Last week I talked about the importance of hobbies and how they're often more necessary for our mental well-being than we give them credit for. And then Monday I did the #ListifyLife challenge and the topic was Little Things Things That Make You Happy. Those two posts were knocking around in my head yesterday, when a friend of a friend gave me a WTF look after I told her I was into paper planners. "But we have PHONES with CALENDARS." I briefly explained that it was a crafting type hobby and community. There are stickers and drawing and artsy stuff. But I could tell she'd already dismissed the whole thing as "silly" or a waste of time. And that's cool that it's not something she'd be interested in, but the dismissal got me thinking because it gave me the knee jerk instinct to say, "I know it's silly, but..."
Then I stopped myself. Swallowed the words right back, gave her a "bless your heart" smile, and changed the subject.
Why? Because why the hell should I apologize for something I enjoy? It seems like we're put into this position way too often--particularly as women. It's the same way people often make us feel about reading romance novels. "I know it's silly but..." "I know they're not 'important' books, but..."
No. I'm done with that kind of bull. I've been done with it regarding people's opinion about romance for a loooooong time. But I realized I was about to do it with my newfound love of planners and art journaling. If it's fun for me, doesn't hurt me or anyone else, and doesn't interfere with the other stuff I need to get done in my life, then who cares what I like? Nobody gets to make that call for me or make me apologize for it in some way. It's my thing. Mine. No one else gets a vote. So I will say what my son has been saying every time I tell him something this week. "Okay, Beyonce." (No idea where he gets this stuff.)
So, like the the things you like, do the hobbies you get excited about, read the books you want, watch the shows you enjoy, and own that. Don't let anyone dismiss it as silly. You're not silly. You're in touch with what you enjoy and are passionate about. That's more than a lot of people can say. And oftentimes, those "silly" things or "geeky" things are what keep us sane in a stressful world. I had a particularly stressful week this week with some curve balls and on the worse night, I found myself drawing in my fauxbonichi (more on what that is tomorrow), and I realized--wow, this is like my glass of wine. I was able to zone out a little, let the day go, and just worry about how to draw a boat instead of getting wrapped up in what had happened that day.
So, yeah, I'm not going to apologize. Once upon a time, writing stories was my "silly" hobby. That worked out okay. ;)
What thing have you been tempted to apologize for or dismiss to others as "that silly thing" you like to do? What's the thing you "geek out" about? Own it in the comments!