I have a problem. I like trying new things. Now, some folks may say that is a good thing, but not in my case. My issue is that I do not like being bad at something. I want to try something new and be a natural talent. When I find that not to be the case, I move on to something new.
Throughout my adult life, I have jumped from hobby to hobby. Many only lasting days or weeks. I obsess over each new hobby. I absorb all the information I can find. I find all the best accounts to follow on social media. I research the best gear. After a while, my wife and I noticed a pattern.
As soon as I bought all the equipment, my zeal for the hobby fell off a cliff. All I needed was that hit of dopamine. I bought a triathlon bike that never saw a triathlon. A whitewater kayak that has never seen a whitewater river. I have a stand-up paddle board that I used once. Things did not go well and now it lives in the garage, the graveyard of John’s hobbies. This happened with nearly all my hobbies. Shell out the cash. Unwrap all the new goodies. Move to the next hobby.
After identifying this trait, I have been better at managing it and limited the initial investment until I know I will stick with it for longer than a weekend. I have also grown more patient and accept being bad at something for a little bit.
For your enjoyment, I have included a noncomprehensive list of former, current, and future hobbies of mine.
The list goes on forever and the hobbies will probably end.
Former Hobbies
Whitewater Kayaking
My wife and I took a trip to the Buffalo National River in March 2020. We (I) decided it would be a good idea to rent two kayaks and paddle the river at near flood levels. Too proud for a sit-on-top kayak, I chose a sit-in. I got dumped three times in the first two miles of the trip and decided to bail at the first chance we got. RIP expensive sunglasses.
This was not my first mishap on the river and decided I needed to take some lessons. My wife and I made a deal that if I lost weight, I would get to take whitewater kayaking classes at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte. I took the level one class and a few private lessons and decided it was time to invest in my own boat. I tried a few out and decided on the Pyranha Machno. The only problem was that it was 2020 and no one had any in-stock. I found one the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, NC and bought it online. Did I have a way to transport it home? Nope. I shoved it in the back of our Ford Explorer and laid the front seat down and made it work
I took that boat to the level 2 course and took it out on flat water a few times before we moved to North Carolina (and further away from Charlotte) and had a baby. The boat still takes up a corner in our garage.
Triathlon
Triathlon was a dream of mine since childhood. My dad ran triathlons when I was a child, and I was enamored with them from early on. The lore of the Iron War captivated most of my childhood. I dreamt of Mike Reilly calling my name as I crossed the finish line.
I ran my first while in high school and did not attempt another on until after college. Once I had a little spending money, I took it up again. Turns out, to be successful at triathlon, you need to have a little bit a discipline, which I would not figure out for another ten years.
After I rode my bike 25 miles for the first time, I decided I was ready for a full Ironman in the mountains of Lake Tahoe later that year. I made it to the start line through pure stubbornness. I did not know it at the time, but I was given a stay of execution when the 2014 edition was cancelled while I was in a wetsuit waiting for the gun.
I went on to DNF (did not finish) a few 70.3 distances, either getting cutoff or finishing after cutoff. My last hurrah was Ironman Coeur d’Alene in 2015. We had highs of 105 degrees F and I was cutoff halfway through the bike portion.
I gave up on triathlon at the same time I gave up mountain biking (see below).
Mountain biking
I bought the bike on Friday.
I was in the ER with a broken collarbone on Sunday.
Sold the bike a year later.
Swimming
I grew up swimming on a team in the summers. I should have chosen swimming over football in high school but we moved to a school that did not have a swim team. I also had a better chance of getting a scholarship playing football at the time that decision was made.
Editor’s note: The author earned zero athletic (or academic) scholarships.
I have taken up swimming off and on over the years because all I have to do is buy a new pair of goggles.
I even swam once in 2024.
Woodworking
I picked up woodworking after seeing a bunch of Instagram videos and thinking, “how hard could this be?” I had a coupon to Lowe’s for 10% off a purchase of $100 or more. I bought a table saw, miter saw, router, and several other pieces of equipment. When I got to the register the cashier asked, “did you buy all of this just to use this coupon?” I was confused, but the answer was yes. Turns out the coupon was for $10 off a purchase of $100 or more and I was expecting to save $100 on a $1000 purchase.
I made a few cool things. A stool, a frame, a workbench. I gave it up when I realized I could not buy hardwood locally and moved on to other things.
