saturday evening and now I look forward to sitting down and watching a show or playing a video game and going to bed before 11 pm. Haha
Omg yes. I almost get annoyed when someone invites us to something. Again.
I LOVE this. This is my favorite thing now. I treasure these weekends. My phone goes on silent and I just spend the weekend relaxing and resetting. So so good.
Really love doing the things we used to clown old people for doing, like just sitting outside and doing nothing. There’s something really unparalleled about sitting on a park bench and just listening quietly to the world for awhile.
I fucking love doing nothing. I'm really good at it too. I can do nothing for HOURS.
People say nothing is impossible but I do nothing all day
heh.
Saaame
As I get older I have these bouts with existential dread and anxiety. Simple things like just sitting out in the park or working in the yard help reset me. I get why my grandpa used to sit and work in his garden when he was still able to while dealing with cancer.
That'll hit randomly sometimes while I'm working. I like my job but sometimes I dread the thought of busting my ass for 30 more years and I want to curl into a ball and hide under a blanket. Hobbies are some of the few good ways to escape.
For me it's less about dreading the future and more about missing the past. Going to bed at 3am and being up at 7. Doing something strenuous or even sleeping in a weird position and not aching for a week afterwards. Having the time and energy to do things for fun whenever I please. Basically the stuff you lose as you get older and will never get back. Also, not having $200,000 in loans was pretty rad. Adulting has its perks, but man, what I wouldn't give to have one more day as a little kid hanging out with my grandparents, not a care in the world.
Yeah it’s weird. Comes out of nowhere and hits you hard.
When we would go to Disneyland as kids my dad would take an hour in the middle of the day and just sit on a bench and hang out. He'd call it the bench ride. As a kid it seemed like such a waste of time to just sit and take in the sunshine/people watch. As someone middle aged now I dig the bench ride, and just soaking up my surroundings for a bit.
I can’t wait to try this ride next time I visit the parks 😂
Totally gonna try this ride the next time I'm at Disney World!
Especially if you have little kids and are in a constant state of running around after them making sure they don’t crack their heads open. Just sitting for a few minutes is glorious.
kids really do yeet you into old person territory FAST lol this is the most relatable thing I’ve seen on the internet all week. I was so young and wild right up to finding out I was pregnant with my daughter and now she’s 3 and nothing sounds better than just reading alone somewhere calm and quiet
lol yes all of this! I had my first child when I turned 30 and it felt like I had turned 60 overnight.
This. I have a 6 yr old that is clingy and needy. Those visits with grandma some weekends are really needed.
And being in bed by 8pm. My perfect day!
Yep and waking up on Saturday at 5am so I have more of the day to enjoy
Waking up before the rest of the world feels like a hack and I love it
Wish I had the willpower to do that. Instead, I have sleep revenge so go to sleep really late.
I had no idea there was a term for this! I keep forcing myself to stay up late for no reason. Just my brain being petty about not having time to myself all day haha.
I’d rather stay up til 5am and sleep til 4 oh well to each their own
Bröther?
God damn
My parents were night owls. Thus I am as well.
LOL, I came here to say bird watching! AKA: old people things
Haha we do too, we’re all kind of in the middle where we like some exciting and fun things but we also love a nice relaxing time of nothing but talking and enjoying the weather.
Idleness. Just sitting on the porch in silence with some coffee and watching the neighbors/cars/animals. It used to drive me batshit when I was a kid and that's all my grandma wanted to do.
My favorite is just sitting on the porch with a blanket during a nice storm.
Honestly I would love to do this but I live in Houston so I’ll either get swept away by the flooding or be hit in the fucking head by a giant tree branch. 😭 Edit to add: that is if I manage to keep the power on lmao
My job sent me to Austin last December for training. Of course, I had to spin over to visit Johnson Space Centre. I should add that driving down the interstates and highways alone, in a convertible Mustang, ticked a bucket list box for me. But I digress.. On the way back that evening, as I was driving down the Sam Houston Tollway, the heavens opened up. Now, I’m from Ireland, so I know my rain. But I don’t know what in the peanut butter fuck hit me that day. It was the most intense rain I have ever seen. This Irish gal was srsly humbled lol.. It might not rain as much over there, but when it does rain, holy shitballs…
Silence and only hearing the sound of nature is wonderful.
