Having certain hobbies can define who you are as a person. They can bring us joy, new skills, or  just give us some personal time. There are many varieties of hobbies ranging from sports, to different kinds of art, playing an instrument, or being a part of a club. 

As we grow older, most of us grow out of many hobbies. Parents always wanted to put you into different sports and activities to give you a bigger picture of each one to see which one you enjoyed doing the most when you’re younger. 

For me as a kid, I was put into most of the sports and clubs in the area. Some activities I did were softball, volleyball, soccer, dance, gymnastics, Girl Scouts, musicals, plays, and many more. As I grew older I fell out of many of these activities as I lost interest.

Growing up you realize you don’t have as much free time as you did when you were a kid. You have to focus more on school as it gets harder, make time for family and friends, but you also have to prioritize yourself. As I grew up volleyball started taking up more time in my life. When I first started playing volleyball, I was balancing competitive softball as well. After I had played volleyball for a while, I came to realize that I felt more of a connection to volleyball than softball. Since they were in the same season, I had to choose one of them. It was one of the toughest decisions I had to make for myself. 

My life now is completely different than what I thought it would look like even five years ago. Coming into high school I thought that I would be playing on the volleyball team, and being a part of the Madrigals, or even the color guard. Instead, I picked up new hobbies on the journey. A new hobby I picked up sophomore year was tennis. I had no idea that I would play on the tennis team coming into freshman year.

But all along the way these certain hobbies have helped me grow as an individual. With sports, it has helped me be a better communicator and grow my friendships outside of the ones I have at school. Going and taking pictures for people has given me a new eye for seeing other people’s lives, or what’s going on in a football game. Taking time to myself to paint or draw has given me a sense of peace, especially during these hard times.

Through the hobbies you choose, you can better define yourself and who you are as a person.