What hobbies and everyday pleasures enrich your life most?

[Aabbaas]

Family and friends aside, what are the things that enrich your life the most and that you are grateful to have/be able to do?

I’ll start:

• my pet
• dancing lessons
• cooking and trying new recipes
• traveling (when I can)
• treating myself to a nice cappuccino in my favourite mug
• reading a good book

I wish my parents had pushed me more as a kid, I would have liked to cultivate more hobbies or a talent in young age (like playing an instrument). Of course I could still do more now but I think it sets you off for a good start when you have the ability to learn and be exposed to more things as a kid.

Learning watercolour painting. There are some great short length playlists on You Tube going through the basics and giving really fun suggestions as to what to try. There are also Facebook groups where we compare efforts! Great cheap hobby and so satisfying when I get it right. Love it..😃

Eating nice food.
Drinking decent coffee in a beautiful setting/garden/peaceful nature place.
Gardening.
Playing an instrument.
Learning a language as an adult. I take great pleasure in surprising people when out and about when I overhear someone speaking the language and subsequently joining in!

Audiobooks. I work long hours, my dc are ND and need a lot of attention. So about once a week when I'm doing a full clean of the house I listen to an audiobook as my 'me' time. I think without that I'd collapse.

My dogs
Gardening.

What a lovely thread topic! I’ve been very ill and bed bound for the past five weeks (chronic & ongoing serious health issue) and have lost touch with my everyday pleasures and hobbies. I will have a think and be back with my list…

My Dog - It’s amazing the amount of people who stop to chat to when I’m out walking with him.
Gardening - great for mulling things over or popping in ear buds and drifting away in thought.
Bellringing - a great challenge for the brain, good exercise and great for my social life.

Sewing. I last used a sewing machine in school at age 12. I’m now 50 something and have taken up sewing and making my own clothes and I love it.

I make 95% of my own bread and 90% of my own beer, It's quite time-consumed with the cleaning up and sterilising, But I like it a lot. And lovely breakfast in the morning! 😀

Planning and going on holidays!

It's interesting that you mention wishing your parents had pushed you more. I have 2 sports I love and have kept up since childhood. And I also have a reluctant 12 year old that I have dragged through every sport option available locally. We've been through all and are now circling back through previously tried. This is one of the reasons I give him when we are both struggling to keep going. My hobbies are literally what get me through a working week, I think we all need something to look forward to. Having a passion and pursuing it is invaluable.

Really good Ethiopian coffee in bed most days.

My gorgeous miniature poodle, who loves a long walk or a cuddle
My pots of bedding plants
Music, I’m currently listening to Graceland by Paul Simon
I love a good quiz show like University Challenge and Only Connect

Every day pleasure is a walk in nature and focusing on the birds, insects, plants, sounds and smells. We moved from London to semi-rural suffolk 10 years ago, and have access to heath and woodland from our house.

Going to see live music of any sort. It gives me such a buzz.

Walking and listening to music.

My Ddog died this year and we’ve decided not to get another one, but reading the above makes me want one!

Gardening
The frogs in my pond
Discovering a new (to me) album, usually some early-mid 90s indie band. Any recommendations welcome!
Seeing our guinea pigs popcorning (basically jumping with joy)
Watching my local football team

My video games.

I'm disabled and can't work, and live alone. I'm social as much as I can be at weekends but during the week everyone is either at work, or knackered from work so I tend to be alone for a few days.

Having all these new exciting worlds to dive into and explore helps keep me busy while being fun enough to distract me from the chronic pain.

Video essays are also great fun and help keep my mind active and learning new things.

I love my books too but I find I can't concentrate on them properly unless I'm pain free where as games are immersive enough that I can mostly forget it's there for a while.

I have some craft hobbies too, sewing, crochet, and watercolour pens, jigsaws, but those are "good day" only activities too.

My dogs
Crochet

Reading, I spend so much of my spare time reading, brings me so much joy (a habit I've had ever since I learnt to read). I have a lot of waiting time at work while my machine does its scans so I take my book with me and get paid to do my favourite thing in the world

Last autumn I joined an evening woodwork class and loved it, just signed up for it again this year.

Listening to the radio on my commute, brings me so much joy to listen to the songs from my childhood and youth (I listen to Absolute 90s and 00s)

Petting dogs when people bring them to work, just gave my boss's dog lots of attention.

Going for walks in the forest by my house, beautiful and peaceful.

When its possible, going for a walk down to the lake at night to see the northern lights. Now that I got an app to keep me informed I see them several times a year.

YY to popcorning Guinea pigs. And lambs.

Great coffee in my favourite mug. Carefully brewed delicious tea.

watching my daughter dance.

Pets
The hot sunny weather we had recently (I know some hate it)
A call from my fantastic adult DC

In no particular order and a mix of enrichment and hobbies:

Catching the bus

My animals

Being outdoors, particularly walking and cycling

Sport in general

Nurturing plants

Thinking up new stuff to try and doing it

Bread and beer for breakfast does sound lovely 😂

Reading

Audiobooks

My gorgeous dog (and my electric wheelchair that means I can still get out with him on bad days)

Volunteering (I am a trustee of two charities)

Sewing

Going to science lectures with my son and chatting about them afterwards

chaperoning my daughter's shows and the friends I have made through it

My chalet school friends

Did you go to evening classes for the language or was it self taught? I really want to do this

What does popcorning mean?