I used to be the guy with expensive hobbies

Aug 9·1 min read

Rock climbing, photography, building PCs. Now my hobbies are watching my daughter play soccer and trying new recipes because my son is picky. My computer is covered in stickers. My climbing gear is in the garage under boxes of baby clothes. Some days I think about who I was and get a little melancholy. But then I realized my new hobbies actually mean something. They involve people I love. That's worth more than any trophy or gear.

4 comments132 views

Comments(4)

VVincentRegularAug 11

The hobby shift is real. I had a full photography setup before kid one. Now my camera sits in the closet and my hobbies are basically 'not falling asleep during soccer games' and 'keeping score right'. Different kind of fulfilling though.

BBrandonRegular3w ago

I used to think hobbies were about the thing itself. Now I get it - hobbies are about the feeling, and watching my daughter do her thing gives me that same rush that expensive equipment used to. Weird how that works.

SSteveRegularAug 10

Rock climbing and PC builds to watching kids play sports is quite a downgrade on paper. But actually being there to watch your daughter improve week to week hits different. You're not missing it, you just found better stuff.

RRyan M.Regular3w ago

The expensive hobbies thing is funny because you spend the money to feel like yourself, right? Now your daughter is your hobby and somehow that feels way more like yourself than the rock climbing ever did.