We all have them: things that are popular with other people that, for some reason, you just don’t like. Maybe it’s Taylor Swift or podcasts for you. Or maybe it’s one of the five things I have listed here. If you love any of these things, I’m happy for you! We can still be friends, right?!
Tea
I want to like tea. I really do! How nice would it be to make myself a nice cup of tea in the afternoon to help get me through a tough work task? But alas, it is just not something I like. I have tried. There are some teas that I do not mind (must be very, very, VERY fruity) but I would never choose tea over any other beverage. I’m sure there is a learning curve to liking tea that I could go through (one of my close friends didn’t like tea at all but has learned to like it over time), but I just don’t know if I care that much to try it out.
Running
Or exercise in general, really. As I’m reading through older blog posts for my blog recategorization project, there are so many posts about running. I wanted to love running so much and I gave it so many tries. I ran so many races, you guys. And sometimes it was fun, but mostly it was painful and boring. At some point, I just stopped trying because what’s the point of doing something you hate? There are so many other ways to exercise! Also, while I have found ways of exercising that I don’t loathe in the way I loathe running, it’s still not something I enjoy. Sure, it feels good and I feel accomplished when I do it but if I had to choose 30 minutes of moving my body vs 30 minutes of laying on the couch, I’m always going to pick the couch.
The Beach
I live in Florida and I am within minutes of an array of gorgeous beaches. Beaches that people travel to visit. And yet I cannot remember the last time I have been to the beach. I do not like the beach. It feels like a lot of work for very little payoff. You have to gather up all your things and schlep them to the car. You have to drive to the beach and try to find parking. You have to pay for said parking. You have to schlep all your things to the beach and find a spot that’s far enough away from the rowdy groups but still gives you a nice view. You then have to BE AT THE BEACH. Where it is hot and sandy and gross. And swimming in the ocean? No. There is treacherous terrain, waves that want to bowl you over, STINGRAYS, and salty water that stings like a motherfucker when it gets in your eyes. I wish I wasn’t such a crab (ha) about the beach because when it’s really nice outside, it is a lovely place to be. You can’t beat the view and it’s one of the favorite hobbies of so many people who live here. But it’s not for me.
(Okay, as I was writing this post, I remembered that I did go to the beach this summer, but it was a dog beach with Chip and Lucy.)
Movies
This year, I had a goal to watch 12 movies. One movie a month – that’s all I had to do! Do you want to know how many movies I have watched in 2022? Two. Two movies. I watched Marry Me (the Owen Wilson/Jennifer Lopez rom-com) and Where the Crawdads Sing. That’s it. I really wish I was better at watching movies, but I’m not. If I’m going to sit on my couch for 2-3 hours, I’d much rather watch a few episodes of a TV show rather than one entire movie. I keep trying to be a movie person, but I always find other ways to occupy my time.
Water
My dislike for water is well-documented on this blog. I love it when I’m thirsty, but I’m not someone who really gets thirsty (unless I’m spending time outside or it’s at nighttime; I get very thirsty at nighttime, probably my body screaming at me for dehydrating it), so it’s not something I reach for very often. While I want to be one of those healthy people who drinks a few cups of water every morning right as they wake up, blech. I can’t do it! Water is just so tasteless and joyless for me. (I’ve tried flavored water, and it’s not the same.) Out of all the things on this list, though, this is the one thing I’m going to keep trying to like because I have to. Water is essential to life and I have got to get better about drinking it regularly.
What’s something everyone else seems to like that you don’t like?
I wish I liked movies, too. I just feel like I miss out on so many pop culture references. Oh, well, I don’t know any Beyonce songs, either, so I guess I’ll just miss out on things.
I am a little astounded by you not liking the beach. I spend most of the winter months DREAMING of a sandy beach and sunscreen and lapping water. Oh, well, I guess everyone’s idea of paradise is different.
