On Finding Your Next “Thing”
Having a “thing” is great. It’s probably one of my favorite parts of being a sentient being. But what is a “thing”? Well it’s kind of like a hobby, but it can be much broader, much vaguer than just a hobby. It’s something that you’re thinking about during the middle of a work day. Something you’re excited to do, or watch, or just think about more over the weekend! One of the beautiful things about “things” is that they’re flexible, fluid, and ever changing. So, what I want to write about this week is the joy of finding your next “thing”.
From the time we’re literal babies, we start finding our “things”. From dinosaurs, to princesses, to monster trucks, to outer space. These are the “things” that adorn our pajamas, cover our walls, fill our toy boxes, and take over our brains. Some of these “things” fade away as we get older, but some of them stick with us. For me, I’m still obsessed with sports, I still love cars, and I still have Spiderman on all of my pajamas (well, really, I don’t…but I wish I did.)
One of the cool things about getting older is your changing and growing “things”. It’d be pretty weird if you met a child and asked them what kind of stuff they were into and they responded, “gourmet coffee,” but if I met a fellow adult who told me that, I’d have so many questions because I’d love to know more about coffee (and I wouldn’t be worried about that hypothetical child’s caffeine consumption).
In the last few years, I’ve really tried to expand my list of “things” and I have to say, it’s only made my life better! I know, I’m already a huge nerd, but about five years ago, I got into playing Dungeons and Dragons with my friends. It gave me an entirely new set of friends and brought me close to some of my existing ones. It also really helped my story telling and refined my Wood Elf accent.
Getting a new “thing” doesn’t even have to be something you stick with, sometimes it’s something you try on like a hat before realizing it makes your head look weird. After working on a short film on a vineyard in northern California, I got pretty into wine for a bit. Wine is a classic adult “thing,” it’s classy, it’s sophisticated, and it’s expensive. That last bit is what kinda phased it out for me. I’m not at the point in my life where I can afford (more than as a very occasional treat) the kinds of wines that I know are good! But that’s perfectly fine, there’s always time for wine to become one of my “things” again later.
My latest “thing” is a “thing” many of my friends have been into for 8 or more years: Dota 2. It’s a wildly popular online game that is insanely complicated and has a hilariously toxic fanbase. While, it took me almost 100 hours to get a base understanding of the game, I’m hooked now. Not only because it’s incredibly nuanced but because it’s an excuse to hang out with my friends, digitally! Who knows how long Dota will be one of my “things” but for now, I’m having a blast!
So, what kinda things are your “things”? Anything on the way in…or on the way out?
Right now my thing is a Hommit Electric Spin Scrubber. I’m using it on anything that needs to be spin-scrubbed. (Pathetic, right?!). It’s amazing! I had no idea my grout was white!!
Clearly, your "things" is a collection of the contents of your current life stage: When I was a child, I was into "childish" things, when I was a college student I was into beer, protests and meeting "that special one". When I was a career person, I was into becoming influential in my field, and getting other people to send me to interesting places for meetings and conferences. Now that I'm retired, I'm into doctor's appointments, regularity and life-prolonging practices. Some things stay with us (I'm into (cheap) wine, upgrading my electronics, fishing, and staying on good terms with "that special one", to name a few). Meet good "things" but keep the old.