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A Balanced Retirement by Marjorie Kondrack

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AUTHOR: Marjorie Kondrack on 1/28/2025

Among the many options we have in retirement such as travel, volunteer work, and spending more time with children and grandchildren; we also have a host of hobbies to consider.  While too numerous to list, hobbies provide more than entertainment.  They can elevate your mood, and improve memory and problem solving skills. You also get a brain boost and a sense of purpose and achievement when you undertake a new hobby.

One of the best things about having a hobby is that if one becomes more of a bother than a pleasure, or if your interest gets stale, you can always choose another one. Make it enjoyable enough to keep pursuing—something that challenges you physically, mentally and, ideally, something that gives you the social interaction we all need.

What hobbies have you found that are enjoyable and keep you actively engaged with your life?

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Scott Masters
7 days ago

Playing in a band. I play congas, aux percussion and backing vocals. Write songs, make demo’s. Current project is “Future Ex Husbands” playing the northwest Atlanta burbs. We only play out quarterly-ish. So no stress! Thank God. Keeps me as busy as I want to be, LOL.

Scott Masters
7 days ago

If you get a chance check out YouTube for a song I wrote and had recorded in Nashville. “(I Had) Breakfast with Elvis” by artist Richard E.Carpenter. If you watch till the very end my name pops up as writer. We rented a diner and a wild Elvis in Nashville for the shoot, so much fun!

Jonathan Clements
Admin
7 days ago
Reply to  Scott Masters

Very cool! Here’s the link for those who want to check out the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkcYY1sGJIQ

Scott Masters
7 days ago

Thanks Jonathan! For anyone uber nerdy like me, the bassist is Dave Roe who played with Johnny Cash. Lucky to get him!

Norman Retzke
9 days ago

Among other things, I have a couple of blogs, a YouTube channel and administer two Facebook groups, although I’m not a fan of FB. Some think of me as the “go to” tech guy. I’m a very good baker and cook. My cinnamon buns are famous here. I write frequently about retirement issues. I recently was asked to set up the sound system for a 12-piece band. I’d never done that before. They had purchased a Behringer XR18 sound mixer and two active speakers as well monitors. This is a “black box” which needs a tablet and PC to access and to operate. I thought “Why not?”. I had two days to take it out of the box and get it ready. Those were a very long two days. The first performance with the new sound system went very well and the band is happy. So now I’m the “sound guy”. I’ve always been good in adapting to technical challenges. I’m big on planning and preparing and I take the position “Find out what is wanted and needed, and then do that”. So this seemed to be a good fit.

Last edited 9 days ago by Norman Retzke
William Dorner
9 days ago

I am 78 and live in Independent Living at a wonderful CCRC in Kirkwood MO. As an Electronic Engineer I like to know how things work. The average age here is 83, and many residents have questions about, their computers, cell phones, iPads, Smart watches, Spectrum Wi-Fi, TV’s and any other electronic device. So a Tech Committee was started for residents that need a little help. The needs are endless, but the smiles you get after helping someone, solve all those little issues, is priceless. No one else has joined me so far, but I am learning a lot about the needs, and there are many. I call it my helping hobby!

Laura E. Kelly
9 days ago

I love reading about all the different hobbies people gravitate to! As I glide into retirement, I tried a part-time retail job recently and hated it (that’s another topic). That experience led me to look over my hobbies and interests and try to turn them into more meaningful projects for myself. 

I brainstormed with my husband (that was fun itself) and two ideas emerged: first, interviewing then writing about three women I know and admire in the generation above me (mid- to late-80s). I just started the first interviews (recorded via Zoom audio), which will touch on their life stories, interests, experiences, and wisdom. It’s already been so fun and interesting! But the hobby I want to develop more is writing so I plan to use these interviews to write up each of their stories from my third-person POV with lots of quotes (sort of a memoir-bio hybrid). What will I do with these stories? Hopefully, put them in a finished book at the end.

The other hobby-project I brainstormed is to create a series of sketches from photos for my husband’s next book about how walking in nature spurs creativity. My drawing hobby is a new one, so I don’t actually think my sketching efforts will make it into a book, but it gives me a focus and goal for that hobby, which apparently I like and need!

