I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on life lately and have been evaluating what’s truly important to me. My relationship with God, my family, and even more so my kids, are the things I care about most in life as many others would probably say. However, I feel like there is very little else that truly draws me in. People who get to know me know that I love my kids and am a big Blazer fan. Aside from that, I’m not sure what else there is about me that defines me. In that same vein (vane? vain?), I’m trying to find something to occupy my time when I’m not around my boys through a hobby or discovering a passion I never thought would interest me. Now that I’m newly single, I’m looking to discover who I am and what interests me. Feels like a strange dilemma but one never knows who else is out there who feels the same until you put yourself out there. In short, I’m just interested in what you all enjoy or what motivates you in life when you’re not busy with life or wasting time on S2.
Hiking (nature) Fishing Horseback riding (I don't get to do this often, but I enjoy it) Writing Reading Playing basketball Bowling Collecting movies\film buff Drinking\Cigars Podcasting Blazersland Website Magic Paintball Poker Improv Urbun exploring Volunteering Crosswords/ Brain Teasers Pool Etc
There are some great courses in Oregon. Pier Park and Hornings Hideout are easily the best, imo. Great for the whole family.
Pier Park is great. A co-worker friend and I have gone there quite a few times. Far superior to the few other courses we’ve explored.
I enjoy: Exceptional movies; Fine wine; My wife; My nieces and nephews; Watching the Blazers; Coming home from dialysis; Going to church. ps Listening to music that's either jazz, classic rock or classical and fine food. I use to enjoy: Reading, especially technical material; Exercise, I was an exercise nut; Travel; Fishing; Camping; Deer hunting. Can't do those things now because of medical reasons.
Another thing that I forgot to mention is working on a project. It could be anything. Pimp out your ride. Add a new deck to your back yard. Paint your dining room. Not only is it something that helps to stay busy, you'll be proud of your work if you do a good job.
This 200%. Finding projects you enjoy are not only a healthy way to spend time. They also improve your quality of life. Yes, I'm a caveman that enjoys every type of outdoor activity. But when going through difficult times. Retreatng to my small creative side provides a nice balance. One of my favorite hobbies was stain glass work. Not only does it clean the mind, it was a great way to make quality special presents for friends and family. Wish I stayed with it, but life got too busy.
Gardening is a lot of fun. It can be as big or small as you want it to be, from a few potted plants to a whole yard. A good medium is 2 or 3 raised beds. I like to grow lots of tomatoes, peppers and herbs then make my own salsa. BBQ grilled peppers straight out of the garden to the grill are awesome on burgers. It's amazing how many different type of peppers and tomatoes there are, many of which you can't buy at the market. Blueberries are great perennials a few well established plants can give you berries for a whole year when you freeze them, I put them in my pancakes and make sauces with them. I did a great habanero blueberry BBQ sauces last year! You can also indoor/off season garden with grow lights if you have the room or a small aerogarden which fits nicely in the kitchen. I even grew marijuana for a bit once it became legal, super easy but I don't need that much weed lol. 4 outdoor plants and the biggest was 18 feet, I averaged almost 5 pounds per plant. So much weed. I also BBQ and have a Traeger. Traeger is smoking easy mode but I make ribs, brisket and wings to die for! Tri tip is fun also. Seafood like shrimp, crab and lobster comes out great. You can even cook bread and pizza on it. I also smoke my peppers from my garden on them for a chipotle sauce/spice. I am also getting into making my own BBQ rubs. I buy most of my spices but they come out better than store bought rubs and are very easy.
I have a lot and I have to say most are solitary, I'm a loner type. I read tons of books. I love to cook, for friends, but also just for me. Cookbooks are my "porn". I garden, I have about 24 roses, 7 or 8 fruit trees, a vegetable garden, and drought tolerant ornamentals. I also knit, more or less compulsively, I knit while watching TV or listening to music or attending political events. I work out a lot. I don't like housework but I do like having a really clean house. And I love my cat Lucia more than anyone. I am a volunteer for Elizabeth Warren campaign. Before that I volunteered with Planned Parenthood. That I do something worthwhile is important to me. Not only tomatoes and pepper,s @donkiez. I grow lettuce and fruit varieties you'll not see in any store. I can, freeze, and dry food. I am 100% untalented at every art form, but enjoy community theater and ballet as an appreciative audience member.
Yes! My wife loves to go out and pick a fresh salad for dinner. I read also that lettuce in the store loses like 95% of it's nutritional value. Salad stuff gets tricky in the hot months though, everything bolts on us. The Aerogarden is a lot of fun for this reason, fresh salads year round. We've had a pretty extensive garden over the years it's interesting how much you learn about plants and watching them grow is always fun. After a year or two them a lot of plants just start coming back on their own or grow out of the compost.
Exercise some every day. If you can hit the Y or any gym on a regular bases after a while you will realize how important it is to you not just physically but mentally. Project around the home. Hiking Fishing Sports
There's one that I forgot to mention. I use to grill when it was snowing and when it was raining but it did have to be a light rain. I use to grill about 300 days a year. Now, my disability gets in the way even of that and I grill about 5 to 10 days a year.
