February is so close I can taste it.

Taking a big step back from my hobby this month has put things in perspective. I’ve realized that it’s just that, a hobby, and one that I began taking too seriously. The fear of missing out (fomo) is a hell of a thing and with constant beer releases, new Bourbons hitting the shelves, and social media timelines full of people drinking the dankest hops and most allocated whiskeys, it’s easy to lose track and spend all your time chasing things instead of just enjoying them. I’ve turned my hobby into a task-oriented chore, always wanting to check in a beer I’ve never had or make sure I’ve got enough reviews written to keep people interested in the site.

Watching people stress about what they are (or aren’t) drinking has been interesting. It almost takes the fun out of it. Trying to keep up with 100 other people on the internet is exhausting, and a kind of silly, honestly.

As I re-enter the beautiful world of sipping on things, it’ll be nice to have this fresh perspective and appreciate things more instead of just trying to keep up with others and tally up the number of things I’ve tried. That doesn’t mean I’ll stop chasing things or collecting or writing, but I’ll do those things with the intention of having fun with it instead of being bothered if I miss something.

Only 3 more days remain in this little experiment, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ll probably write one last thing about it to round out my thoughts and observations, then I’ll you’ll never have to hear me complain it again, and won’t that be nice.

Until next time…