What makes us interesting?

I had an imaginary conversation with a five-year-old:

Me: “What are your hobbies?”

Child: “Hm?”

Me: “Well, what do you do when you’re not at school?”

Child: “Play! But I play at school, too.”

Have you ever asked a child to list their hobbies? Probably not. Adults usually ask two questions at parties or when they meet someone. What do you do (your job), and do you have any hobbies?

The first question is easy, but the second might signal time to check on the food.

What happens between five and twenty-five, fifty, or seventy-five? Where did play run off to, and how did we fall into the trap of dividing life into a job, hobbies, and these days, social media?

A Time to Read © Kathryn LeRoy A bronze sculpture of two children sitting on a green bench, deeply engaged in reading a book together.

Karen Walrond wrote a statement this week that sent me off into thinking mode.

The main purpose of a job is to make us money. The main purpose of a hobby is to fill our soul.

Karen makes the case, and a rather good one, that while many jobs are fun and fulfilling, they don’t make us interesting. When she meets someone, she wants to know what they are doing “to fill their souls” and “why that activity is so important to them.”

I agree. That’s what makes us interesting.

When I watch children, I don’t see a dichotomy between work and play. I never hear playmates asking one another about their hobbies. What I observe is laughter or intense preoccupation as they fill up on play.

Vibrant yellow daylilies bloom against a clear blue sky, surrounded by lush green foliage.

A bronze sculpture of two children sitting on a green bench, deeply engaged in reading a book together.

Most of us have something that makes life enjoyable, an activity where we lose all sense of time, and where our heart sings, sometimes literally, always figuratively. We call them hobbies, but I believe a better word is play.

Play doesn’t need to be expensive or require any special equipment. Play might look like digging in the dirt, baking cookies, sewing a quilt, looking up in the night sky for shooting stars, or playing a round of pickleball. Take your pick.

Hobbies, aka play, have health benefits, too. When the job and worry take over, smothering joy and leaving you exhausted, that may be your signal to play. Dig into your child self, or simply poke around and experiment.

Then watch your overall well-being take an upward turn along with the corners of your mouth. Increase your cognitive health, especially as the years add up, and keep chronic health conditions at bay.

Play makes you interesting, and it’s good for you. Try it!

My Piano © Kathryn LeRoy Close-up view of black and white piano keys with polished surfaces, showcasing a rich wooden piano frame in the background.

I’ve been playing all my life. I never realized how much I needed it until I put it on pause.

Music has filled me up since I was a small child. I played a toy piano. Sang when no one watched, not that an audience would have stopped me. Even as an adult, I never ascribed that love to a hobby. What else fills my soul? Reading, photography, gardening, writing, cooking for the people I love, and sitting—watching nature at play.

What fills you up, overflowing, and glad to be alive?

And, of course, a song

Two more reasons to play

“A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away.”
—Phyllis McGinley

“Live and work but do not forget to play, to have fun in life and really enjoy it.”
—Eileen Caddy

A golden-brown meringue pie sits in a blue ceramic dish, showcasing fluffy peaks on a flaky crust against a textured countertop.

I always welcome your thoughts, so please leave a comment

Thanks for reading. Feel free to forward this weekly note to someone who would enjoy a few words of inspiration. Or if you received this from a friend and want to receive my weekly post, sign up here

And always—