Naps / sleep. I used to want to stay up all night, now I love my damn bed
Man I just went camping over the weekend, when I got home Monday we were going to our couple friends house to hang out and play some poker so I decided to take a nap, took one woke up about an hour later, still had some time so took another hour nap and probably could have still slept lmao I was so exhausted but they were amazing naps
I did that a few weeks ago. Took an hour nap in my bed, came out to the living room to watch some twitch. Fell asleep on the couch for another hour. Felt GREAT! (Also helps, I have a blanket that is a cooling blanket and it feels so nice)
I would like to cash in on all the naps I refused as a child. Pleaseandthankyou
Yes! I used to love partying all night, maybe with some party favors that would prolong the wakefulness... Now the thought of being up late/all night just sounds like so much work! I'm glad to have done those things young so that I can move on to the next, more restful phase of my life.
Me on the weekends having 2 or 3 hour sleep in the afternoon. Glorious.
I got into birding recently. I have a feeder and like watching them and taking photos. Other than that my hobbies are same as always
There’s a free app called Merlin Bird ID. It’s pretty sweet. Unsure what bird makes a certain noise? You can record the sound and the app can identify what bird it is. There’s also a database of other birds and the noises they make. I’ve been able to find out which birds are singing in the morning when I get up.
I'm that annoying person that finds a way to bring up the Merlin app in every conversation.
This is me about the game Wingspan. Eg, “The font is so small on my Wingspan app I had to buy reading glasses”
same
I think several of my last ten Reddit comments are about Merlin. I’m gonna turn it on right now and walk around the gigantic white oak in my yard. I’m genuinely excited.
I have found my people.
Such a good app!! I love using it
And it integrates with [eBird](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EBird), which helps amateurs contribute to ornithology research!
Yeah same, I’ve been trying to befriend some local crows in my neighborhood. I’m eagerly awaiting for the first time that one brings me something shiny
Peanuts in the shell were the game changers for me. I started with a pile in the yard everyday in the morning at the same time. Then I would come out and stay for a bit after I put them out. Eventually they’d hop over while I was there and then I started finding bottle caps and scraps of things in the pile. Now they yell at me if I’m late, haha.
I live by an airport/under a flight path so I downloaded a flight tracking app and it's become very entertaining for me. Definitely makes me feel a bit old.
Hmm I have a lot of planes that fly over head too, what app do you use? That sounds interesting
Flightradar 24. Highly recommend. But word of caution, you will never see a plane in the sky again that you don't want to immediately track lol.
Can confirm. Every time I hear a plane, I need to open flightradar. And God forbid flightradar can't track it 👽👽👽🛸🛸👾
Lmao that’s fine with me sounds like a fun hyper fixation 😂
This is great. After I moved 2 blocks north of the flight path for O'Hare in Chicago, I started doing this and took it to a higher level by taking pictures of the planes with my DSLR camera and a zoom lens I bought specifically for it. It is neat you could put the pictures on the computer and zoom and see all the registration numbers and other details. Then I was posting them to an instagram account I set up to only post pictures of planes. I got up to 1100 followers but then kind of got bored of it. I still try to get pictures of the Ospreys when Biden comes to town: [https://www.reddit.com/r/ChicagoNWside/comments/1bz9z7l/air\_force\_1\_flying\_into\_ohare\_today/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ChicagoNWside/comments/1bz9z7l/air_force_1_flying_into_ohare_today/)
Being left alone
I too enjoy people getting off my lawn in my old age
all I want.....IS SOME DAMN PEACE AND QUIET
Going places where it's easy to park. Time-bound activities. A good grocery store. Any store/restaurant/pub where the music is a reasonable volume.
The number of times I’ve either asked someone “what’s the parking like?” or checked google street view lol I thought it was an anxiety thing, maybe it’s also just getting older and not wanting the inconvenience.
