Rediscovering hobbies and simple joys.....what’s keeping you busy these days?

SunnySmiles

SunnySmiles

New Member
Location
USA
Hello everyone,

I’m James, and I’m just about a year away from retirement. Lately I’ve been enjoying the extra time to travel a bit, cook some new recipes, read more, and get outside whenever I can. Slowing down has made me appreciate the little things a lot more.

I’d love to hear what hobbies or activities other people here have been enjoying lately. Is there something you’ve always loved doing that you’ve returned to, or a new interest you’ve discovered in recent years?

For me, trying a new dish or getting lost in a good book feels like a little adventure, and a walk in nature is always a nice reset. I’m looking forward to reading your stories and maybe picking up a few new ideas for ways to spend my free time.

Always happy to chat if anyone feels like saying hello and hope everyone is having a great day!:).
 
I retired in October 2023. I joined the local climbing gym again after retiring and now climb between one and four times most weeks. I'd like to go outdoors climbing but want to finds folks to do that mid week while my wife is busy teaching or doing her chorus activities. I haven't found anyone I want to do that with yet.

I've just had a little more time to do what I've loved doing since about 2006. I love finding new music to enjoy so find newly released or new to me some of the time things to listen to. I've been taking notes on everything I listen to since 2006 so my time is partially writing notes about what I listen to in a spreadsheet I have. I also take part in a music discussion forum where I discuss music I like and sometimes find new things to listen to.

I thought I'd read a lot more once I retired but I haven't been interested in reading much since Covid. I used to read a lot either working out before work or when commuting to work. Now I'd usually rather do something other than reading.

I have an on again, off again relationship with playing board games online using boardgamearena.com. It's a lot of fun and there are all sorts of games one can play on the site. I'm currently in one of my off again phases.

I also work anywhere between five minutes and a few hours a day for a friend. It depends on what needs to be done and also what I'm willing to do. It keeps me busy and brings in a little extra fun money.

I also "work" for my wife cutting glass for the glass class she teaches. That can take a few hours a week some weeks and other weeks I don't have to cut anything.

Besides that there's house chores and maintenance as needed.
 
I am knitting socks. Every evening. It is really fun and rewarding to see that heel take shape and the colors of the yarn meld and blend. I'll continue to make them till close to Thanksgiving and then give them away like I did the hats. BTW every last hat I made and put out on the table in the commumity room got taken!
 
I've always been a reader so it's not something I rediscovered in retirement...

After not playing any musical insturment for decades ( I was previosuly a Cello Player) I took up learning the Ukelele, and the Piano keyboard...

I'm an avid amateur photgrapher.. my joy is going out and taking mainly landscape photos of my surrounding area..

I live fortunately in a very pretty part of the South of England, near a small market town.. very close to the Capital city, but far enough to not know what's going on there unless I want to know . I'm surrounded by Woodland, rivers, Creeks, Lakes, Parks, Marshland, nature resrves .. canals and farms....
 
My wife still works, so I’m her Uber driver and personal cook! Other than that I do maintenance around the house. Plus, there are lots of walking trails close to me so I try and do 2 to 3 trail walking a day.
 
Messy said:
Gardening or should I say balconying
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I have a big garden ..actually 2 gardens but the rear garden is the biggest , and therefore all through summer it's a lot of work.. and because I keep it nice, everyone thinks it's my hobby, but it isn't.. I just do it because it has to be done. I do have a gardener now, and he mows the lawns, and cuts all the hedges... but he doesn't do anything else.. no planting, no weeding..no fence painting.. I do all of that myself...

rear garden
garden-HD.jpg

Garden-Red-bin-HD.jpg
...front garden.....
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I'm not sure these are hobbies, but I recently did some things around home that left me pleased and exhausted. I replaced a worn part on our zero turn lawn mower that was somewhat difficult at the same time routine due to normal wear and tear. A day or two later I replaced our garbage disposal that was simply worn out.

I realize that the younger me would have accomplished both of the tasks in less time and gone on to do something else without a second thought. However, older me had to take more time to assess the how of what I was tackling and certainly could not do both in a single morning. My aches and pains lasted a couple days even though I found satisfaction in jobs well done.
 
