Asklemmy

Ham radio. It's a lot of fun and has something for everyone. I like the outdoors, so I took my portable gear to a park and operated Parks on the Air today. There are all kinds of digital modes for people who love computers, there's morse code, there's using kites to hoist your antenna, hot air balloons, talking with the space station, etc. All kinds of stuff. If you're the least bit nerdy, it likely has something for you.

Juggling is fun and makes you really great at throwing things (but only mildly better at catching them hehe) 👍

tying knots. All you need is a couple of pieces of string to get started. The right knot, well tied, is like a good friend - you can count on it. Shipyard workers sometimes make fun of how inexperienced mariners tie up their boats to a dock with "if you can't tie a knot, tie a lot!?" (full disclosure, I am a sailor).

someone else mentioned sign language - that is also extremely useful sometimes! My wife and I learned it when we learned to SCUBA. We do not have any deaf friends, but sometimes you meet a person who is reliant on sign, and if you can at least spell out some words, 'they are so grateful'.

Two things: chess and piano. I downloaded the chess.com app and play whenever I'm idling for more than a few minutes. Got to a very proficient respectable level in a few months, and it's a ton of fun, endless combinations, no upper limit to how good you can get.

I also bought a cheap keyboard for under $300 and got proficient at it within a few months. Half hour here, twenty minutes there, an hour there. I'm not Chopin or anything and I can barely even play him but again, respectable.

So now if you ever go somewhere and see a chess set or a piano you can be like hey I know what to do with that!

Knot tying is a handy skill and easy to acquire. All you need is a short length of rope and watch a few videos. There may be thousands of knots you can learn, but most people should take the trouble to learn a few tried and true knots. Maybe you want to move a mattress on the roof of your car. Maybe you want to tie a pen to a clipboard. Maybe you want to tie back the legs when roasting a turkey. Maybe you need an impromptu collar & leash for a stray dog. Maybe you have to move a huge bundle of brush you've cut. Maybe you want to tie neat looking stopper knots on your hoodie's drawstring. Knowing how to tie a few different knots will give you options when you're trying to get stuff done.

• making bread
• brewing beer (or making wine or cider, as one prefers)
• repair sewing

I suspect I'd feel the same about welding or smithing, but I haven't tried those (yet).

An instrument. It's soul food and extremely therapeutic. Even if you suck, just learn to let it go. I find it's really good for my mental health. I dunno, it's music ya know? Lol

Mindfulness and Breathwork! Mindfulness is an incredibly valuable practice that can be a game changer for mental health and anxiety. Breathwork goes a long way as a fundamental technique.

There are a variety of free tier apps like InsightTimer that have beginner courses in meditation. Working to create space in your life between things like work and family give you breathing room. Starting to live in the moment allows you to step out of the anxiety of the past and worry of the future.

As a car enthusiast, I’m a little biased with this one, but beyond knowing how to change a flat, you should know how to do basic maintenance on your vehicle. Oil changes, brake replacements, etc. Some people are just not interested, which I fully understand, but for those who are, you can save some money with labour costs (and parts in some cases) doing the maintenance yourself.