I’m not sure how applicable mine are but here goes:

About a decade ago, I got back into soccer as an adult. I played as a kid so it wasn’t as bad but my fitness took a couple years to get back up to snuff and I had a bunch of pulled muscles the first couple years. Now though, it’s my favourite thing and I play 3 times a week (which is admittedly, too many times) and for those three hours, I don’t think about the world, work, politics, life or anything, all that matters is keeping a ball out of our net. (And of course I’ve made some great friends along the way.)

As part of the getting back into shape, I’ve really dug swimming. It’s easy on these old man muscles and you can feel the improvement. (the hot tub afterwards is pretty nice too.)

I also got back into reading non fiction. I hadn’t looked for anything really new or interesting since the mid 00s, and reddit for all its faults had some really interesting suggestions in r/fantasy and r/sciencefiction which were a blast to read!

During the pandemic, I tried video games. Not really for me but some folks love them.

There’s an independent theatre down the street and I love just popping in and seeing what weird and wild stuff they have. Sure, at home is cheap but there’s something amazing about the big screen especially for a slower movie that would be way too tempting to bust out a phone for. I would never have made it through Lawrence of Arabia, the Good the Bad and the Ugly or Skinamarink without busting out a phone if I hadn’t been in a theatre.

There are some great little indie music venues in my city, there’s something refreshing about watching a young garage band that’ll go nowhere but is having a blast.

Some of my buddies are really into board games, which are fun. Not quite my thing but I fully get it.

I dunno, maybe some of those appeal? But really, I think the question is what are you interested in? What makes you smile? Or what has made you smile in the past?

I like making stuff. The point is that you do something where you can see something grow over time into something more than just the sum of your effort. It can be anything.

I own a house, so most stuff I make are extensions or improvements on the house. Last year I build a chicken coupe. This year I remodelled the unused hallway.

If you don’t own a house you could try volunteering somewhere. I recently started volunteer work with the theatre group my daughter is a member of.

Or maybe gardening, rent a plot at a community garden.

Even working out at the gym can have the same effect.

Playing an instrument, regularly going to a sports club and regularly doing cardio is great for me

There is no point to life. It’s not an fps adventure game, it’s a sandbox.

What’s the point of life at all? Its been slow the first 25 years, the rest being slow doesn’t bother me much anymore. I’m tired, but I’m too lazy to go out quick.

Why does it need to “amount” to something? Do you know anything about most of the people who have lived? Do you expect that of everyone around you? Enjoy yourself, enjoy being alive and embodied while you are, maybe you accomplish something for someone else, maybe you don’t, no big deal. Just being here is an incredible thing to have.

I wasn’t expecting the Spanish Inquisition!