My mother-in-law is my biggest supporter. She found an old piano for me for $50 on Craigslist, rented a U-Haul, and we both went and picked it up. The idea was for me to turn it into a bar. Once I gave up the hobby, I needed to get rid of the piano. I got several quotes for removal and just decided I would tear it apart myself and slip it into the weekly trash pick up each week. This turned out to be one of the biggest undertakings of my life and I should have just paid for it to be removed. I ended up having to pay someone to pick up the cast iron plate since it seemed to weigh several hundred pounds.
Hunting
I really enjoy the “Meateater” TV show and podcast. I decided to dip my toe into hunter and harvest my own meat.
I asked for a .22 rifle for Christmas. I went squirrel hunting in January after a lot of reading on the subject. As I was leaving my house, I saw at least ten squirrels in our neighborhood. I stalked around the woods for a few hours and did not see a single squirrel.
Archery
Along with hunting, I took up archery at the same time thanks to Joe Rogan and Cam Hanes. I bought a bow, arrows, and targets. I practiced for a few months before I decided to take my new skills to the woods.
As with squirrels, I did not see a single deer.
Shooting
Took up shooting once I became a father. Took several classes and went to the range several times a month. Even joined a shooting range with a year commitment the month before we unexpectedly became a single income family. I have not been to the range since.
Weaving
Thought it would be a good hobby to have that I could do while watching TV. I bought a bunch of yarn and a small loom. I made one or two weaving things before the loom was sentenced to spend the rest of its existence in my junk closet.
Painting
Bought a bunch of expensive paint and a class a gave it a go. Confirmed that I’m not very artistic nor do I have the desire to be.
Electronics
Maybe I could learn electronics and make something. I bought a kit intended for teenagers to see if I enjoyed it. It was fun but I was just following directions and not actually trying to learn.
Coding
Bought a class and made a few “apps” that actually worked.
Microsoft Excel
One of my few professional obsessions. I took a Udemy class and learned a lot about Excel. Unfortunately, my current job barely needs those skills, and I have forgotten nearly all of it.
Spanish
Decided to start learning Spanish two weeks before my daughter was born. Glad I bought an annual subscription for my two-week hobby.
Model building
An activity I enjoyed as a kid and thought I might as an adult. Spoiler: I did not.
Golf
I played golf as a kid and love the sport. I took a job out of college in Augusta solely because of the Masters (and it paid off). I started playing again when some coworkers started a group and invited me and became obsessed again. I took a lesson, practiced daily, and played every chance I got. My 30th birthday was centered around golf. When we moved to North Carolina, my wife and I joined a country club with an initiation fee on a whim. We had to resign our membership and forfeit our initiation fee only a few months later when we decided we would live 45 minutes from the country club.
Not Video Games
My wife says my best quality is that I don’t play video games. She said this before I started ultrarunning so she may regret that.
Bourbon
I put a lot of effort into getting a job at a distillery in Kentucky. I learned everything there is to know about bourbon. I have many expensive bourbons in my cabinet. I even pretended to enjoy the taste. On par with everything else, I do not even drink any longer.
Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
Accepting a free trial, I attended two classes. I bought a gi and then went on vacation and never went back.
Current Hobbies
Backpacking
I have not backpacked since 2020, but I consider it an active hobby. I carry a backpack with weight (rucking) frequently in hopes that one day I will make it back out into the wilderness. I have backpacked in Great Smoky Mountains, Zion, and Bryce Canyon National Parks and hope to share it with my kids someday.
Flyfishing
Another stagnant but not dead hobby. I picked it up in 2021 and still really enjoy the pursuit. The problem is that toddlers and hooks flying through the air do not mix.
Reading
At times I am a voracious reader. Other times, I barely pick up a book. I was in the slow reading group in elementary school. That fact does not stop me from piling books on my nightstand and dresser. Both of my bookshelves are also double stacked at the moment with read and to-be-read books.
Writing
This is Exhibit A: my return to writing. I wrote for the high school newspaper and even competed, making it to the State meet three years in a row. Maybe this reignites an old flame.
Ultrarunning
Will ultrarunning stick? Did I finally find my true love? Hang around to find out.
Future Hobbies
My future hobbies are mostly tools to piss off my wife. Would that fall under current hobbies?
Rock climbing
I am very interested in rock climbing. I hope to leverage my children’s future interest in rock climbing into my excuse to start too.
Flying
I mostly just use this one to irritate my wife from time to time by bringing it up. I have neither the time nor money to take up flying.
BASE jumping
No real interest, especially as I get older and more timid. My wife seems supportive, but I think it’s the life insurance payout.