I met a guy at a bar when I first moved to Dallas. The conversation followed a predictable path – “Where did you move from?” “What part of town do you live in?” “What do you do?”
And then came the dreaded question: “What are your interests outside of work?”
I hate that question.
My answer: “Watching reality TV and going to drag shows, I guess.”
I’m a charmer, obviously.
Sure – I blog, visit art museums, occasionally bowl, and love listening to Public Radio podcasts while going on long dog walks… but I don’t understand why a prospective date would care about these trivialities.
I get the hobby question from coworkers sometimes too.
I know that it is usually an attempt to make “small talk” or clumsy “relationship building” – but it makes me feel like I’m back in high school and need a sufficient number to extra-curricular activities to be deemed “well rounded” by a college.
Perhaps I’m overthinking this, or perhaps I’m just dull.
Instead of asking about someone’s hobbies, I think it’s more constructive to ask about what a person’s passions are.
This leaves room open for people to talk about what truly interests them – be it family, pets, or hell, even a hobby.
No Comments