“You need to just get a hobby” Ayelet said as I was sitting across from her at the table in her College Park, Maryland apartment as she was making her infamous caramel cookies. She was literally the best baker and I loved nothing more than pretending like I was helping her create her delicious masterpieces.

” I know, but I don’t even know what I would do.” I said as I unwrapped another caramel for her. That was the problem. I didn’t know what to do. At 23 years old, I was miserable. I disliked my DC production Assistant Job. I wasn’t happy with my social life. Don’t even get me started about my non existent love life. I felt like I had nothing going for me. This was not how it was supposed to be. I mean, I did it all right. I went to college. Had the internships. Got the degree. Started a job. Why was I already this unhappy!?

Ayelet started collecting all of the unwrapped caramels from the table and looked over at me “Just PICK something. If you don’t like it, pick something else.” I sighed and switched the conversation over to her and her graduate school applications, at least she was doing something exciting.

As I drove home that night I decided that she was right. I just need to find something fun to focus on. I could really pick anything. I got home. Put my car in park and decided that I was not going to go inside until I picked a hobby.  So of course, like every good 20-some year old,  what did I do… picked up my phone, opened the internet and went to google…

“50 top millennial hobbies” was the first link that popped up. I clicked it.

Learn a Language… Nope

Garden… Ugh I have such a brown thumb

Baking… That’s Ayelet’s thing

Ceramics… UHHH

Meditating… Ya, I don’t think so

Dancing… I mean I like dancing, but I’m kinda REALLY bad at it

Photography… Now that’s a possibility, I just don’t have a camera. 

Improv… That’s a joke… Right?

After a few more minutes, and a few more lists. My mind kept circling back to photography. I read, “Adult coloring books,” for the fifth time and shook my head. Photography it is! I was going to do it! May as well give it a try right? Spending a few hundred dollars on a photography class couldn’t hurt.

I pulled my key’s out of the ignition and was pretty damn satisfied with my decision. I was smiling as I walked into the house. My roommate Kaleigh was snuggled up on the couch with her cat, Leo, watching HGTV as always. Jess was in the bathroom curling her hair getting ready for her shift and Anne was cooking something up in the kitchen… Things could definitely be worse, I thought as I settled into the coukch next to Leo. It was time to find a photography class. I pulled out my phone again and began to search….

To be continued…

May 22, 2014: Check out my blonde hair … thank god I grew out of that!

Check out Part II & Part III here: “How YPP Began Part II”

“How YPP Began Part III”