sure. wait. what?

TODAY I learned about the four Cs of hobbies: consume, create, commune, and cavort. A friend mentioned them during lunch and asked if my hobbies hit all four, which of course got me thinking — do they? 

I definitely consume. I read books and I watch YouTube videos and I occasionally obsess over TV shows. Just this morning, I woke up earlier than usual to catch the latest episodes of Physical Asia — oooh boy was that fun.

Watching Physical and its earlier seasons is probably the closest I get to following sports these days. I stopped watching La Liga at least two seasons before Messi left, which was ages ago, and I just recently hopped onto the World Series bandwagon because everyone and their dog in Canada was talking about Yesavage and Ohtani, names I hadn’t even heard of until Game 4 of the finals. The Blue Jays ended up losing so, whatever. Anyway, if a reality TV show about insanely fit people outsmarting and outmuscling each other sounds even vaguely interesting to you, I highly recommend Physical Asia. 

I also create. Exhibit A: this blog, and my arbitrary deadline of writing every Tuesday. Sometimes I paint too, plus I also journal and doodle on my commonplace book. I could create more, for sure, but I’m okay with where I’m at right now. 

Do I commune? I think this is the part I’m missing. I hang out with friends and family, but rarely around a shared hobby. Eating out and drinking don’t really count as hobbies, do they? I did go hiking with a friend this weekend, the same friend who told me about the four Cs. The hike was foggy and muddy as fuck, but it reminded me of how good it feels to move and tire your muscles out, something I don’t get from just watching Physical Asia.

And as for cavort, welp. I haven’t been meeting my workout goals recently and, to be honest, I’m not bothered by it anymore. The year is almost over though, so who knows — maybe the same drive I had at the beginning of the year will kick back in once 2026 rolls around. We’ll see. 

During our conversation, my friend and I started listing hobbies that could hit all four Cs. Pottery came up as one that checks nearly every box except consume. That same friend and I took a series of pottery classes before (so we communed). We made pots and plates (we created), and we got our hands dirty in the process (we cavorted — wedging clay is serious physical work, y’all).

“Is there a hobby that actually checks all four Cs?” I asked my friend.

“Team cooking competitions!” she said, her voice bursting with excitement as if she’d already been waiting for the question.

“Good one,” I told her.

Another example I thought of just now was taking dance classes — you consume music; you create movement (sort of, especially if the class makes space for improvisation); you commune with friends or with the other people in class; and you cavort, obviously. 

Ah, maybe it’s time for me to hit the barre studio again.