Looking for a "thing" at midlife

[Anonymous]

What did you like to do as a kid? As a teen? Go back to a topic or activity you loved or were really fascinated by, and dive in. Take your inner six year old self out to see dinosaur fossils in North Dakota, or get the pet goat your mom would never let you have. Or take a skill you have and use it in a volunteer or fun capacity. One of my neighbors studied classical archeology in college, then had a career in IT. Now she volunteers to maintain the catalog database for a local history group.

Give yourself permission to dip in and out of things. Try a community college class in batik printing or French. If you don’t like it, you haven’t “wasted” your money, you simply tried it and decided it wasn’t for you after all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you looking for exercise, mental stimulation, outdoor time? Tango, salsa, swing are big in the dmv area and have festivals all over. Pickle ball has certainly become a thing. Tennis still has this too. Golf - some groups are friendlier and less corporate. Skiing/hiking has some great women bonding groups.

OP here. Exercise and outdoor time could be good. I worry pickle ball might just be a fad and die out, and I want something I can do a long time. Not sure tennis/golf are for me (may just lack the hand/eye coordination to be any good at them).

Do you know of any women's hiking groups in the DMV? How do people find these?

Check out the "Girls Who Hike Virginia" group on FB. Lots of organized group hikes, and lots of nice new people to meet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make money doing something you’re good at— crochet! Sell on Etsy. Start small like beautiful dream catchers for baby gifts, baby/bridal shower favors. Actually a favor for any event. If they take off, offer custom orders, adding additional time for delivery.
I see a lot of teens girls wearing crochet halter tops, especially to outdoor summer concerts. I love tight knit crochet tank tops. I still wear one from a decade ago that’s racerback, multi colored similar to a Missoni pattern. I’d buy!

OP here. I wouldn't say I'm good -- I don't think good enough to sell anything. But thank you for the encouragement!

That's why you would develop it as a hobby, first! To improve.

[Anonymous]

What do you like to do? I enjoyed taking photos of my kids. As they grew, I turned to photos of nature and landscapes. Joined an online photography community that’s been very rewarding.

[Anonymous]

I was just thinking about how it would be fun to volunteer as an usher at the Kennedy Center or another theater and be able to see so many shows.

Library - I'm sure there's a local friends of the library.

Smithsonian Docent?

I once thought about taking a tour guide class and spending weekends doing tours in DC like on the hop on hope off bus. That seems fun to me.

Friends of whatever - the national Arboretum seems very active. Kennilworth gardens?

I love the birding idea as a hobby birder myself.

Something with a pet - dog agility training (on this rainy day I spent a bit too long watching weird dog competitions on some sports channel today - and every one of them had people in the audience watching dogs run courses or jump and grab things or whatever).

[Anonymous]

OP -- try not to search for the one passionate thing. Just try a bunch of stuff. If you like it, keep going. Like a pp said, she had lots of interests. Searching for a single passion can drive people to great frustration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make money doing something you’re good at— crochet! Sell on Etsy. Start small like beautiful dream catchers for baby gifts, baby/bridal shower favors. Actually a favor for any event. If they take off, offer custom orders, adding additional time for delivery.
I see a lot of teens girls wearing crochet halter tops, especially to outdoor summer concerts. I love tight knit crochet tank tops. I still wear one from a decade ago that’s racerback, multi colored similar to a Missoni pattern. I’d buy!

OP here. I wouldn't say I'm good -- I don't think good enough to sell anything. But thank you for the encouragement!

I’m the poster you replied to. Can you work with this pattern, maybe start with a solid color? I love the striped vintage style. I will be your first customer! https://www.etsy.com/listing/1226352779/vintage-crochet-pattern-cotton-halter?load_webview=1&bid=_sJ27IE-NZw90Tc8rvnFKErPpCZ1

[Anonymous]

Genealogy writing. Your kids won't be very interested in your files of births, deaths and marriages, but if you turn them into short stories with photos and illustrations, they will read them. Concentrate on the generations closest to you first before they die.

You can share your writing with relatives but also on the internet, and they will live on after you. And you will meet distant cousins and other genealogists along the way - they are typically a generous bunch.

[Anonymous]

- Declutter, organize, be minimalist and death cleanse.
- Yoga, meditation, healthy eating.
- Travel
- Connect with family and friends, entertain people regularly.
- Learn music, Arts, take courses in adult education.
- Create a food forest in your yard, pollinators garden, micro-greens etc.
- Refugee support.
- Environmental volunteerism.
- school volunteerism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:- Declutter, organize, be minimalist and death cleanse.
- Yoga, meditation, healthy eating.
- Travel
- Connect with family and friends, entertain people regularly.
- Learn music, Arts, take courses in adult education.
- Create a food forest in your yard, pollinators garden, micro-greens etc.
- Refugee support.
- Environmental volunteerism.
- school volunteerism.

- Do home improvements that can mitigate climate change impact and aging issues down the road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you like to do? I enjoyed taking photos of my kids. As they grew, I turned to photos of nature and landscapes. Joined an online photography community that’s been very rewarding.

Dumb question - what do you do with the photos? I'm not sure putting a bunch of photos up in my house is something I'd want to do. So do they just sit on the computer?

[Anonymous]

OP thank you for asking this question!

It has started me thinking, too (and I'm a decade older than you.)

[Anonymous]

Op - Find a use for your corporate job with a nonprofit group. Is there a Master Gardener group in your area?

Habitat is one nonprofit that may offer physical skills outlets, but also working with families to build their skills to become homeowners.

[Anonymous]

I've been thinking about this too. I'm 48 and my kids are 11 and 14. I oscillate between thinking about something now or heavily leaning into the kid years that I have left and thinking about it later.

Native plants and pollinators
birding (seems like a thing to do)
weight lifting
tennis
entertaining and cooking
definitely de-cluttering but am doing that now

[Anonymous]

Peloton is a really fun hobby IMO. Lots of different classes to try, a little competitive but you can do it solo, a social element if you start talking to people about it. I love trying new classes, expanding my daily workouts to "stack" multiple things, and competing with myself for a higher PR. My friends and I follow each other and send encouragement and recommend classes to each other. It's a nice "extra thing" in my life, that expands to take up as much time as I give it.