Dear Madison,
Thanks for your last letter. Maybe, one day I will overcome my fear of heights and we can try skydiving together. Sorry, it has taken me so long to check your letter and send it back, but I have been busy with school stuff.
Your Russian is improving day by day, you make all us foreign language learners seem lazy and dumb. I have been studying English for ten years, and still do not have your confidence. Nevertheless, enough about that, since in your last letter you asked me about my hobbies, I have decided to make them a topic for my new letter. By the way, thanks to you I will have more spare time for them, as I do not have to sit and wonder what you would like to know about me.
What I enjoy doing when I should be doing something else
Sometimes everyone needs a boost of energy, one cannot always do what they should, because will power is an exhaustible resource. That is what hobbies do, they charge your life batteries and make you happy. Since these times, modern people are exposed to so many stresses at work and at home, everyone needs a fulfilling leisure activity.
My personal favorites are:
- Reading
- Listening to music and audio-books
- Watching TV-shows and movies in English and German
- Keeping myself fit
- Going out with friends
- Writing short stories or self-help advice on my blog
- Crocheting
- Shopping for nice little things
- Learning foreign languages and so on
When writing this list of hobbies, I realized that I could go on and on forever, because I like trying new things so much. It is a pity I sometimes stop halfway, thinking that I am not good enough at it. The things I mentioned bring a lot of fun into my life, and now you understand why it is so hard for me to get to work sometimes. Nevertheless, my hobbies help me, firstly, because they make me happy, and happy people usually work and study more successfully and faster. Secondly, when I do especially well at my work, I would reward myself with an extra hour devoted to one of my hobbies.
Why I enjoy my hobbies so much?
I believe habbits make a person, as someone put it: you are what you do. I was a hyperactive child, but everything changed when I learned how to read, I have never been bored ever since. Books have made me calmer in a good way. They have become my shelter when I needed one, my teacher, when no one can answer my endless question, and my friend, who I can always count on. But lately I have had so little spare time that I have not been able to read much. That is when I discovered audio-books, now I cannot imagine going to sleep not listening them.
When I do not have enough energy to dive into a book, I listen to music. Rock music is my one love; good song can make my day. Every time I am too tired to learn new words or practice some grammar rule, I would find a good episode of one of my favourite TV-shows and watch it. I think it is also a way of learning a foreign language, isn’t it?
I do believe that there is a sound mind in a sound body. That is why I try to eat healthy food and exercise three times a week. I tried jogging, but it does not work for me. Sometimes I play badminton or tennis with my friends. But more often we would just hang out together or go to see movies. Nevertheless, as long as we are together, it is fun anyway. Shopping is my medicine for bad mood, it always helps and it has additional benefits: some new nice things that make my home cozy.
As for the hobbies that allow me to express myself, for me that is writing on my blog and crocheting. I wrote my first fiction story about some female angel when I was six. Nowadays, I write non-fiction, mostly self-help articles on personal development on my blog. I hope to publish an enjoyable, but yet helpful book one day. As for chrocheting, it allows me to create things with my own hands and I do not care if someone thinks that is old-fashioned. That is just awesome to be able to wear a dress that you once existed only in your head!
Hope I did not bored you to death with all the things I enjoy doing. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Good luck with your Math exam, you can do it!
Best wishes,
Marie
