Passages

My recent camping trip gave me pause, it allowed me to look at many of the things I've "always done" in a new light. Seem I'm still doing things that are no longer all that much fun... just because they are things I do. Never gave it much thought before, if I don't enjoy those things why am I still doing them??

This isn't a "how can I still do these things if I can just modify them to work" thread, it's more of a letting go of un-fun things and seeking new paths. So, first things on the "done" pile...

Camping - done. Sell off the gear and hotel it, may still consider an RV.

Scuba - mostly done. Sell off the gear and stick with snorkeling most of the time, the exception may be lobster season in the Keys.

Bicycling - Mostly done. Just keep the 40 year old Schwinn for little rides around the neighborhood.

Motorcycling - done. Sell off the gear, keep the scooter for two wheeled fun.

Life is cyclical, maybe some of these things will come around again; but then again, maybe by making some room for new interests I might go in a whole new direction.


So, what have you got to toss on the pile??

I tossed the gym into my pile after 25 years, in 2008. I managed to stay very fit without it, but now I am feeling the need for some structured exercise. I am going to investigate a different kind of place, that does personal training and has spin classes/yoga in the winter. I happened to see one of the instructors I know from my old gym who now teaches there and it is a different kind of atmosphere. I think this is what I need in the winter, to augment my outdoor stuff.

Crankin - isn't it interesting the way our lives evolve??


We see our lives as taking two possible forks in the next five years, so much of what we do will hinge on which path we take.

Path One: We are going to Key West for a few months starting next Spring, if we love it then we'll move there. Pay is really bad in the Keys so it'll be one of those enjoy-what-you've-got places to live.

Path Two: Decide KW isn't for us long term, come home, go back to my job. Look for an RV and travel like crazy every minute we get. Retire at 55 (the soonest I can draw a pension at my job), hit the road and workkamp around the country.

Sounds like you are making a "mid-course correction". I have an am currently doing that. It is so fine to let go, refresh, start anew.

Funny, I was thinking about this just recently.

After 5-6 years of training for triathlons I've given myself a break this summer. I've only been on my bike about 4 times. I just haven't felt like riding. I've been out hiking a bunch and I've been on my new paddle board, so I haven't been sitting around. But I just don't feel like biking. I figure it will come around again, maybe next year, maybe the next. No pressure.

The more you push yourself to do something you don't enjoy the more you'll end up hating it.

I'm kind of doing the opposite - regretting things that got left by the wayside over the years. Music. Writing. I want them back, but there's so much emotion between me and that place now. :(

Oak, hope you'll get back to either music or writing at some point. It might come back --transformed. Maybe a new instrument or whatever.

Writing- I abandoned this a few years after university. Then returned to it 25+ years in the form of....blogging. Now am in overdrive...writing for 4 blogs, of which am blogmaster for 3. (I have a full-time paid job outside of blogging also.)

Sewing- Abandoned since I got back into cycling. Gave away a whole box of fabric to friends and family. But kept my sewing machine...handy for doing alterations.

Cross-country skiing- I was never good at this. Dropped over 15 yrs. ago. But haven't given away skis yet.

Painting- Temporarily abandoned for last 4 yrs. But haven't tossed out new art supplies, new canvasses yet. For now, it's been replaced by photography which is used for blogging.

So it takes me a LOOOOOOG time to abandon anything forever. Because I see cycling as a long-term passion but not forever at the same intensity because there will be a point in life, several decades away where I will return to some of these activities more regularily because I won't be able to cycle for many hrs. / kms.

So I see all my other passions as insurance for me...to remain balanced, give me happy other options if cycling passion changes abit. :)
For now, cycling feeds my blog writing and photography which helps keep my creative fingers active in a way.

Whew, what an explanation.

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Originally Posted by Pax

Camping - done. Sell off the gear and hotel it, may still consider an RV.

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We quit the camping and bought an RV. Now I live in the RV most of the year.

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Bicycling - Mostly done. Just keep the 40 year old Schwinn for little rides around the neighborhood.

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Bicycling is new for me, I've only been back biking in the last few months. I hope I can do it for many years. I wonder though because I have shoulder and neck issues. But my fall back will be a trike. Maybe an nice full suspension ICE.

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Motorcycling - done. Sell off the gear, keep the scooter for two wheeled fun.

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Did exactly the same thing. Now I am questioning whether to even keep the scooter. My spouse wants to sell his and we will keep only one on the back on the motorhome for tooling around on. But one seems kind of pointless.

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Life is cyclical, maybe some of these things will come around again; but then again, maybe by making some room for new interests I might go in a whole new direction.


So, what have you got to toss on the pile??

