“Useless” hobbies may be vital for your health and holiness

Michie said:

Only that last hobby ended up eventually paying dividends in my adult life, but that didn’t really matter. A hobby isn’t supposed to provide any practical benefits; in fact, hobbies enrich us by their very uselessness.

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I desperately wished it made me some money!

I recently took inline skating as hobby couple of months ago and now slowly progressing to figure skating. I never skated my whole life and now in my forties it seemed like a crazy idea because falling is quite frequent, something to be avoided at an older age.

I'm learning entirely from youtube videos, without a coach or trainer so progress is slow and some of the basic moves that would easy on ice with hockey or figure skates takes a lot more effort with inline skates on pavement.

I practice skating up to 2 hrs a day. It's literally good for health because I lost some weight and my ankles and knees are stronger than ever!

Started composing various genres of music a year ago. Have since made 52 songs that are being played on radio stations around the world.

Michie said:

And what songs are those?

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I prefer To keep that a secret while I’m on here

ForgiveMeGod said:

I prefer To keep that a secret while I’m on here

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I have to admit I've given that answer more than once to the songs I like to listen to! Always have this sense that I'm waaay behind on the latest trends.

Michie said:

For a few years when I was a boy, I was certain that I wanted to be a professional magician. I asked my parents to buy me books about sleight of hand and to give me magic books for Christmas. I practiced palming coins and forcing cards for more hours than I could count. The high point of my magic career was a show I put on for my little sister’s sixth birthday party. It remains (at least in my mind) one of the great unsung entertainment events of the later 20thcentury.

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Do you still do magic?

Michie said:

A hobby isn’t supposed to provide any practical benefits; in fact, hobbies enrich us by their very uselessness.

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Why not?
Many people have turned hobbies into businesses. Professional magicians started out doing magic as a hobby or because someone bought them a magic set. Authors write because they enjoy writing. Scientists were probably people who were fascinated by their chemistry sets or microscopes.
People have knitted, baked, crocheted, played music, walked, run, swum or cycled for charity. Very few people would do a 25-mile cycle ride unless they enjoyed cycling.
I like making greetings cards. I don't sell them or make any money at all from them. But it makes me happy and the people in my church all benefitted when I sent them cards during the pandemic.
I have also always enjoyed writing - once dismissed as "just a hobby - and have recently published 2 books.

I don't understand why you have started a thread which says that "useless" hobbies could benefit your soul, and then say that hobbies aren't supposed to provide practical benefits.
Or are you simply talking about financial reward?

I like to think most hobbies have benefits so long as they can contribute to better health. Mental health, emotional health, physical health, focus, hand eye coordination, problem solving, creativity, stress relief, etc.

If hobbies play a role in our health, then with a perspective of how health contributes to work performance, I feel hobbies really are a greater necessity than some might realize, because our health is important for being able to make money.

Useless hobbies might be ones that take away from our health though, rather than add to us our health. But to each their own, so I can't say what might be considered unhealthy hobbies for others. For me, video games are an unhealthy hobby. I love video games that have a sense of simplicity to them or were appealing to me when I was a teen and I gravitate back to those games. I tend to get addicted to a few, but the pros of a fun engaging video game doesn't out weigh the cons of less exercise and more exposure to digital toxicity. So for me video games would be my guilty pleasure and useless hobby. The games are fun though, so I still enjoy them anyways. I'm a kid at heart and my tiny video games is where the fun is at.

But that's just me, I tend to enjoy digital toxicity too much.


I'm happy to explore many hobbies though, like novice knitting, jigsaw puzzles, coloring, board games, and building up fun collections.

I don't have any set hobby, but I do projects.

ozso said:

I don't have any set hobby, but I do projects.

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What kind of projects?

I've been fortunate to have two hobbies that truly enriched my life.

I began making music for fun in the 60s, then played for church services in the 70s, and added gigging in bars and clubs in the 90s and early 2000s. While I haven't played for pay since about 2006, I still play for Mass 3 weeks a month and attend a jam session or two each month. I still have a lot to learn about playing the double bass, and I continue taking 2 or 3 lessons a month from a local pro. I practice at least 6 hours a week to stay sharp and overcome RA and other medical issues.

My other hobby was/is bicycling. My wife and I always enjoyed rides around the block, running errands, or taking the kids out for 15-mile runs to help them work off excess energy. When the kids left home, we started throwing panniers on the bikes and heading out for multiday, multi-state rides. That led me to get involved in bike safety advocacy and safety education. The RA put an end to the long-distance rides, but we still get out for a few hours during good weather. She is still on her touring bike, but I had to switch to a recumbent trike.

I've been blessed not just with hobbies, but with two lifelong sources of meaning, identity, and connection. Music provided community, service, expression, prayer, and decades of growth. Cycling provided adventure, family bonding, travel, health, and a way to help others through advocacy and training.