I’m more of a pool than a beach person! The beach just requires a lot of prep that I don’t have to do when I go to the pool. I think the beach is nice if you’re vacationing, but it’s just not something I want to visit in my daily life.
Thanks for sharing your “unpopular opinions” about things. Ha. I think it’s totally legit to just not like certain things, even if other people do!
I have a friend who also wants to love running, but she just doesn’t and I try to tell her: it’s okay, you don’t have to love running! You can find other things to do (because the thing with exercise is that you have to find something that you enjoy, or you’ll never stick to it!). How do you feel about the Peloton workouts right now? Is it something you can stick with?
I love the beach, but also not in the way that you describe it… I love WALKING on the beach, but I’d never chose a beach vacation where you take all your stuff to the beach and hang out in the sun all day. That’s definitely not for me either.. although I do wish I had a beach nearby.
As you know, I just can’t get into podcasts. I really, really like the idea of podcasts (or audiobooks) but I just don’t love them. I think I am “impatient” to listen – and much rather read the content (hence my love for blogs).
I like Peloton workouts! I am not obsessive about them, haha, but they’re my preferred way to exercise these days. Although, really, what I love doing is going for long walks. Those just don’t get my heart rate up like other types of exercise.
I think my love for consuming content is why I love podcasts! Because I can consume content while I’m doing other things, like cooking and cleaning and driving!
I don’t love movies either. They are such a commitment! I can do a 90 minute one but I never really feel drawn to watching something for 90 minutes. I’d rather be reading! And a 2.5 hour movie? Heck no. But so many movies are so long these days!!!
I love the beach but it’s such a novelty for us since we live in the Midwest. So when we visit FL, we pay up to be in a condo that is on the beach so we don’t have to deal with the parking and schlepping of things!
I wish I liked tea, too. There are some that I like – like cinnamon tea. But it pales in comparison to coffee with french vanilla creamer! I also kind of wish I liked gifts more. I am just so not a gifts person and that makes me way less fun during the holiday season. So all the gift lists that come out at this time of year kind of wear on me!
Yes, yes, I think people who don’t live near a beach have a romanticized view of beach living, haha. It’s much easier when you’re on (or even near!) the beach and don’t have to worry about parking and schlepping all your stuff and dealing with traffic. But I also just find being on the beach to be one of my least-favorite ways to spend time. I’d much rather lay out by a pool!
I do NOT like herbal teas; I like coffee but it hurts my stomach; I’m always jealous of people who can drink all the coffee they want and love it. I also have issues with caffeine, so can’t sip anything but decaf in the afternoon.
I’m also not a huge fan of the beach. If I could just lay there, maybe, but going with kids is NOT my idea of fun. And I always feel so dirty; sand gets everywhere, I hate wearing sunscreen…
I’m not a big movie fan; my husband loves them, so I watch a fair number because of him, but even TV in general is not a big deal to me.
I run, but guess what – I don’t really enjoy it that much. It’s good exercise and there is a nice rush of endorphins, but unless I’m really in a great groove of running regularly, it can feel like a big slog. I’ve been running a lot less lately – ironically since I did my first race – and just focussing on walking.
I don’t like: cheese or spicy food. I don’t like roller coasters, baths, or fresh flowers. These feel like default things everyone should enjoy, but I’m not a fan!
I DO like water, though, and drink copious amounts of it during the day.
I don’t like biking on hills ( however did I end up somewhere where this is a requirement if you want to bike?), but I don’t think I am alone in this.
I wish I could like getting up early. I would get so many things done in the morning but I am not a morning person.
I wish I would like lists- they are so helpful but for some reason there is a part in me that just can’t.
Oh, that is so interesting to me that you don’t like lists! I wonder what part of your brain just cannot deal with them, haha. Lists are the only way I stay organized!