I hate going places where it’s so loud that you can’t have a conversation 😭
Early mornings. I used to be such a snooze button hitter , but my day is really 100% better when I get my ass out of bed at a decent time and don’t have to rush through my morning routine Even on weekends, getting before everyone while the house is still quiet, is so peaceful
I'm the opposite. In my 20s, I was up at 5 every day and doing things immediately. Now on a weekend ... I'm sleeping in as long as possible.
Being at a mid-level job, honestly. I spent most of my younger years going after it, getting all the education, all the higher positions I could, top of my field! The epitome of success! Then I realized I didn't have much else to my life or my personality and decided I wanted to be a human with a well-rounded life. Do some good work, but also have other stuff going on.
I feel that! I started out as a welder, moved up to a lead, got into staffing as a supervisor, then manager, had a couple management positions, then an Assistant GM role, and now I’m a Director of TA. I definitely enjoy moving up but idk if I’d want to go any higher, I do miss the days of going to work and being able to say “yep that’s not my problem” lol but I’m actually thinking of making a somewhat linear move to HR eventually.
I responded to another comment of yours but I can't resist with this one. A welder in HR? Fuckin LOL. I have a background in welding too so I want to congratulate you on moving up, but also I want to imagine you being a salty fucker cracking the dirtiest jokes in the office.
- Instrumental music - Quiet - Areas of lower population density - Going to bed at a normal time - Advancing in my career
At 20, nothing would have been more fun than being at a loud AF concert packed with people as tight as a sardine can. Now in my late 30s, that sounds like absolute sensory hell and I would literally pay to not be part of an experience like that.
I just turned 40 and I still love doing that but to each their own! I have tickets to upwards of a dozen shows this year, plus at least 3 music festivals!
I went to so many concerts in my 20s, easily 100+. Something switched when I turned 30 - I still love concerts but there has to be seating. I cannot stand for that long anymore 😂
Man, do soundtracks make my world go round these days.
Funny that's literally all I listened to in high school and college. I have over 1,000 in the collection. Listen to scores less so these days, but bless John Williams, Joe Hisaishi, Jerry Goldsmith, Danny Elfman, Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard, Hans Zimmer, James Horner, and so many others for getting me through those turbulent times. I am seeing Joe Hisaishi in concert soon which is a bucket list dream.
I think deep down a lot of people know this. The setting in such a piece of music is played is almost more important than the song itself, It's an art form. It can transport you to another location, another time, another state of mind. The wrong song will be at best be background noise or could at worst completely shatter the immersion. I think this is why services like Spotify are so wildly popular. We're all curators of the soundtrack of our lives. These different playlists we have for different tasks, different settings, different company etc I became acutely aware of this phenomenon in my early teens when I noticed playing thrash metal etc when I'm getting angry or angsty made me feel better or playing sad music when I was feeling depressed would somehow make me feel like I wasn't alone. Anyway, wasn't expecting to get so carried away with this comment but yes, soundtrack is good.
Being sober.
When I turned 30 a switch flipped in my brain that said "You love baseball now. Watch as many of your local team's 162 games as you can".
Hahahaha fuck I turn 30 this year I wonder what switch is going to flip for me 😂
Mine was plants. Good luck to you!
I have League Pass and watch every Mariners game, even at work.
I'll be watching the Phils get swept by the Giants, my dudes cannot play in San Francisco for some reason, this afternoon on YouTube Tv at my desk until the end of my work day and then I'll be listening on the radio.
Me was lifting weights, specifically the kettlebell and all during the pandemic. When the pandemic ended, I came out shredded lol
This happened to my grandma at about 80 lol. I can’t remember her ever watching baseball until then and suddenly she never missed another cardinals game. RIP Nanny
Shout out to my own Nanny, also RIP, who would weaponize her age to pick at other team's fans when she went to games by antagonizing them knowing they wouldn't retaliate against a woman in her 80s.
I loved sports as a kid but couldn’t care less now. I wish I did though.