Andrew Forsythe
9 days ago

Great post, Marjorie, and sorry to be late to the party.

My principal hobby is collecting pocket knives, and working on them—modifying, sharpening, rehabbing, etc. Some years ago I found a way to combine this hobby with my favorite recipients of charitable giving: organizations which help dogs. I wrote about it here: Going to the Dogs – HumbleDollar

After 10 years, my annual sale had grown to the point that it was too much work for this aging hobbyist, so I called it quits. But then I discovered an easier to way to put on a charitable sale. It seems Ebay has an “Ebay for Charity” program.

The main problem with selling on Ebay is that the fees are high. But with this program, Ebay waives their fees in proportion to the percent of the proceeds the seller designates for charity. I chose a worthwhile dog organization and designated 100% of the proceeds to go to it. So I paid zero fees to Ebay and the charity got it all.

I put on my first Ebay for Charity sale last year and raised a nice piece of change for my chosen charity. Ebay greatly automates the selling process and so it was a lot less work for this old man. I hope to do another sale in the next few months.

So what dog organization did I choose to receive the sale proceeds? I thought it was fitting for an old man to help old dogs. Not too far from where we live, there’s a wonderful organization whose mission is giving a home to older “unadoptable” dogs, where they can live out their lives with comfort, dignity and love: Home | Living Grace Canine Ranch | Bertram, Tx Rosalinda and I made a visit and were mightily impressed with their work. I can only say that If I ever get to the point of being “unadoptable”, I hope some place will take such good care of me!

Rick Connor
9 days ago

Well done Andrew. Would you please let us know when the next sale happens? I’ll bet there are some amazing pieces for sale.

Andrew Forsythe
9 days ago
Reply to  Rick Connor

Thanks, Rick. Will do.

Andrew Forsythe
9 days ago

Thanks, Marjorie. The additional benefit is this (partially) assuages my guilt for spending too much $ on my hobby!

Michael Stewart
9 days ago

Prior to my 3rd retirement, I realized that I needed some sort of activity to engage in if I was going to avoid another job, and eventually another retirement process.

So I started teaching/facilitating classes at various adult education organizations – OLLI, Encore, etc. Topics included: Decision Making In Life; Daylight Saving Time & Time Zones; US Government Law Enforcement entities; and Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Believe it or not, there is a logical connection among these topics.

More recently, I applied to the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP)(sponsored by the National Taxpayer Advocate & TAS) and was accepted for a 3 year term. It is an unpaid volunteer position. The focus of TAP is to identify systemic things that the IRS can do better, more clearly, more effectively. more info at https://www.improveirs.org/

These keep me pretty busy – lots of stress dreams as I approach a teaching date but I still enjoy it, more so if it is an in-person class.

DrLefty
10 days ago

This is a really fun thread, and I’ve gotten a lot of ideas!

I feel like I have a lot of hobbies, but thinking it through, I’m not sure everything I turn my attention to is technically a “hobby.” For example, I work out 60-90 minutes a day, and I enjoy it, but that seems more for my health than a “hobby” that’s strictly for fun. And I’m on the HOA board and also do some volunteer stuff at our church (writing/teaching/leadership), but that seems like purposeful volunteer work and not a “hobby.”

Here’s what I do think are “hobbies,” though:

  • writing a weekly column for a baseball fan blog. This is a labor of love—I love my team and the blog community, and I like to write. I’ve been doing it since 2017 and have between 300-400 columns in the archives.
  • cooking. I know, we all have to eat, but we don’t all have to look for new recipes and gadgets, participate in Facebook groups for things like the Instant Pot, air fryers, and Mediterranean diet, and purchase and read new cookbooks. That’s what elevates it to a “hobby” for me, and I’m looking forward to upping my game even further after I retire.
  • traveling and travel planning. Similar to my cooking item, I’m in several travel-oriented Facebook groups, and I learn a lot from them. I agree with Kathy’s comment below—planning the trips is fun for me.
  • weight loss and fitness: beyond the obvious (my workouts and trying to plan/cook/eat healthy meals), I’m in a couple of support groups and listen to podcasts and read books about this. I’m fascinated both with the process and the psychology behind weight loss. It’s such a big deal for so many people (whether they admit it or not), and we still have such an imprecise handle on what makes it work/fail.
Mark Schwartz
10 days ago

No one has mentioned beekeeping.. it can be as involved as much or little as you want and can be enjoyed by 7 to 97 year olds or more. Honey bees are fascinating and can be kept just about anywhere outdoors. It’s a rewarding hobby but can be just as much frustrating. The weather can and does impact honey bees through their annual cycles. It can be a one person hobby or a group effort so it depends on the Beekeeper. Danger though it is an addicting hobby that has no cure..

