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I'm far from retirement, but until the last year, was never much on swimming, except for a little bit in the lake in the summer. Today I pretty much make cardio workouts center around swimming. I also just love paddling in the Water and swimming in place.
I was also never big into photography or traveling until the past two years, but now I'm out traveling, hiking, and taking pictures most weekends, weather permitting.
What did you discover you liked to do as your age?
Disclaimer - I'm still nearly seven years away from retirement, but here are some things I discovered, or rediscovered in my middle-age:
- Playing guitar. My previous experience was just some lessons while in 2nd grade. I picked it up again starting at age 32 or so
- Snowboarding. A co-worker talked me into picking this up at the age of 39.
- Classic car. About three years ago I decided to get a 1930 Model A. Now I enjoy driving it every weekend I can, and also work on it as well - something that is not as easily done on a modern car.
- Cardio. This was on doctor's orders, but one pleasant side-effect I noticed is that 20 minutes of daily cardio (along with the doctor-ordered low-glycemic diet), is that the extra body padding just melted off. I wish I had known about this 20 years ago.
Good question. I was already into travel, camping, gardening but now, well into retirement, I'm really into genealogy too. It's a great hobby as you get older. No longer do you have to travel all around (although you can if you want) to different places to look up records because most of it is now on the internet. If you are bored, it will take up ALL your spare time--so you won't be bored.
You can do as much or as little as you want and you can create elaborate family trees or simple ones. You can solve mysteries, you can add pictures. It's an enjoyable hobby and you can share it with the rest of your family.
Other than that, I'm giving up hobbies like home decorating and crafts.
Four and a half years ago as I was turning 66, I discovered the joy of reading aloud to fifth grade classes. I was invited to do this by a local school district. I started at one school with one single fifth grade class and read them The Call of the Wild by Jack London in installments (once a week for 30 minutes). At the time I started there were only two and a half months to go in the school year, and I figured if I didn't like it I would finish out that school year and call it quits.
Well, I clicked with the teacher and the students and I loved it. The following school year I added the second fifth grade class at that school. The year after that I added another school, reading to two of the four fifth grade classes there. The year after that I added the other two fifth grade classes at the second school. The following year (just a few months ago) I added a single class at a third school. I am now at the point where I don't want to take on any more because I don't want to risk burning out on this volunteer activity which I find so enjoyable.
I have read a number of different books. I propose, and the teachers either approve or veto (usually approve). I promised myself at the beginning that I would read only books for which I had a personal enthusiasm, and I have stuck to that pretty well.
Apologies to those of you who have read my posts about this before, but my experience seems to me to be perfectly on topic for this thread title: It really has become a passion and it is something I discovered late in life (66).
Also disclaimer, only 52 but with my kid turning 18, I'm finally looking at some me time.
1) Started swimming a couple years ago and LOVE it. Was a fish as a kid, so this is returning me to my childhood loves and not as disastrous to the body as running was.
2) Joined a rock band. Though the time commitment was more than I could deal with so I backed off that. But after two live performances on stage, I can now check that off my bucket list.
3) Started a side business making garden art using concrete and mosaic. Have been doing that for a few years, and now do several craft shows a year to sell what I make. However, one thing I didn't consider was that concrete is HEAVY. Sure, a little mushroom or stepping stone doesn't weight much. But when you're hauling boxes of it to a show, it's hard. So I've branched out into mosaic jewelry, sun catchers, some sewn items, etc.
4) Hubby and I are going to start road tripping. My whole family is out of state, and the last 18 years all our vacations have been to take our son home to spend time with cousins, grandparents and uncles. Finally, next March, just the hubs and I are going to VEGAS!
5) We'd like to start doing more cooking and entertaining. It's been all about kid for so long, we'd like to go back to the things we used to do in BC (before children).
2) became interested in pro golf....learning about it and watching it
3) discovered how twitter provides daily fascinating links to articles about art, painting & painters, poetry, literary world, literature, health, any and every topic of interest
4) started growing morning glories from seed every spring & summer
This question has been pestering me all day. I have been retired for 18 months and have really not picked up any major new interests.
What I will say is that I now have time to pursue some of the things that I have always enjoyed - philately, reading, volunteering, and the like. And now I have the time each day for a short conversation each day with my favorite barista at the local Starbucks.
The spouse went back to playing in blues and rock bands, something he hasn't done in, oh, 35 years. Says the smoking ban in bars really helped - now if there was a law requiring bars that serve food to change the fryer grease frequently AND charge a more reasonable amount for a pint of microbrew beer, he'd be set.
I think we go out to hear bands more now than we did in our teens and 20s.
when i turned 60 i learned to ride a bicycle. never did as a kid. i bought one, rode it with dedication, always on trails, never on a road because i am terrified of taking my hands off the bar to signal or look around. then i quit, gone there done that and i did not really enjoy it possibly because i could not relax in it, hills were tough, and i'd rather zumba than bike for fitness and fun.
i learned to produce TV shows. i belong to a group where we decide on topics of interest for our viewers, write up a program, interview, do camera work, tape, edit - we all do it all. i love it, i feel i have found my niche.
i completed a novel and it is coming out soon. i am working with a small press so it has its own time line.
i love to hike but not alone and feel grateful for the volunteers in our community who scope out the places and lead hikes.
i have gone bird watching - what a lovely sport where you do nothing but look!
Not me, but my mom, at some point during the years when she lived in her care home, became a sort of primary carer for an older resident. He left her his music collection. She'd always liked light classical music, but she was delighted with how his much more eclectic music collection expanded her music enjoyment.
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