My mom is not a fan of cheese, either, and people think she’s nuts! But I also didn’t like cheese for a long time and I’m still a little particular about it. I used to LOVE roller coasters when I was a teenager, but you couldn’t pay me to go on one now. And fresh flowers are a no-no with cats; so many of them are toxic to cats and mine would just destroy them. Ugh.
It’s funny, because I love the first three things you mentioned, but I can understand someone not liking them (your description of the beach was so exhausting, I started to think “wait! Maybe i don’t like the beach either!”). Oh, and I do like water- but I know other people who feel the same as you. The one thing we definitely agree on is movies- my husband is always trying to get me to watch a movie with him, and i just don’t want to sit there for that long. I used to like movies, so I don’t know what happened there.
I used to like movies, too! I would watch them frequently, but these days, I can find much better uses of my time than sitting for 2 hours for a movie.
I have learned to like tea. I like a strong black tea with milk and Splenda. It was the milk and Splenda that did it for me. Now I have cup after cup in the morning. I also like water. Flat or with bubbles, I’m good either way. I love movies. I do NOT like running, though I liked it ok when my boobs were smaller. If I ran more, they would BE smaller, but hard to get to that point. Anyway, I have an autoimmune issue (Rheumatoid arthritis) that gives me a good excuse..low impact is best for me. Oh, I love the beach, though I am not wise like you are, I am of the age that we used to tan tan tan, so now I need to put on a ton of sunscreen and look for shade. But I love the smell and sound and sight of the ocean. Gorgeous.
I dislike hazelnuts, mangos, sweet potatoes, taking baths, or most cake. OK, I don’t hate cake…but if I’m not really hungry it seems like a waste of calories to me. I would rather have pie, or ice cream, or potato chips, or wine.
I forgot about the sunscreen part of the beach! I hate the feeling of sunscreen on my skin, though it’s an inevitable part of my day living in Florida. Even if I’m not going to the beach, I need sunscreen if I’m going to be outside. Ugh.
I also don’t like hazelnuts or sweet potatoes. But I am a bath girl, through and through.
I am with you 100% about the beach! It is hot and crowded and there is stuff in the sand and SAND, which is the worst. No thank you. I will take a nice pool any day. Well. Not that I would be likely to go IN the pool, but I would be happy near it.
God, the sand. The sand is the worst part of any beach. I hate it. Give me a pool and I’m a happy girl.
This list was so fun to read! And I am glad water is the only thing you are going to try to keep at. Because… we are all different and it would be really boring to like all the same things.
Coffee. Although I know a few people who also don’t drink it.
Both my mom and my brother are anti-coffee! So I get it. I need my coffee to be very sweet with flavor. Regular black coffee, or even coffee with just milk and sugar, is so bitter to me!
I still can’t believe how much you dislike water, as few things bring me joy like a simple, ice-cold glass of water. But I’m with you on SO many of these other things. And I especially hate the beach!
I do REALLY love ice water! That’s honestly the only way I can drink water. But it’s just so flavorless. I’m trying to get over to my aversion to water, I really am!
I am right there with you when it comes to running. I used to be a very athletic person but every distance beyond 100 meters was torture to me. When we had to run 800 meters (its two laps on a soccer field) in school for grades I was so slow that my time was even listed on the grading table. I hate it with a passion.
But I do love tea and if it came push to a shove I would probably pick tea over coffee or any other drink option.
I love the beach, but for the a) warmth, b) air, and c) sound of the waves. Not so much the sand and stickiness and noise and people *smoking* and… yeah. So, a solitary beach in a hot (not warm, HOT) location? Gold. Your typical New Jersey beach in July? Heck no. And that’s what I grew up with!
I will come and not-watch movies with you! Actually, there are a lot of people here who do not like movies, so I feel less weird. Thank you. 🙂
I used to love running, but then it didn’t love me back, and it wasn’t enjoyable, and I stopped and although I miss it occasionally? I’m happy with my cycling, walking, and steps routine. I think walking is underrated. You’re moving, not sitting. You win. 🙂