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My home. Nearly two years ago we sold our house and now RV most of the time, though we do have a home base in my grandfather's old farmhouse near where we used to live. I often miss my home. I miss my flower gardens. I miss putzing around in the yard and house and making things look nice. But in return I have enjoyed the adventure and really have not missed at all being away from northern Minnesota in winter and winter is very, very long . :)

Rescuing my niece. When I went to traveling much of the year my niece no longer has me for hand holding, a chauffeur, and as a several day a week babysitter. I still suffer guilt but she has to learn to be independent despite her struggles. :( Or, she needs to give up her child. And I have the right to do the things I saved in life to be able to do, like travel. This choice is a struggle for me.

Music. I no longer have a piano. One doesn't quite fit in the rv. When we sold the house I sold my piano. I miss it, even though I am not much of a player.

Mountain biking. It was fun, but I didn't love it enough to learn the technical stuff, and I hated having to drive to rides.

Sewing. My machine and related gear is in storage at my mom's. Just can't take everything to Belize, and wouldn't have the space for it in our 1BR condo there.

Gardening. When we sold our house on 11 acres in 2010 and moved to an apartment without a balcony, that went by the wayside. Now I enjoy seeing other people's beautiful flowers as I walk/bike by, and buying veggies at the farmer's market without all the work.

Kayaking. This is one I regret. We sold the kayaks when we moved to the apartment. Now we want kayaks again in Belize, so will probably be buying some, though with the much warmer water there and inability to store them inside to guard against theft, we'll likely buy different types (inexpensive sit on tops, instead of the pricier touring models we had before).

Soon:

Road cycling. This one will be hard, but where we'll be living is all sand (roads and beach) and cobblestone streets. It's flat as a pancake and a seaside environment (harsh on bikes, gears, etc.), so wouldn't work to take our road bikes. We have shipped aluminum beach cruisers down and will enjoy riding those, but the Bike Fridays will be stored at my mom's house for trips back and/or for when/if we move back to the US one day.

Interesting thread!

I can't say "done" with finality for any of these, but here they are: knitting, yoga, rock climbing, ballet. Okay, rock climbing was done the second I saw the guy next to me fall 30 ft and hit his head, but the rest of it, maybe someday, maybe not; it's okay either way.

Interesting thread.

The biggest changes I've made lately are social. I've cut out lots of parties that I don't really enjoy and superficial friends who will never be more than superficial.

It's not a simple matter since my SO loves all these things, but so far having more separation in our social lives is okay, though I do get tired of explaining it.

I've also given up doing lots of things because a friend wants me to -- shopping is one example. It simply isn't a social activity.

Sewing is questionable -- I Freecycled a lot of fabric, but not all of it. I doubt I will ever give up sewing completely, but I certainly do less of it.

I'm still pretending that I will go scuba diving again -- but we will see. My SO was a superb dive buddy, but he's no longer interested. I don't even know if I would enjoy it with someone else, but who knows. I despise snorkeling, so I sort of have to dive to enjoy myself.

Camping I will never give up until absolutely forced to by some disability.

Music: I used to play the piano, but that fell by the wayside a long time ago. I played the viola for 8 years (5th grade until I finished high school), but once I went to college I didn't have the time to play in a group or the discipline to play by myself. Also, sheet music is relatively expensive. My viola's still in my room at my parents'. I'm not quite ready to give up on it yet. I should probably take it out and at least tune it...

Drawing: Again, something I did a lot of in high school but didn't really continue in college, save doodling in margins of notebooks. My sister appropriated most of my supplies. I've got a nice set of pencils and a fresh sketchpad left in my desk that I can't bring myself to get rid of.

Reading for fun, at any rate. I just gave away a bunch of books that I've been meaning to read but never got around to it.

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Originally Posted by Owlie

Reading for fun, at any rate. I just gave away a bunch of books that I've been meaning to read but never got around to it.

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Oh, I forgot giving away books. I had so many that I had planned to read, but I realized my interests have changed. So out they went! It felt good to make the realization and act on it!

I am new to bicycling and I better not put it in the "done" pile or my husband will kill me. I spent a fortune on my bike.

Kayaking: sort of done. I still love it when it is a new location, but I am done with all of the packing up and unpacking to go to places I have visited millions of times.

Disc Golf: No way done, I love it.

Geocaching: done. It was fun while it lasted, but I am over it.

I love doing new activities and getting addicted to them.

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Originally Posted by PamNY

Oh, I forgot giving away books. I had so many that I had planned to read, but I realized my interests have changed. So out they went! It felt good to make the realization and act on it!

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We're planning to put our house up for sale in the Spring so we've been lightening the load. Every time we take a bag of donations to Goodwill/Salvation Army/Habitat it feels so freeing. I've loved my "stuff" but it sure feels better to have less of it.

BTW, both motorcycles sold yesterday!!! http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/b...ilies/clap.gif