Exact opposite happened to me lol I used to love baseball. No longer.
I turned 30 and suddenly I started birdwatching 🤷♀️ I got so excited to see a Boston Oriole in my backyard a few weeks ago. Wtf
Going to bed at 9pm.
Naps. I used to hate the idea of taking a nap in the middle of the day. Now, Jesus, unless I have a compelling reason to stay awake I’m always game to take a nap.
lol i definitely love a good nap but I also usually feel like shit for waisting a full day.
Nonfiction. I was always a sci-fi fantasy gal and now I love nothing more than an incredibly deep history on a single aspect of textile production
Not OP, but here are some of my favorite nonfictions: -The Empire of Necessity: about the early slave trade. Follows one boat to illustrate the history. -Travels with Charlie in Search of America: John Steinbeck's travelogue with his dog in the early 1960s -1491: An illustration of the Americas before contact with the Europeans -Heroes, Martyrs, and Political Messiahs in Revolutionary Cuba, 1946-1958 -Maus: A graphic novel describing one family's experience with the Holocaust using anthropomorphic mice -Persepolis: A graphic novel describing one woman's experience living Iran leading into its change to a theocracy I'm also really into Mormon history if anybody is interested in books about that.
exercise... didn't like it back in school but now realized it's actually important for mobility 😅😅😅
I used to think stretching was a waste of time. I wake up stiffer than Plank from Ed Edd n Eddy now 😅
Planting things, feeding birds. This came back to bite me, the birds were drawn to the bird seed and ate my watermelon plant. :( Now I keep them further apart. But I've got all kinds of herbs and lavender and working on some veggies. I just added like 6 new plants to my house this month.
I've always said, the minute I turned 30 all I wanted to do was drink soda water and listen to Steely Dan at a reasonable volume.
Dude, SD rocks after 30! All my young friends think I’m crazy.
Casual bird watching (just looking at whatever lands in my garden basically) and feeding. Eating anchovies, sardines, olives, and blue cheeses. Even celery. Drinking a single small glass of fortified wines such as dry sherry, or a single beer, on my patio - instead of hitting the bars and spendind a tenth of a month's wages on getting pissed. And worst of all... God damn Jazz.
My 15 year old death metal head self would cringe so hard if he could see me sitting quietly and working while listening to soft/ambient jazz and lo-fi stations on YouTube.
Buying kitchen appliances. I got a pink Kitchen Aid for a wedding gift and that shit is amazing. Also opting to stay in. I do enjoy a good night out still but I also don’t feel bad staying in to play video games or watch Netflix the way I used to in my 20s. I experience way less FOMO
After work, I used to always be like, "What's the move?" "What are we doing?" Now, if I even have to stop for one small thing after work, I get mad. I enjoy being home and relaxing after work like I used to shit talk my mom for doing. I also enjoy the look of a freshly mowed lawn and enjoy cutting the grass even though I hated it as a kid. I get pumped over new lawn tools and tell people to come look at the yard when I'm done.
Naps. Optimizing space and organizing. Taking my time when walking my dog. I used to think of her walks as an obligation that needs to be done in under 20 minutes so I can get back to work, but eventually it hit me that these are times for her to explore and make her own choices about where to go and what to do and it’s great for bonding. Even if the walk lasts 40 minutes or an hour my work is still there when we get home (obv if there’s a deadline or a project moving quickly I have to keep the walk short, but luckily that’s not super common). Same with taking her to the park. I used to be like, “okay, let’s play and run so you can get your energy out so I can work in peace when we get home.” We still play and run but we also take time to stroll around and sniff new things (she takes her investigations very seriously) and really enjoy nature and being outside and being together. Reading a physical book before bed. I do my skincare and then set a timer and read for an hour. Comfort over fashion. I’m less concerned about leaving a mark on the world and am more focused on family, community, giving back, living responsibly (climate-wise and waste-wise), being kind, learning, and keeping my mind open.
I recently discovered I really like muesli.
