I was talking with a friend earlier this week about how tired she was and the heaviness of it all. Work. Life. The world. All the things.

At one point, she got teary and said something like, “What is this all for?” And I got it. I've been there. And I go back there from time to time.

There are times when you look around and wonder: Is this it?

We work. We take care of others, our work and all of our "adult" responsibilities. Because that's life, right?

We can get so used to tending to everything and everyone else that we stop doing the things that are just for us.

So I asked her if she had anything she did just for herself. Something she enjoyed. Something that had nothing to do with work or what anyone else needed from her.

And she said no.

So, we started chatting about that and she mentioned used to love needlepoint.

But then she followed it up with "I think about picking it up again but I wonder...what would I do with all of those things?”

My response? Maybe nothing. Maybe the finished pieces sit in a drawer. Maybe you give them away.

We spend so much of our lives asking things to justify themselves. To have a purpose.

What will I do with it?
Is this worth my time?
Will this help me get somewhere?

But not everything needs to get us somewhere. Some things can be "just because".

Because you’re curious.
Because it makes you laugh.
Because you like the way it feels to make something with your hands.
Because you want to learn something.
Because it gives you something to look forward to.
Because it brings a little lightness into your day.

I do this with words.

I have magnetic words on a bulletin board in my office, and most days I stand there and move them around until they become something that feels like a poem.

Sometimes I share what I make. Most of the time, I don’t.

I even signed up for an online poetry class once, thinking I wanted to get better at writing poetry. Yeah, that didn't work out...it felt too structured for me.

The truth is, I just like putting words together.

I have no idea if I’ll ever do anything with them. And I don’t have to.

I like doing it. It lights me up and that's enough for me.

So, what about you?

Maybe your thing is birding. Taking a pottery class. Going to a local event because it sounds interesting. Writing little stories no one will ever see.

Or maybe it’s picking up something you used to love before life got so full.

It doesn’t have to become a hobby, a habit, or something you do all the time.

You are allowed to do it just because you enjoy it.

Life is more than work.

It’s more than screens, responsibilities, errands, and all the things that need to get done.

There’s a whole world out there to explore, notice, make, learn, laugh at, and enjoy. And that's what I'd love for you to explore this week.

My invitation for you this week:

Explore one thing that’s just for you.

It can be something you used to enjoy, something you’ve been curious about, or something you keep thinking, I’d like to try that someday.

And if nothing immediately comes to mind, that’s okay too. This isn’t about finding your thing or choosing a new hobby.

It’s just an experiment.

Give yourself a little space to wander and see what catches your attention.

Maybe you…

• Look through your library’s calendar.
• Wander through a craft store.
• Search for a class that sounds interesting - online or locally.
• Watch a YouTube video on something you are curious about.
• Pull a book off the shelf that you’ve been meaning to open.
• Take photos of things that catch your eye on a walk.
• Make up a story.
• Open the supplies you bought six months ago and see if you still want to play with them.

You don’t have to commit to a new hobby. You don’t have to become good at it. You don’t even have to know if you’ll like it yet.

You’re just exploring…and maybe something makes you curious enough to spend a little more time with it.

And if you want to help figuring out what you might want to explore or how to make room for it in your life, hit reply and let's brainstorm.