Can self-learned hobbies/activities be more fulfilling than friendships?

January 1, 2017 12:02 AM

I’m 31 years old, single, no children, and 2017 is 1 minute away. I picked up a couple activities going into 2017. I was going to the gym consistently and losing 26 pounds during the summer/fall season. I gained 7 pounds during the holiday season (to be expected), and looking forward to starting the routine come January. I also got into the EDM scene that I found more fun and better than the clubs in my personal opinion. I look forward to discovering more activities/skills in the 2017. 2016 was a revealing year in terms of where I stand on friendships. My friendship with two people who I’ve known for 10+ years went from best friend to mere acquaintance status. I tried to make new friends at work (mostly temps who would help out at the clinic for 2 weeks to 3 months). I would invite them to hiking and so-forth, but nothing would ever materialize. I realized that the majority of people that I’ve come across either have children and/or established group of friends that make it hard for a new person to be integrated. Most of these people are just friends on social media, and expecting anything more than that just leads to disappointment on my end. Since my position at my second job during the weekends will be eliminated come February, my Sundays will be open again. I look forward to certain hobbies: learning more about car maintenance, learning more about the EDM scene, playing more basketball, casual dating (definitely work in progress), and most importantly loving/appreciating myself more. I realized that learned skills/hobbies can last a longer than most friendships. This whole “BFF” thing is laughable now at this stage of my life, as people aren’t guaranteed to be there for you 5 or 10 years from now. No one can take away my college degree or ability to drive a manual transmission. Can anyone in here attest to this? A happy new year to everyone here by the way!
posted by tnar23 to Human Relations