So what do you do for fun?

Haha.. what a weird question, sometimes we can’t even come up with more than 3 things that we “do for fun”. There is never really time for much. However, as Phoebe on Friends reminded me (yes I watch reruns of Friends all the time) – people work hard all week and deserve to have some fun.

So here it is, one of the things I do for fun is read and also, have bookclub.

Yes, actual bookclub not wine club disguised as bookclub.

I started a bookclub when I realised I loved reading. The books I was reading left a lasting impression on me and I really wanted to share my thoughts with others who cared about the books I was reading and who were also thinking about the characters and plot long after the book was finished. I wanted somewhere to speak about books and really enjoy and engage with it.

My group and I have had bookclub for just over a year now, we have never missed a bookclub meeting. As one of the members in bookclub poignantly pointed out, bookclub is a necessity of reading. Okay not everyone can have a bookclub for various reasons, but if you really think about it by nature, reading is a lonesome activity – in a good way of course – but if you are reading, more often than not you are alone – for a few hours at a time – and mostly have chosen to read a book as your form of recreational activity.

Bookclub is a way to take that lonesome activity and make it into something where you can meet with people, discuss ideas, make connections and hopefully, build some new friendships. Our bookclub for example is a group of people who wouldn’t necessarily have even spoken to each other but now all of a sudden, through a common interest, we have made new friends and broadened our circle of people we can do things with and enjoy different company.

It is hard to put yourself out there and meet new people – if you have moved to a new city or country for example, it can be extremely isolating and lonely. Meeting people is such a daunting task in new and totally unfamiliar surroundings. We would normally meet people from school or university and from there, meet those peoples people, but if you haven’t been to school or worked with someone in your new area, how on earth do you go about making friends.

Take you hobby, or something you like, or something you have always wanted to do and create a community out of it. Of course you need to be vigilant and do your due diligence when it comes to logistics and trust, but do something for you in a way that can really add to the substance of your life!

Share a bit about your own hobbies and interests and how you might develop this a bit in your world