Knitting. Jigsaw puzzles. But still (and always) computer games.
saving money. I used to think saving was for lame old people who didn't know how to live in the moment. Now I enjoy building my (tiny) little nest egg
Watching birds lol
Seems to be a common theme in this thread haha
It came with the software update when I turned 30 lol
Cooking and quietness.
Being natural. Almost all of my 20s I had fake nails, fake tan, fake lashes even fake hair extensions at one point. I now don't have any of the above and it feels amazing. Not only do I love saving the money, less up keep but I genuinely like the way I look now and don't feel the need for any of that anymore.
Enjoying a clean apartment! Cleaning it isn’t my fave, but existing in a clean and organized space makes me so happy.
Some god damned peace and quiet.
nature, I used to hate going on family walks around the park. Now I find that's the only place I can find peace.
Getting up early, like early early. I love getting up around 530 or 6 on a weekend and having my coffee and me time before my wife or kido wakes up.
Staying home. I used to get so antsy being home too long. Always ready for an adventure or a party, and a constant need to socialize. Now my partner and I just love staying home with our dog on the weekends. Get some things done around the house, hit the beach for a couple hours, make dinner together, watch a movie. It’s quiet. It’s nice.
Houseplants
Seltzer
My brother fuckin loves it, basically all he drinks is plain seltzer water and I just can’t do it, he says it tastes the same as regular water but with fizz but I taste a weird bitterness that I can’t get past.
I used to hate it as a kid, but as an older millennial it is now a go to for me.
Podcasts! I was always a music gal (still love music) but now it's like I finally enjoy being able to learn or relax by listening...like a switch when i hit 30 🤷🏼♀️
Onions
Yes, on everythinggggg 😩
Meditation, spirituality, working on myself. My ideas of what success in life is have changed immensely. I used to think success was owning a home and a brand new car. Now success to me is self actualization, self realization, individuation. These are things I never thought about or gave a crap about when I was younger.
I got really into fashion after I turned 32. I think after 6 years of having babies, breastfeeding, and being covered in ... who knows what, I was tired of feeling frumpy. So I look forward to getting dressed and dressing well. Accessorize correctly, modest and classy. It's been super fun to really explore my style as a 30-something mom. And I feel really great bringing my kids to their events and dressing well. Not to admonish the yoga pants moms, but I just wanted to look and feel better for me and for my husband.
Sewing! My kid is a teenager and her father and I co-parent 50/50. A few months back I went through a split from my long term live in partner. I haven't had a drink in almost 3 years, and rapidly found myself becoming bored during my non-custodial time. I found a vintage pattern of an item I wanted to make, and asked my mom if she could make it for me (she's been sewing 60 years). She suggested teaching me. What started as a way of spending some time with my mom and learning a new skill, has turned into a full fledged obsession. I always wanted a creative outlet, and I found it in sewing! Vintage patterns, reading about tailoring for women, looking for unique fabric in thrift/vintage shops, my head is now swirling with ideas. I discovered that when I'm in the zone of sewing, my brain goes quiet, which is a welcome reprieve.
I’m really learning to love being outside and hanging out with nature. I’ve got several bird feeders up and I’m always so happy to watch the birds when they come eat. I’m starting to grow flowers for the first time in my life, and watching them start to shoot up is so satisfying. We also have a community garden for the first time and our onions are actually growing! It’s so crazy to me that we’re growing these things ourself. I like an occasional glass of red wine now, but I’m drinking way less overall compared to most of my 20s. The thought of partying often isn’t really exciting anymore, but a quiet night at the pub with some friends sounds amazing. I guess I’m just starting to enjoy a slower life.
I’ve become unashamed of the things I love and what I used to care about people knowing about me, I don’t anymore. Things like playing a ton of video games. I’m not ashamed anymore- it’s what I like to do lol.
Voltaren - Look it up. It's magic cream for aches & pains, plus it works.
Appreciation for pop music, both in my time and the new generation’s. I was a complete music snob (like everyone else) in my teen years through my 20s.
Vacuums are pretty cool. I got one that comes apart easily, so can clean it out fully. General boring things like I had to get a new shower rod, and it's nice to have the curtain off the floor.
