Minimalist Hobbies - Can that be a thing?

Recently a Gen Z-er told me she was not loving her post-college job and had no hobbies.  She had tried reading, dabbled at cooking, and was considering firing up the old Singer and attempting sewing.  

This lack of meaningful personal activity gave me pause - and I was reminded of a statement my younger son admonishes whoever’ll listen: consuming media is NOT a hobby.  I’ll modify that by adding “consuming media and shopping are not hobbies”.  

Yet our young adults seem to do a lot of both of those things.  After my conversation with the young zoomer, I realized it is us, the parents, the latch key Gen Xers, who are to blame for their notable lack of hobbies.   We planned their playdates, signed them up for every season of everything, and bought all the accountrements to accompany every new activity/hobby/class they took.

And now? They are adults, and no one is signing them up for anything.  They come home from work, perhaps get UberEats or Hello Fresh for dinner, and Netflix their way through another evening.  Maybe they have jumped on a fantasy football league, but that probably took place while sitting on the couch with their just cat and their significant other. 

They don’t have anything to putter at, to practice, or to build.  They don’t know what to do after work or if their parents changed the password to their streaming service.   Sorry, Zoomers, we’ll take that L.   We didn’t teach you well. 

As kids, the Gen X crew had to come home after school, fix a snack with whatever was in the pantry, maybe kick back with some ABC Afterschool Specials about teen angst or divorce, and get out homework done before the parents came home from work.  Maybe we played a sport, but that was probably one day a week and on Saturdays for a few months.   We made potholders out of looms,  built forts out of sheets and the box fan, and played Monopoly until the inevitable board flip happened after we decided the banker was embezzling funds.   

I’m not saying we walked to school uphill both ways; I just realized that we have scheduled the spirit out of all our children and now they can’t amuse themselves other than shopping or media consumption.  

One of the reasons our houses are brimming with stuff is that so many people see shopping as a hobby.  Acquiring more crap for your abode should not be how you spend your leisure time for entertainment.  

I asked a friend once about her latest love interest and what his hobbies were.  Her answer? “He likes spending time with his family!”  I would HOPE that is something he enjoys, lest he appear a sociopath.  But what does HE do in his leisure time for fun, as enrichment?  Nothing?  Sounds like a dull guy.  

You don’t have to order an Amazon truck full of knitting needles or gardening tools to have a hobby.  But look inward and let yourself have some leisure time activity that enriches your life.  Take two-step lessons, learn to paint, rebuild that carburetor.   Don’t wait for someone to tell you it’s time for soccer practice.  Leave the shopping as a hobby in your rear view.  

The Church of the Curated Mind

This week, I went to church.  Not the kind where there are hymns or ancient stories heard from a pew.  It was at a small Improv club in Dallas' northern suburb of Addison, and the guys on the pulpit were The Minimalists.  If you're reading this, you've probably heard of them or seen their docs on Netflix.  They have a new book, "Love People Use Things", and this was their book tour stop. 

For those of us who subscribe to many of their tenets, it was a refresher course in statistics of how much crap we house in our homes, garages, and storage units.  For those new to the flock, it was an informative evening of how to live intentionally with less.  

The Minimalists are two guys (Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus) who have been sharing their recipe of what adds value to your life for over a decade.  They are friends and business partners.  They have podcast and write blogs and books.  I like and agree with mostly all of their life hacks.  My husband periodically wondered, "why doesn't the long-haired guy get to speak more? The Christopher Walken-looking one seems to do all the talking".  Indeed.  

I enjoyed the two hour live podcast and Q&A about how to live a meaningful life, because, really, isn't that what we all want?  I have definitely made my own inroads into that intention.  My paths have changed throughout my aging process, but I would profess to live intentionally.  

An example:  when I arrived at the venue, I noticed the authors' book was available for sale.  I already have read the (above linked) book, and I had my copy at home.  I was thinking, "darn, if I had brought it, I could have gotten them to autograph my copy".  Then I said to the forced-to-attend-this-event spouse, "Shoot! I wish I had brought mine.  But wait, then it would be autographed, so I would be weirdly reluctant to share it, because somehow its inherent value increased.  But when I die, neither you or the kids will care two sh*ts about my autographed copy of the Minimalists' tome, so why would I care right now?"  

This quick rationalizing of my lack of need for either a) another copy of the book right now that was autographed, or b) lament for not thinking to bring my own copy, made my remorse for not having an autographed copy evaporate!  Just a few moments to work through the fact I did not need nor want someone's scrawl on the front page of a book I already read because who cares? (Sorry guys, it's just not intentional for me)

The husband was supremely glad to hear me walk myself through this reasoning, because then he didn't have to do it and try to make it sound like it was all my idea in the first place.  And as an added bonus, I will now enthusiastically share the book with you, my reader friends.  

I love books. And shoes.  And notebooks and pens.  I have many of all the aforementioned items, and most add value to my life (which is my eternal litmus test).    I don't apologize for them, and neither should you.  Minimalism isn't about shaming or guilt about your stuff.  It's about an effort to life a meaningful life with less.  

Check out the Minimalists at their podcast, Netflix documentary, or borrow one of their books from me!  Joshua is a bit pontificate-y, and he seems to pride himself on his use of SAT words and paused. speech. for. effect.  But you'll enjoy the themes and likely find a way to incorporate some living with less into your world.  Those guys definitely don't need MY endorsement here, but if you ever want to join me at THEIR church, I am usually in the front pew.  Organizing, tidying, and recycling all the papers and tossing that which doesn't add value.  

It's a nice place over here in minimalist-land.  We welcome all-comers!