Hyphenated-Homestead

Well, well, well, look who’s managed to keep a blog alive for more than a month! If you’re reading this, congratulations, you’ve survived my writing for 40+ days straight – and for that, I commend your resilience and tolerance for questionable humor. I started the blog on Dec 23, 2023. And as we are used to celebrating birthdays on the convenient weekends here in America, consider this as my blogs birthday week(end) celebration.

So, grab your celebratory confetti and join me in commemorating this unique moment in the world of not-so-professional writing. Today’s blog post is like a birthday party for my blog – only with fewer candles and more virtual high-fives. Cheers to embracing the chaotic journey of putting fingers to the keyboard (because let’s face it, pens are so last century). So, what is the special topic for today? Please read on!

Throughout my entire existence, there has been one question that has haunted me like an unresolved subplot in a never-ending TV series. The question that shook the very core of my being, one that left me more perplexed than even a “probability problem” in my first ever mid-term exam in Clemson…Remember that? 🤣 Anyways, the question goes something like this:

So, Mandar, what is your hobby?

Growing up, while my peers frolicked in the fields of cricket pitches, strummed chords on guitars, played Indian harmonium or Tabla, or devoured books like voracious bookworms, I found myself adrift in the sea of indecision. Reading? Nah. Playing an instrument? not really. Sports? Um, no thanks.

My forte seemed to gravitate toward the mundane, the responsibilities that most kids wouldn’t even consider as plausible hobbies. I was the prodigy of household organization, the sultan of cleanliness, and the maestro of maintaining order in a chaotic world. Helping mom? Yep. Organizing home and rooms? Bingo. Keeping things spick and span? Absolutely.

But could these domestic endeavors really count as hobbies? Alas, my quest for a pastime persisted.

As I meandered through my interests, one thing became apparent: I relished interactions, conversations, and the peculiar art of engaging with fellow inhabitants of this planet. But again, could merely being a social butterfly pass off as a hobby?

Enter the perplexing notion of starting a blog. Just for fun, read my first-ever blog post here. You will know what I mean.

The light bulb blinked, flickered, and then shone brightly! A blog – the digital canvas where words could dance, ideas could collide, and I could engage in a never-ending dialogue with the world. It was like finding the missing jigsaw puzzle piece.

“Is this, writing a blog that is, your ever-elusive hobby?” One of my early readers and friend asked.

“I don’t know. Only time will tell.” I replied nervously.

But it is feeling right, like finally finding the perfect-sized sock after rummaging through numerous mismatched pairs.

And yet, I am sure when someone will ask me that dreaded question again – I will still shrug it off. Because sometimes, life’s hobbies are the unexpected quirks, the idiosyncrasies that don’t fit into a neatly labeled box.

And maybe, just maybe, that’s the greatest hobby of all – embracing the unpredictable, the offbeat, and the delightfully absurd aspects of this whirlwind we call life.

Or in my case, “I’m a connoisseur of conversations, a curator of chaos, and a blogger extraordinaire!”

Nah! I am just your dear friend, and that’s enough.

Belated Happy Birthday, Hyphenated-Homestead! Please never ever leave my side now. ❤️🙌❤️

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Want help turning ideas into action? I run mPath Services: empathy + execution and hands-on help for solopreneurs or anyone needing a bit more TLC. Visit mPath →

Want to just say hello? drop me a note at: mandar@mpathservices.com or contact me →