Have you ever noticed that you tend to have a really long list of things you enjoy doing, most of which you don’t actually do very often?
Music, reading, writing, photography, travel, pedicures, massages, yoga, drawing, knitting, learning new languages, ice skating and roller skating, spin classes, long walks, going to the beach, going to the gym, etc ad nauseam..
Then there’s the list of things you’d like to learn to do. Learning to cast jewelry, welding, bungee jumping, sky diving, flying an airplane, making furniture, pottery…
A certain number of those things are just too expensive. Maybe there isn’t somewhere in your area that teaches something you want to learn. Maybe you just don’t have time.
Flying lessons are not in my budget. I can afford the occasional massage or pedicure, but not as often as I would like.
In my case, I could do a lot of the things on both lists. Somehow I don’t though. There’s an ice skating rink a few miles away, and it doesn’t cost very much. I’ve gone once in the last year. Yoga? Love it. They offer it at the community college and at most gyms. I haven’t done a session for three or four years. Spin class? Not since September. Maybe that is a bad example since I have a spin bike of my own.
Still.
Jewelry making? I have a class that is all paid for. All I need to do is schedule it and go. Why haven’t I? I like jewelry. I like making things. It seems like it would be a perfect fit. It’s once a week. I have the time.
Same for learning another language. I have time. It isn’t very expensive. I am good at it, and I know I would enjoy it. It’s even good for me. It wouldn’t even have to be a new one–I could pick up one of the ones I studied that I never got very proficient with. It would be good for my brain.
Some activities are simply more fun with someone. Going to a movie alone is OK, but then you don’t have anyone to talk it over with. Skating is more fun with someone to laugh at you when you fall and help you back onto your feet. Going to the beach or the mountains or wherever is better when you have someone to talk with along the way.
A lot of things are fine alone. The gym. Going for a walk. Art classes.
So what is the hang up, if it isn’t time, money or a lack of company? I don’t think it’s laziness. It’s not like I am sitting around watching TV. I’m sitting around reading and writing, but I could take a few nights off. I might even meet some lovely new people.
Oh. People. New people. Could that be the problem? I really don’t think so. I mean, I signed up for online dating. I must want to meet a few new people.
It’s pretty simple, really.
Pure inertia.
I have enough pleasant things to do at home that I am not very motivated to go out.
At this point, I’m not even sure that is a bad thing. I do need to do the jewelry class. Casting silver sounds fun. I should really call.
Somebody give me a shove…