Rider77 said:
I'm not sure these are hobbies, but I recently did some things around home that left me pleased and exhausted. I replaced a worn part on our zero turn lawn mower that was somewhat difficult at the same time routine due to normal wear and tear. A day or two later I replaced our garbage disposal that was simply worn out.

I realize that the younger me would have accomplished both of the tasks in less time and gone on to do something else without a second thought. However, older me had to take more time to assess the how of what I was tackling and certainly could not do both in a single morning. My aches and pains lasted a couple days even though I found satisfaction in jobs well done.
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I understand totally... I've been finding that myself recently..jobs I would have completed in a few hours now to take me a couple of days to complete.. because various limbs hurt after a little while . it's frustrating but it does give a big feeling of satisfaction once it's done
 
I loved going to the movies, when I retired in 2011,this was my #1 hobby to do
My close friend, Marcia's youngest son, Alexei and I became 'movie buddies'.,we liked the same movies. It worked well He provided the transportation, I bought the tickets,when Covid came along that stopped. I haven't been back since
I'm a life long reader, now I have the time to sit and relax read a good book. I usually my books at a couple places local independent bookstore, Talking Leaves{am a member} get 10% off,Target books are 20% off.
When I moved here to Canterbury Woods- Gates,a retirement facility,our library has a variety of books to choose from
 
Oddly enough I phased out my two main hobbies after I retired, trap shooting and long distance bicycling. I went into retirement looking forward to having time to devote to those pursuits but found myself less and less interested.

I now spend more time at the gym than ever in my life, I've been a life long exerciser so I enjoy dedicating more time to weight lifting. I've also got back into deep woods hiking, or simply walking, both of which I've always loved but let fall away during my working years. Then there's home projects, always something to do.
 
IrishEyes said:
Welcome SunnySmiles!
Finding this group sure eases the need for older adult topics and things in common
when we need it. Glad you found your way to us! Just jump in as you wish!
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Hi Sharon, thanks for replying and thank you for the warm welcome, I really appreciate it. It’s nice to find a place where people can share everyday things and talk about this stage of life a little more openly. It already seems like a friendly group.

I’m looking forward to jumping in and getting to know everyone here a bit. It’s always interesting hearing what people are doing with their time and the different hobbies they enjoy. Hope you’re having a nice day, and thanks again for saying hello.
 
moviequeen1 said:
I loved going to the movies, when I retired in 2011,this was my #1 hobby to do
My close friend, Marcia's youngest son, Alexei and I became 'movie buddies'.,we liked the same movies. It worked well He provided the transportation, I bought the tickets,when Covid came along that stopped. I haven't been back since
I'm a life long reader, now I have the time to sit and relax read a good book. I usually my books at a couple places local independent bookstore, Talking Leaves{am a member} get 10% off,Target books are 20% off.
When I moved here to Canterbury Woods- Gates,a retirement facility,our library has a variety of books to choose from
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Hey:)

That sounds like a really nice routine you had going with your movie buddy. Going to the movies is such a great way to spend an afternoon or evening, especially when you have someone who enjoys the same kind of films. Hopefully you’ll get the chance to start that up again sometime.

I’m also a big fan of reading when I find the right book. There’s something relaxing about sitting down with a good story and getting lost in it for a while. It sounds like you have some great places to find books too, especially having a library right where you live.

Do you have a favorite type of movie or book that you usually go for?

Nice to meet you and thanks for sharing!
 
hearlady said:
Right now my hobby is cleaning out! It will keep me busy for quite a while.
I enjoy finding things long lost in a house full of memories.
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Cleaning out can turn into quite the project, but it’s amazing what you come across along the way. I’ve had that experience myself where you open a box or drawer and suddenly you’re looking at things you haven’t seen in years. It really does bring back a lot of memories.

There’s also something satisfying about getting things organized and making a little more space at the same time. I imagine every now and then you find something that makes you stop for a moment and smile.

Hope the process is bringing back some good memories for you.
 
Hey Holly,

It sounds like you live in a beautiful part of the world. Being surrounded by woodland, rivers, and all that nature must make it a wonderful place to get out with a camera. I can imagine there are plenty of great landscape photos waiting to be taken there.

I also admire that you picked up instruments again after so many years. The ukulele and piano both seem like they would be a lot of fun to learn. Music has a nice way of keeping the mind active.

And I have to say, the garden photos you shared look beautiful. It’s clear you’ve put a lot of care into it.
 
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