Hobbies...amazing things to do during retirement!

Photography...Odgen Canyon, UT

Fall Crush Wine Tasting Event, Carlton, Oregon...a very cool hobby!

I cannot tell you how liberating it is to do something just because you love doing it.  My hobby is blogging.  I don't need anymore money really.  If I do make a little money when you click on an ad from Adsense, it is just icing on the cake.  That is what retirement allows you to do.  It gives you the freedom to spend the day learning to do something new and you don't have to quit your day job to do it.

Golf...my husband's favorite!

Take my husband for example.  He loved his job for 32 years but never missed it for even one day when he retired.  He has taken up golf as his retirement "job" and he pays attention to it as though he could make a living at it.  His mind and his health are dependent upon him "working" at getting better.  That is what I am talking about.

So what will you do when you retire? Let me tell you the day can get scary boring and the winter nights are very, very long.  If you sit down to rest for all the day you have actually chosen to make "resting" your hobby.  If that was your A choice go to B in a hurry.

I have tried to define for my own satisfaction the meaning of the word hobby...I had always thought it was something we did for fun or recreation but retirement has made me take a hard look at that definition.  It just seemed that it should be more  serious or something.  Then I realized... I am having too much fun...I cannot think of this as a job!  I have decided that a hobby is just that...a hobby and should remain a pleasure day after day...even if I don't have a day job to escape from. 

Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge...travel, my favorite hobby!

So I went on a search for things that I might like just in case I get tired of writing and I was amazed at how long the list of hobbies was...and even more amazed at how many of things on the list I would like to try. There is a website called NotSoBoringLife.com that has posted the Worlds Largest List of Hobbies and that is where I found some dream hobbies for myself.  For example:

• paper making
• rocking aids babies
• wine making
• yoga
• geochaching
• postcrossing

Geocaching and Postcrossing are hobbies that a blogger named Erika Jean loves.  Both of these appeal to me...the first is about finding treasure with a Global Positioning System and the other is about getting postcards in the mail from far far away.   If you love to hike and own a GPS the first one is for you.  If you don't mind buying a few stamps and putting in a little effort you will love the second.  I want to give both of these a try one day.

The World Largest List of Hobbies  honors those everyday or quirky things that people may do...visiting with  neighbors, playing poker, yoyoing, throwing boomerangs, watching movies, reading, cloud watching and even dumpster diving.  I laughed as I went through the list.  However, if it floats your boat and makes you happy, who am I to say no to it.  It is your hobby.  Have some fun.

My husband and I have several things we do together...golf, travel, photography, wine tasting, crossword puzzles...just to name a few.  You are reading my favorite personal hobby...blogging is something I do that keeps my brain alive.  The paths I travel down to find the information I want are fascinating.  I am also a multimedia artist but for now I am giving it up.  If I don't love it I  find something else that is equally as satisfying.  Who knows, I may be a dumpster diving boomerang thrower at heart and just don't know it yet!

Have a wonderful day!

b
Hub:  When Retirement is a good thing!

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