Hobbies I Had as a Child

A writing prompt more like a train back to colorful streets of memory

This post is inspired by my friend Ellie’s article on hobbies. As I was reading it, I got to know that January is National Hobby Month and I am pretty sure it is the same where I come from as well.

This piece of info inadvertently sent me down a memory lane and I sat and reminisced about the little hobbies I used to nurture in the past until it all came down to reading, writing, and Netflix, at present.

Philately

I used to collect stamps when I was in middle school. I was obsessed with filling my album with these beautiful little things and even had competitions with kids from the neighborhood to see who had the highest number each month.

I remember I used to cherish that beautiful album with its glossy transparent sheets after each page of yellowish-brown paper where I stuck stamps of different sizes and colors. I never bought any stamps for this purpose though, as it wouldn’t have felt like I earned them.

I collected them from postcards we received during holidays and festivals, or from the letters my grandparents got from their friends. While we cousins used to make fun of them still using letters even after their house had at least three phone connections, I definitely took advantage of it. Once I even stole stamps from postcards my granny was going to send to all her friends. (In my defense, they looked too cute to be posted away).

My family members lived in every possible corner of the world. The uncles and aunts would send postcards every holiday and sometimes even letters for my birthdays, which initiated my penchant for philately.

So I was in possession of stamps from different countries and one of my favorite pastimes was to judge each country by their illustrated stamps. Indian ones I had collected were lovely but looked too ancient for my liking then.

I grew out of the hobby after I started high school. My loaded album is somewhere in my grandparents’ house now collecting dust.

Barbie dolls and dress scraps

When I was little, Barbie and everything related to it, engulfed my world and time. I used to spend hours playing games on barbie dot com. The beautiful graphics and plot lines that were once characteristics of the games are sadly nowhere to be seen in the current ones. (Yeah, I checked last December wanting to play again. I still love Barbie).

The girls above are five of the most presentable among the countless dolls I have in possession. Don’t mind the condition of the clothes and hair, they have all been unattended to for ten plus years. These were my favorite ones and so I preserve them in an enclosed glass door cabinet in my room. Ergo, they are all still in one piece. I cannot vouch for the others, though, who could be literally anywhere in my house hanging by the strands of their bleached hair.

I had plot lines going on for each doll and I used to mix and match their clothes for their jobs, vacations, and made-up fashion shows. I also used to collect scraps from stores and tailor shops I visited with my mom, often receiving questioning glances from people. I had zero knowledge of sewing and stuff, so I could only make wrap-around skirts for the dolls by wrapping the cloth pieces around their waists with rubber bands and hoping they wouldn’t fall off. For some reason, I used to be proud of each skirt I produced that way. Two of them are wearing such skirts in the above picture and most probably you can guess which ones.

Basketball

Playing basketball was my favorite hobby when I was in school. I used to frequent summer camps, and while many of my friends dreaded it, I was more than eager to practice the sports in the scorching sun for hours straight. Even after coming home, I’d spend hours playing by myself in the court accompanied by loud music of Shakira or Rihanna. Playing or watching a game would take my mind off from stress and ironically gave me more energy than getting tired from the exertion.

This is one hobby from the past I really wish to pick up again.

Having a hobby is a great way to spend your leisure time. Even if you are steeped in work and deadlines, distracting yourself for some time is necessary for the sake of your peace of mind.

There are hobbies that are related to your work and also those that are a far cry from your mundane activities. I personally prefer the latter ones because, for me, a hobby is a medium of getaway from daily life. During my university years, playing my guitar was how I recuperated my energy and it always was a source of peace and euphoria (although my roommate might strongly disagree).

On the other hand, for a friend of mine who is a content writer, writing and reading articles that help him with his job count as hobbies and nothing else. That is okay, too.

If you’ve read this far, feel free to tell me about your hobbies.

Thank you for reading.

Love.