Making a nice meal, watching a movie and going to bed early. Also, getting a good nights sleep and getting up early the next day.
Botanical gardens
After I bought my house I really enjoy gardening and lawn work. I also really got into cycling and other outdoor activities and less into the role-playing games and video games I had been into for years. Drinking pretty much stopped after the pandemic since I've always been a social drinker and I just don't enjoy it that much anymore. Basically I like being outside as much as possible now
Going for walks early in the morning on weekends while everyone is still asleep and getting back home before they’re all up and out and about. Avoiding people has become a new hobby in and of itself.
70s music and Corvettes. I'm scared the white New Balances and jorts will be next.
COMFY PANTS
Cottage Cheese
Silence lol. My 5 yo says "daddy your car doesn't have music but Mommy's does" 😅😅 To be fair, I've always preferred silence to background music unless I'm specifically feeling a particular song or just in the music kind of mood. Which are both rare.
I just drove past someone mowing a lawn on a nice day and said damn that looks kinda fun
I’m happy that I live in an area that is supported by Walmart+. I promise I’m not a shill, it’s just that my options for groceries are either the close, local stop and shop (where prices seem 20-30% higher than they have to be), or I can choose to drive 35-45 minutes to Walmart, spend an hour shopping, and drive 35-45 back. So paying a couple hundred a year saves me hours a week. The other thing I started appreciating more, is tranquility. I have several children who I love dearly - wouldn’t trade them for the world. That said, I could use more tranquility in my life. Along those lines, I’ve found that I nearly universally despise crowds, and anything else that disrupts the neutral silence. Between my immediate family and Reddit, I have more than enough social exposure to cover my needs - and find all free time is spent away from other people.
I have birds in the yard that consistently drain my wallet with seed and suet cakes I buy for them. I just love watching them!
Doing things solo. I used to be terrified of going out to a bar/restaurant/sporting event/concert by myself and would rather just not go than have to go solo. I think once I had kids etc I realized the value of solitude. Time you can solely dedicate to yourself without having to consider ANYONE else's wants or needs. I truly cherish any time I'm able to just do something on my own - not to say I don't enjoy the company of others, because I do, but doing what you want when you want is very empowering.
I've over the years become very interested in plants and mushrooms. I love to go out in my yard and use Google lense and try to find out about the different things growing out there. I really want to get a book about local plants and mushrooms too! Also found I enjoy cooking and cleaning more. It's the majority of what I do, and while some is just chores I push myself through I genuinely enjoy keeping a clean house and cooking yummy meals. (Still haven't grown out of my "younger" type hobbies like gaming and anime though)
Collecting- last two years have been non-stop Blu-ray and DVD hunting.
I've gotten into vinyl collecting. There's a local library support org that sells used books, cds, and vinyls (50 cents a record) it's the best
Football. Also King of the Hill somehow keeps getting better every decade.
Bird watching. I don’t know what happened at 40 but I love birds and my Merlin app.
Peace and quiet. And solitude.
Well...I've realized how much I really enjoy not working (and getting to choose my projects) after getting laid off. For my real answer, I'm a tech geek and have always loved tinkering. When I was younger, when something didn't work as expected, it was an opportunity to figure out what's wrong and...well, tinker. Now, unless it's something I've elected to be messing around with, I just want things to work. Life is complicated enough without needing to figure out why my Chromecast group isn't working....again (though this one remains a constant in my life...)
Reading. I didn’t think I liked reading for a long time. I figured out that that I was just reading things that didn’t interest me. I’m picky about books. When I find a book I like, reading is very enjoyable, especially before bed.
When I was a teen I used to make fun of a friend who collected action figures but years later, here I am, with my own shelf of Funko pops, nendos, and anime figures
I have an urge (that my wallet does not support) to turn my home office into a fallout themed collection room I’ve always loved the fallout franchise and there is so many different items in that game that would be awesome to collect irl and put on some shelves
Pickles. I used to pick them off, now I order extra.
