Reconnect With An Interest From Childhood

When I was eight, I had my first campfire at my dad’s house. I carved a handful of sticks for roasting marshmallows and dusted off every five-gallon bucket we had for makeshift seats. When all of my buddies showed up, my dad brought out seven brand new harmonicas. We each got one, and we spent the night making perhaps the worst music the neighborhood has ever known.

Seven years later I went off to college, and while digging through my desk, I came across that harmonica. Over the next few years, I got decent at pursing, blocking, and all that jazz. But then I got married, had kids, and the harmonica went back in the drawer. This summer, it’s coming back out, and let me preemptively apologize to my neighbors for the unhoned noise coming from my back porch. I’ll get it back.

They say when you hit your thirties, you either get really into brewing your own beer, or you become a Civil War history buff. Honestly, neither of those interest me, and I’m not in the position to go pick up a new convertible or buy a lake house.

Sometimes the best way to enter a new season with intentionality is to revisit a childhood hobby or passion. I’m picking up the harmonica. What were you into as a kid? Maybe it’s time to crack open those old comic books, start kicking the soccer ball around, or go buy yourself a new Lego set, seriously. This summer, reignite something fun and cheap from your past solely for your own pleasure.