Leisure time activities should be something that spark interest, inspire personal growth or satisfaction and simply create happiness. We pass our time with crafts, art, or maybe hiking or camping. Some of us like to play sports like golf, or running marathons. Introverts like us usually read…ALOT. Even video games have become a fun activity. Aside from the normal leisure time activities, however, there are some ventures out there many of us haven’t thought of to try. Here are 5 extraordinary pursuits that might be your next favorite pastime!
Get in touch with your inner chef.
Cooking is an enjoyable activity for many. I for one love to bake. Every birthday cake for my two sons was homemade and decorated with love. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not unique though right? Let’s take it one step further then. How about combining the love of cooking with the love of history? Sound interesting? Here’s how. Research different time periods and the meals or foods that were prominent during that time. There are ample websites, cookbooks, blogs, videos, etc. that have information for different time periods like Colonial American, Ancient Rome, Traditional Ethnic meals hundreds of years old. If there aren’t recipes for the meals of that time, be creative and make up your own based on the available foods during that particular time period! Equally, history plays a role in the next activity too.
History via the Grave!
I can feel the confusion. This venture combines history, art, and a little bit of morbid curiosity. Interest peaked? How about giving grave rubbing a try? I know, it sounds a little weird, but think about it. Tombstones from a century or older are ornate and beautiful as well as a part of history; someone’s life commemorated in stone. Put there to remind those of us walking the earth today of who had been there before us. Gravestones can be very odd, creative, or informative. Many are so old that the inscriptions are rapidly fading. Capturing these writings preserve that information and can even be shared with historical societies for genealogy research. Most cemeteries are peaceful, so what a wonderful artistic hobby for an introvert! By the same token, our next pursuit also entails a peaceful, historical element.
Discovering beauty in the abandoned.
Another unique but wildly favored activity that would be perfect for us introverts is Urban Exploring. Granted, this pastime needs to be done legally and safely, but there is so much allure to these places. Once beloved, popular, a home to a family…the past talks to us from what is left behind. Take a camera to record the solemn gorgeous backdrop of nature taking over a man-made structure. Or step back in time inside an abandoned house left as it was decades before, complete with furniture, books, clothes, and maybe even a set table. It’s a mix of history, adrenaline, adventure and admiration. Please do not trespass or break any laws! Show respect and be responsible. Get permission to explore!
Hunting things that go bump in the night.
This next leisure time adventure has grown in popularity but is still a very unique one. Many people go hunting for animals, but ghosts is, well, a whole different realm. Literally. Ghost hunting can be a fun, spooky way to spend an evening or even a full weekend! There are places that offer ghost tours, or ghost hunting events, even places where you can stay the night and sleep there! I was able to join a ghost hunting group for several years which was very interesting, fun, and spooky. It’s a great way to learn historical facts about places, make new friends, and work to capture evidence of the unknown. Keep an open mind. Never know what might get captured! Comparatively, the last activity to help pass the time can also be a great way to capture something unconventional.
Collections that are unequaled and quirky
Being a collector isn’t an atypical past time, but what is collected sure may be. We’ve all heard of collecting stamps, coins, records, books, certain figurines, etc. What if I told you that there are collectors that go beyond the classic collectors items, and target things that are no only hard to come by, but also bizarre. Collections need to mean something to their collector. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a collection that would bring a ton a money if sold, although many still do. A collection of oddities can include skulls, medical implements, books, or medicines and even things like historical carnival items. There are people that collect photographs from all eras. How about haunted dolls? Or voo-doo dolls? Maybe vintage rings? Let the imagination run wild! The best part is, traveling around and going into different antique shops, flea markets, and estate sells. The adventure is part of the fun.
