What Do You Dabble In?

This is so fascinating! Thank you for explaining!

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I’ve never been very good at it so I gave it up!

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Oh, that’s my most aspirational dabble of all :sob:

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My non-housekeeping dabbles are numerous. I’m not particularly good at any of them, but the ā€œelectivesā€ are enjoyable - running, pickleball, gardening, church work, community volunteering, piano, lots of reading. (None are in the artsy/craftsy category - I admire those talents very much, just no interest for myself.) This is probably more of a comment for a different thread, but I love being retired and having lots of time to do different things.

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A few years ago I learned a new musical instrument. DH is learning a new instrument now. He practices more diligently than I did.

Currently taking an agility class with my dog. That’s actually been very fun.

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Pickle ball.
AI

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Tarot cards and baton twirling.

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At once? Impressive!! But of course you knew I would post thatšŸ˜€

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That’s what I love about you :wink:

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I dabble a lot. I can get highly focused on one activity, but I have a short attention span, so I never get very good at anything. Things I have dabbled in:

  • Art: drawing; watercolors; rock, furniture, wooden box, and walking stick painting; polymer clay

  • Learning Mandarin Chinese - I have a huge box of language learning materials in the attic. I spent a year making a map of China translating place names to English (Beijing = North Capitol, Shanghai = above the sea, etc). But I never got even close to being fluent.

  • Sports - tennis, golf, softball

  • Dog Sports - Agility, nosework, trick training

  • Music - took trumpet, guitar, and drum set lessons

  • Nature - wild plant ID, birdwatching, rock collecting

My dorks, I mean dogs, doing the spin command.


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As someone with ADHD, I either obsess or dabble. There doesn’t seem to be an in-between. Things that were once obsessions can become dabble material depending on what’s going on.
I’ve played piano since I was 3. From 7-22, I played over an hour a day. I’d say I go in about 2 year spurts now where I play hours a day and then don’t play at all for a couple of years. Right now, I’m in a non-playing phase, but I just pulled some music out because some of my co-workers and students want to hear me play.
Same with exercise. Right now, I’m in a dabbling phase.
House cleaning and reading go back and forth pretty quickly.
Currently dabbling in crochet and vegan food prep, but food prep is moving into obsession territory, and crochet isn’t picked up much (what usually happens after buying every possible supply).

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Dabbling for me isn’t so much how good I am at something. It’s more about how hard or interested I am at getting better at it.

I’m learning German and French. German is a hobby. I want to be good. I actively think about how good I am, where I could be better and ways how I can achieve that goal.

French? I’m working through Duolingo, but if I can’t remember words, get stuff wrong. Who cares. If I can’t speak worth a darn. Who cares. I know more now than I did two years ago. Thus, I dabble at French.

Piano I want to be a hobby. I’m trying to get better at it. But I’m afraid that now H works mornings full time and I will never get a moment to myself at home for the rest of my life - or his - it’ll become a dabble. He says I can play when he’s home, and I can. But it’s not the same. I need absolute focus. And even if he doesn’t bother me, 30+ years experience of constant interruptions when I ask for 30 min alone has me on edge the entire time. Maybe it’ll get better. It’s only been 1.5 weeks. I hope so.

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I totally get that need for absolute quiet/no distraction.

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Like LeastComplicated, I dabble in dog sports-(tracking, agility & barnhunt)


. We did a fastcat yesterday. Fun for the dog and no training really necessary although strong arm muscles to hold insane dog back needed. I also dabble in genealogy, gardening and wildlife observation. And on a warm summer afternoon, I dabble in gin & tonics on the deck

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This would have me dabbling in creative ways to permanently stop the interruptions. :headstone:

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I keep trying to go and work out at a health care center, then quit. I hate getting dressed to go out and exercise.

I dabble in finding new recipes to try out. Then stop for awhile

I’ve tried doing picture books on Shutterfly then stop when I’m overwhelmed. .

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I am not ā€œcraftyā€ at all. I too love retirement, and I have no guilt when I don’t feel like doing much of anything.

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playing the piano – my mom traded knitting lessons for piano lessons for me when I was a kid. I have never been great, but I like to play and go through bits of trying harder.

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One reason I like my husband’s new ebike hobby is that it gives me opportunities to play piano when nobody else is home. It’s been fun to go back to some of the old piano books/music from my own childhood as well as son’s piano lessons. (He took lessons for 11 years, so I can only play the simpler arrangements.)

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I love baton twirling!

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