A Well-Designed Garden
My friend has a glorious garden, carefully designed to honor the cycles of the seasons. A beautiful array of plants fills the the space, some in full bloom, some fading, and others just starting to awaken. Her garden changes and evolves effortlessly as the plants follow their natural life cycles throughout the seasons.
I've come to think of my hobbies and other non-professional interests in the same way.
Some of us have a single, major hobby, something so rewarding it can fill up an important space in our lives, providing a necessary counterbalance to the hard work and striving that we do so much of the time.
I, however, don't have one big, important hobby, and I spent the early part of my career wondering if I should. I thought there might be something wrong with me, or that I had somehow failed at being a well-rounded person.
I have since realized that what I do have is a well-designed garden of smaller hobbies.
Different hobbies come into bloom for me at different times in my life. Some are perennials, and I return to them over and over. Some are annuals that bloom bright for a season and that's it. Some are big and showy, others are quiet and subtle. My garden of hobbies has both public spaces and secluded, private corners. I allow my garden to evolve with the seasons of my life, and I appreciate the ever changing beauty it offers me. This feels right to me.
What about you? Do you have one big hobby, or a collection of smaller ones? Does your garden need water? Or is it enough to simply appreciate it as it is?