The only activities I could endlessly wallow in are not immoderate eating, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes or weed, or sex, but reading, writing, walking, and photography.
These are not just hobbies, but they are also my passions. I know there are millions or perhaps even billions of people addicted to something. Some of them excessively eat sugar, others are drunkards and drink vast amounts of alcohol daily, others like to start or end their day by smoking weed, and others smoke cigarettes every half of an hour or even more frequently. I believe I was addicted, for many years (between 2011 and 2018) to physical effort/activity. To be more precise, I was addicted to swimming. Today (I wrote this text on the 6th of June, 2024), I believe I am addicted to walking and doing street photography. When I do not walk and take pictures of my mundane surroundings for a few days, I feel I miss something enormously.
A similar issue happens when I do not write for a few days in a row (luckily, it happens once a year or even less frequently).
I think I am addicted to writing. However, these are not harmful addictions. They are healthy obsessions that bring me joy and fulfillment. Again, a similar thing occurs when reading books. For today, I am still reading Marcel Proust’s “In A Search of A Lost Time.” Also, I am still reading many English-language books, with Taschen, Phaidon, or Thames and Hudson books at the forefront. These activities have not only become my passions but also my coping mechanisms. They have helped me navigate through life’s challenges and find joy in the mundane. I do not remember a day when I did not read at least one page of a book.
Undoubtedly, I could immerse myself in reading massively. I do not care about eating food or drinking alcohol. For me, it is a waste of time. Last time, I heard on Dr. Eric Berg’s YouTube channel that people over fifty should do the so-called OMAD (One Meal A Day). This means these people should eat once daily because they use less energy than young people. That’s why I genuinely do not bother about consuming shitty food. I prefer to focus on walking, photographing, writing, and reading.
