The other night whilst waiting for my bus home (which is all I seem to do these days) I sat with a friend from my accommodation talking about sports for around half an hour. The guy in question sails professionally; the most inspiring thing about this conversation was seeing how animated and passionate he became once he started talking about it! I on the other hand have carried on playing badminton at Southampton, playing for a league and at the social club at the weekends. I also find it exciting meeting more and more people who share the same interest as me, the club there is so popular.
I sensed he could have talked about his love for sailing for the rest of the evening if he'd had the opportunity, which for me completely shatters the idea that all young people are a lazy and uninspired generation who just sit in front of their computers. Okay well slightly true about the obsession with technology, but I often find it strange to meet so many people who have absolutely no interests outside of school. This becomes awfully apparent when people have to fill in their hobbies outside of school on CVs or applications; unfortunately Facebook and Twitter as a pastime is frowned upon.
I think it is so important to have a regular hobby alongside your usual routine - it helps you to meet new people that you otherwise may not have met. At home I used to play for a local badminton league in which the majority of people were 25 - 30 and working full time; there's no reason why I would've met these people had I not joined! I loved the break from a sometimes cliquey and intimidating school atmosphere, to one in which most were just normal adults working 9-5 who never judged me or found reason to exclude me.
I love that a regular hobby gives you something to look forward to every week, never have I once dreaded having to play badminton, meaning that I want to continue playing until I'm old and wrinkly! Seeing someone have such a passion in something they do in their spare time is utterly endearing to me, and makes their personality so much more interesting.. so come on people find your niche and really go for it! I've met so many lovely people from playing for 7 years in various clubs and squads, and made some seriously good friends, and for this I'm forever grateful for the opportunity.
Thanks for reading!
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