Losing......ummm....... interest.
Lately I've wondered why we lose interest in things. Hobbies, people, activities, sports, whatever. What made us interested in the first place? And what changes that we one day realize we are no longer interested in it anymore?

There are lots of things I like to do, some more than others. I LOVE to sit outside on my patio and read a book. This is a relatively new activity that I've found great joy in, as I've only had a good reading patio for about a year. I can have a completely stress-filled day of crap at work and bad traffic. But if I make it home in time to sit outside and enjoy some sunlight and a book, I find great peace in that.

But how did I discover that I enjoy this? And what keeps me interested in making time for this? I guess I just tried it once and found that I enjoyed it, and I remember that when I think about what to do with my time.

Last year I was all about biking. Every spare moment that wasn't devoted to some sort of responsibility, I was on my bike. Outside in nature, or inside on the trainer. I was riding. I loved it. I found peace in that. And, I had GREAT legs...

This year, I still enjoy the biking. I love the exercise and getting outside, feeling like I'm going someplace. I especially love bike events, being around other bikers, dressed in the requisite assortment of spandex and brightly colored helmets, all sharing equally strange tan lines from hours in the sun in biking clothes. These are my people.

But I'm not as interested in biking as last year. Do I like it less? No. Am I as motivated to bike as much as possible and train for a big ride? Not really. It's fun, and one of my favorite things to do. But if it comes down to a choice between biking or sitting outside with a book, the book will probably win. That's where my interest is.

So what's the difference or relationship between interest and enjoyment? Or, interest and priorities? We are interested in things we don't necessarily do or have the opportunity to be exposed to often. I'm fascinated with Biblical history and have great interest in the historical aspects of scripture: timelines, geography, Biblical history as related to the history of the world, etc. My one trip to Israel several years ago had my nose in history books for several months afterwards. Am I less interested now? No. Do I enjoy it less? No. Do I make the time to spend reading or researching or travelling more as related to learning more about it? No. It's not a priority. It's just an interest.

I'm especially interested in this idea of losing interest when it comes to people. You'd think that if you are interested enough to begin getting to know someone, build a relationship, and spend time with a person, the interest would remain intact. Something peaked your interest in the first place, and kept you interested for awhile. If there is mutual interest, it would beg to reason that two interests are stronger than just one, so interest would not dissolve, right? Aside from things that may come up in a relationship, how does interest grow or lessen? Why do people lose interest in people? Admittedly, I can think of several people that I once interacted with on an almost daily basis. Now? Can't say I have the interest in talking to them anymore. Is that a poor reflection on me, or them? Is it bad, or lazy to lose interest? Especially with people? Does one interest need to be replaced with another? Or is losing interest just something that happens?

I've also noticed this lately with blogging. I still love my blog and plan to continue blogging until there's just nothing left to blog. But, I've realized lately that it's not as big of a priority as it used to be. It's not quite the novelty it once was for me. It's not quite as exciting or fun. It's still fun and I still love to write, especially to blog. But I'm finding I don't have to do it everyday. I used to look forward to writing here everyday, as one of the first parts of my day. Now, I sometimes don't notice it's been a day or two in between posts. I'm just not as interested in keeping up with the blog as obsessively as I did for the first year or so. It hasn't been a conscious realization. Just something that's happened.

Do I like it less? No. Not at all. This is great fun for me.

Is my interest in it changing a bit? I think, yes. Although I'm not sure what that means.

I still hope to one day be a writer. I am a writer. But I hope to one day make that my job. The thing that pays my bills. I have a very strong interest in that.

I must figure out how to not lose that interest, or at least get everything I want out of it before the interest goes away.

C.T.