We all have little hobbies that make us happy and help us take a break from our daily lives. Some people enjoy cooking, making tasty dishes in the kitchen, while others like knitting sweaters or making homemade sausages. Sometimes, these fun activities can even turn into a way to make extra money.

Story 1:
I met a guy and we got along right away. He invited me to his place. When I went to wash my hands, I couldn’t find a towel. I opened a cabinet and found a bra inside. Confused, I asked him, “What’s this?” He calmly said, “Don’t mess it up; I need to send it to a customer.” Turns out, he was making custom bras! At first, I felt a little weird, but after seeing his mannequins and workspace, I was a bit embarrassed. We eventually broke up, not because of his job, but because we just didn’t connect.

Story 2:
My neighbor is 78 and lives alone—she’s a lovely lady! Recently, a young man started visiting her, which seemed fine until one day I heard shouting from her house. Worried, I knocked on the door, but everything seemed calm inside. Then she opened the door wearing a karate outfit! She had decided to try something new, and the young man was teaching her karate moves!

Story 3:
One day on my train ride home from work, I was crocheting a sweater to relax. Suddenly, the man next to me kept staring and moving closer! That wasn’t what I needed at the moment, but then I noticed he was holding a knitting book. He was just watching me crochet! We ended up talking and hit it off—we still keep in touch today!

Before my granddaughter’s fifth birthday, my daughter-in-law called me and said, “She wants a strange gift—a bat that’s both scary and cute.” She couldn’t find anything like that in stores, so she asked if I could make something unique.

Story 5:
My whole family loves camping—grandparents, their siblings, parents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and kids all join every year without fail! We spend a month outdoors, and I love nature, camping, cooking over a fire, even when there’s no hot water, bugs everywhere, or my backpack feels way too heavy.
Every trip brings crazy stories: we’ve had bears show up, our catamaran flipped over, our food got soaked after falling into a river, and our tent almost blew away at night! I’ve been bitten by ticks, but that’s not nearly as scary as the bears! It’s always an adventure.
Every time I come back home, I think, “Never again!” But when summer comes, I start thinking, “It wasn’t so bad last time, right?” And off we go camping again!

Story 6:
I love knitting and reading books! I’ve been enjoying young adult novels from when I was younger. Earlier this month, I spent $50 on yarn, but I still have most of it left, so it will last me a long time!

Story 7:
Ten years ago, a friend asked me to write a play, but they ended up not needing it. So, I entered it into a contest—and won! Now, my plays are performed in theaters, and I have another premiere coming up soon. I don’t make a lot of money from it compared to office jobs, but I enjoy it.

I’ve been trying to combine productive activities like organizing while learning to cook healthy ethnic dishes and doing wellness routines. It makes chores more enjoyable and gives me a sense of satisfaction while staying healthy.

Story 9:
As a kid, I was great at winning plush toys from those claw vending machines. Recently, a supermarket near my house set one up. Of course, students were spending their breakfast money trying to win. Feeling a bit down, I decided to give it a try. So, there I was, dressed in a suit and heels, surrounded by cheering kids! In two hours, I managed to win 30 toys and gave them all away. It was the best feeling ever!

Story 10:
I enjoy exercising, playing disc golf, bowling, video games, gardening, yard work, and even financial planning and investments! I used to play soccer after work until my knees told me to stop.

Story 11:
My dad has been fishing forever! I remember our bathtub full of pike, the kitchen smelling like fish, and scales everywhere as he sold fish to make money and put food on the table. Even though it helped, he stayed obsessed with fishing. Mom finally banned him from bringing fish home, so now he goes fishing without worrying about what happens afterward. One time, we went to a restaurant, and the server offered pikeperch as the special, but Mom said, “No way are we paying for fish!”

Story 12:
Mom has changed jobs many times, but now she’s a village librarian. She enjoys her free time and has started painting. Even though her paintings aren’t masterpieces, the important thing is that we enjoy them together.

Story 13:
In 2020, I started growing strawberries, and at first, it seemed impossible to do on a large scale. But now, I’ve reached a point where I supply fresh, high-quality strawberries to restaurants and pastry shops in the city, and they love it.

Story 14:
A year ago, I rescued a small cereus cactus left behind by a coworker who quit. I took it home, and to my surprise, it doubled in size in just one year! Now I have a whole collection, including a fig plant that was nearly dead but somehow recovered and flourished. The lemon tree’s blooms even smell lovely!

Story 15:
About six years ago, I found homemade sausage recipes online. Even though I didn’t have a smokehouse or a thermal chamber, I got creative using just my oven. The result was a great photo and a new hobby I love.

Story 16:
My 84-year-old grandma loves getting her nails done. She paints them every day and sketches the designs. Whenever I ask her what she needs from the city, she always says, “Three bottles of nail polish, in different colors, plus cotton pads and remover!”