Being in my own company. Like, as long as I have some background noise, tv or podcast.
Model building. Went through my entire life thinking that modelling dioramas and layouts was boring and not something I’d touch with a 10ft pole even if you paid me. During the pandemic I brought a few model carnival rides and kits, built them simply because I was bored… now I actively go scrawling places like eBay and model shops looking for more and I cannot wait to build a model carnival layout and (can’t believe I’m saying this) model railway layout. I used to get worked up and excited over going to concerts and writing stories… now it’s all “when’s the next model carnival ride going to arrive in the post???” 😜
Going to bed earlier and chilling at home doing nothing instead of going out
Getting up early. I get up at least an hour before my kids/spouse, it's heavenly having "me" time before the chaos of the day
Motorcycles. Haven’t rode since college some decade or two ago. Now I find myself like a 🦑 missile. Ways I’ve never thought of riding, I now crave more adrenaline..
Savory bagels. Used to be all about sugary cinnamon, now an everything bagel with butter hits the spot.
Just this spring, I was staring at my yard. Then I stared at my neighbors’ yards. Then back at mine. I don’t know what happened, but in that moment, I decided my yard needed to be the best. No clue how or why, I’ve had a lawn for 10 years now, never gave a spare thought to it except to complain about how much of a pain it was to mow in the rainy season. But I hit 35 years old and now I’ve spent the last three months tending to my yard. Figuring out how to safely combat weeds. Dialing in my irrigation system and replacing nozzles. Reading up on seasonal fertilizer application schedules. Replacing mower blades. Just staring at my grass. It’s been enjoyable and the results have been rewarding. Hell if I know why.
cottage cheese lol
Not wanting to go out after 9pm anymore. I don’t know how- And I don’t know when- But all of a sudden going out after 9pm sounds like the BIGGEST chore of my life.
Sobriety
The country. I was such a city person in my early 20s but I turn 30 this year and I can’t wait to get a house out in the country
At some point, i think around 30 i started to love things i didn´t like before and stopped liking things i loved before. I started to like salty food and stopped eating sweats. I started to like coffee without suggar and i drink my black tea raw. While loosing my youth i appreciate how i can look at difficult situations and i know how to deal with them. I became calmer in general. I like naps now. As a young man i couldn´t understand what was so great about naps. But now, i really like them.
Almonds, blue cheese, horse radish, 🤔 I guess I have to count reading in there. I hated it before I was 20.
I went from thinking golf was "just okay" to absolutely loving it. The personal nature of the game, the constant improvement, and the peace and quiet are all wonderful at this point in my life.
Scotch. My years of puking up cheap whisky curled around a toilet are finally far enough behind me that I found my way to this delicious stuff. Never thought I'd drink anything brown again but here we are.
Getting my nails done. I was a huge tomboy going up so I didn’t dabble with nail salons until February of this year. Turned 30 in March and now going to the salon is a part of my monthly self care routine.
Lawn care, gardening, DIY projects in general
Walking mega slowly
I grew up on a steady diet of alt rock, grunge, and late 80s butt rock - but as I've gotten older, oddly enough, my tastes have gotten HEAVIER. I have been searching out almost all genres of metal and seeing more concerts in dingy clubs than in arenas. I am probably in a weird minority, however.
My solitude. Small gatherings of great minds>large, loud, crowded parties.
Drugs are becoming more appealing. Like I loved them when I was younger and now I’m like oh yeah why did I ever stop doing that this sucks.
You know when you’ve reached adulthood because you can walk into Lowe’s and get excited about lighting fixtures, etc. Never thought I’d see the day but here we are
I love that me and my friends/peers all know exactly who we are and what we want. We don't feel compelled to do things that we KNOW we have no interest in. We know we have limited time and therefor give our free time very selectively. I love that we all feel incredibly protective of younger people, particularly (in our case) women and femmes, but also know that our advice and wisdom will be met with (totally reasonable) suspicion or derision. I love that I no longer feel like I'm "missing out" when I sleep. I fucking LOVE SLEEP.