Can't a Girl have a Hobby?

One thing about me I can say for certain — I am not a quitter.

Around the age of 12, my dad and I would watch Hawaii Five-0 from start to finish, and that’s when my obsession with Hawaii started brewing. I remember begging my parents for a ukulele for Christmas. Nothing crazy — just a cheap blue one from Amazon that I covered in stickers and named “Lei Lei.” It became my prized possession.

My family swore up and down that I’d use it twice and never pick it back up, but I was determined to prove them wrong. (I’ve never been a huge fan of being told what to do, lol.) So that’s exactly what I did. I watched tutorials and spent hours learning how to play.

After a couple of years, I outgrew the soprano, so I asked for a tenor ukulele. It’s basically the same thing, just a little bigger and with a deeper tone. Since my parents now knew I wasn’t bluffing about wanting to learn, they got me another ukulele for Christmas when I was 14. That’s when Lu Lu was born. (I also got my sister earplugs that year because she hated seeing my ukuleles coming.)

Eventually, I made my way up to the guitar, and now we’re here — kind of acoustically inclined when it comes to instruments.

The real point of this story? Hobbies.

I used to hate being asked about mine, because back then, if it wasn’t hanging out with friends or watching TV, it was considered weird. But looking back — especially through my teen years — I realized how important having hobbies really was.

Besides music, I loved history. I loved to read and write, too. I did it all throughout high school. I guess being in English and History Honor Society made it feel more like a school thing than a personal one, which is probably why I never considered how much I genuinely enjoyed it.

Now, going into college, I’ve realized hobbies matter more than you’d think — especially when you’re leaving your house, your family, and your comfort zone to live in a new place with strangers. It hit me harder than I expected. But doing things that reminded me I still had control over me really helped ground me. I still play guitar, I still read, and I even started a blog — because why not?

Even though this is my personal experience, it’s never too late to pick up new habits that give you “you” time. Seriously. It’s never too late to try new things or explore your interests.

In college, some things my friends and I have tried — or want to try — include painting pottery, thrifting, trying new coffee shops, cooking, and more. One of my roommates plays flag football with a group sometimes, and another does yoga every day.

There are so many ways to expand your horizons — it just takes a little trial and error.

We’re going to go through plenty of times in life where we feel lost or a little confused about who we are. It definitely happened to me during the shift from high school to adulthood. But hobbies aren’t just fun things you do — they’re little reminders of what makes you feel most like you.

XO- Em