Recently at work, someone asked me what I love to do. I really (almost embarrassingly) struggled to answer the question. As any normal person would do, I panicked, stuttered, and quickly deflected it back to them and asked what they loved to do (crisis averted - why oh why can't I think off the cuff and just lie??? “Oh I love to garden and read”, or “surf and skydive”…..anything really). The point is - the question had me thinking for days afterward….what do I love to do?
I know what I used to love to do, I know things I love and who I love, but I don't currently know what I LOVE to do.
Of course, there’s travel and homewares, walking, sunrises and rainbows - you know - the usual stuff - but in terms of a little casual hobby I love to do..……I am next-level BLANK.
I used to love crafting like scrapbooking and making invitations and the like, but I made that into a business. At the start, it was a labour of love, but then when it became all business-y, I didn’t love it so much anymore.
For the longest while tending to my little business was my hobby - that and raising my kids. Then COVID happened and my little business ended (it was somewhat timely though) and the kids grew up.
Now the kids have turned 18 and finished school and got their own lives happening (which is what is meant to happen - job well done Mama bear!), I have been left thinking well what now? I had my babies young-ish by today’s standards so that leaves me still in my 40’s wondering what I love to do - if I am NOT a businesswoman or a mum raising kids and teenagers.
I actually had been trying to figure that out when the question was asked of me randomly, and naturally - blanko!
I do love to walk. I walk every day - it’s when I do my best thinking and ideas come to me. Often when I walk, the thought has popped into my head to start a blog. Like with any creative idea though, the usual questions haunt you:
- What will I blog about? No Idea.
- Do you want to make money from it? Maybe.
- Would anyone read it? Maybe - maybe not. Who knows?
- Will it be any good? Possibly? Nah...
- Why do it? Cause you like to write Emma.
I have had various little tries at a blog in the past. With a niche though - stationery - as that was my business and it was easy in that regard. I liked writing the posts, and I feel like I have a lot to say or life experience to draw on to write about.
I know one thing for sure. I have always loved writing, poems in primary school, imaginative stories, little blog articles here and there and most recently I was about to start my dream job in communications (then you know…..a little old brain bleed blah blah blah….read about that in my last post).
I have a cousin who is a writer. A good one. (Go read her blog The Bear and the Whale). Having a subarachnoid haemorrhage (the technical name for what happened) was a good thing in that it allowed us to reconnect. With messages going back and forth checking on my progress etc., I mentioned I may start a blog. She said do it.
So if your writer cousin said to start a blog, and I had been thinking about it anyway, then a life-changing thing happens, then what else can I do except try this blogging thing for real?
So here I am - starting up a little blog I have been meaning to for the longest time. In the hope that someone, somewhere finds what I have to say slightly interesting, entertaining, or valuable. I am going to write what comes to me - with no real niche and hopefully, that will evolve in its own way.
Hello Emma Jayne, it’s time to start doing a thing you love. For now, that is writing.
