Have you ever tried something new . . . enjoyed it . . . made it an official hobby . . . and then had it start TERRORIZING YOU?
People on social media are talking about hobbies that “look incredibly peaceful from the outside . . . but are actually ‘pure stress’ once you really get into it.” And here are the best ones:
1. Bonsai. People think it’s all zen, but the work on the trees is very intense.
2. Fish tanks. Especially reef tanks, planted ones, and saltwater tanks.
3. Surfing. It’s not pure stress, but surfers can be aggressive and high-strung.
4. Beekeeping. It’s consists of trying to keep your hive alive . . . “and if you’re TOO successful, half of them [eff] off and leave.”
5. Sewing. One person said, “Sewing is great as long as you don’t tell anyone you sew.” Others added knitting and crocheting. Among other things, people ask for things, not realizing how time-consuming and expensive it can be.
6. Raising chickens. Chickens are chaotic and vicious. (And one person joked, “I swear chickens are the smartest dumbasses I’ve ever seen.”)
7. The “roasting and crafting specialty coffee” rabbit-hole.
8. Swing dancing. “It gets competitive and cliquey VERY quickly.”
9. Growing roses. “It isn’t a hobby, it’s horticultural masochism.”
10. Painting. “You want every single stroke to turn out perfect because there’s no simple ‘undo’ button.”
11. Rockhounding. “You just end up with boxes of cool rocks and nowhere to put them.” (Other types of high-level collecting were also mentioned.)
12. Telescopes. “There’s more to it than just looking through a lens.” (???)
One person said, “Any hobby once it reaches a competitive level. 90% of the enjoyment of a hobby is in going from ‘how the heck do you even do this’ to ‘I can do this pretty well.’ That last 10% is going from ‘I can do this pretty well’ to ‘I’m one of the best people on earth at this thing.'”
And another dropped this wisdom: “There are three levels of perfectionism: The amateur . . . the pro . . . and the hobbyist. In that order.”