Larry Hoel
11 days ago

I really was concerned when I retired last month because I didn’t have any winter months hobbies. But when I went for my annual health check-up and told that I needed to lose weight to take the strain off of my kidneys I started going to the gym. I’ve taken up weight resistance and totally enjoy it. And yes, I have lost weight

Dan Smith
11 days ago

I read an article about terrariums on a plane yesterday. I remember those things from the 70’s, back when my hair was much thicker. I began checking out local shops as soon as I returned home. Imagine the cool terrarium I could put together now that I have lots of time and enough dough to buy cool plants. 

Mike Gaynes
11 days ago

What a great idea this has been for a topic!

S
S
11 days ago

I joined local senior center and takes various dance classes. Dancing is great exercise, challenging my muscles, balance, endurance and brain, all in a community setting. I’ve met many great active seniors. I am going to tap dance this morning. We are a serious team working on our Spring recital!

phenomenal8f6ba2e774
11 days ago

In prep for retirement my husband and I joined an online Great Books reading group. Because so much of this literature is in translation we are having fun dipping into to various translations thanks to Libby and used bookmarks stores. Like Edmund, we are also going down the slippery slope of chess after not having played for 30 years.

phenomenal8f6ba2e774

Thank you, Marjorie, that pen name was automatically assigned by the WordPress gods.

John Podsedly
12 days ago

I am skiing and playing tennis more than ever. And most of the time, there are people in the group who are older and better than I am, which inspires me to keep at it. Who knows, maybe I can still improve.
I’m also a blackjack dealer at casino parties and a newsletter editor. Since my recent cataract surgery, I am celebrating my new, improved eyesight, and as a new Lions Club member, I hope I can help others take care of theirs, too.

James McGlynn CFA RICP®

Pickleball for exercise, competition and community. Medigap pays for my membership and I compete against people much younger and a little older. If I weren’t exercising 2 hours a day I’m not sure what I’d do instead.

1PF
12 days ago

Great question, Marjorie! I retired from academia in summer 2021 and moved immediately to my CCRC. I’ve been catching up after the chaos of the pandemic years. Perhaps the following can count as hobbies. Since I’m an introvert, my activities hew toward alone time. I get all the socialization I care to have by helping residents solve their tech problems four afternoons a week plus occasional emergencies. I’m the contact person for the resident tech volunteer group, and I do the triage and follow-up.

After a hip replacement and two cataract surgeries in my year of “deferred health maintenance” in 2022, I feel like the old/young/new me. So now I get exercise by walking fast and in good weather by riding my racing-adjacent trike, not only around the CCRC campus and to residents’ cottages or apartments for the tech help but also to my college town a mile away for faith-based meetings.

For additional volunteering — it’s a big deal here — I proofread a couple different resident-produced newsletters, and I maintain a database and produce an annual document listing residents willing to talk informally with other residents about their experiences with medical conditions.

I keep my mornings and evenings for reading HumbleDollar and whatever else catches my interest online, doing many different puzzles, refreshing my languages on Duolingo and Anki, and reading library books online borrowed via Libby — whatever I can do to ward off cognitive decline.

I did revisit one old hobby: I dug out my crochet hooks, taught myself three new stitches (thanks, YouTube), and made a winter hat making up my own pattern. One of these days I’ll get to the pool here. When the dining room menus are too high in saturated fat for my taste or contain condiments I dislike, I enjoy cooking some simple supplements to the always-available carry-out items; for example, I make Greek yogurt a gallon at a time in the Instant Pot.

Not sure whether any of this gives readers new ideas, but it’s making me happy. Just yesterday two people commented how much they appreciate seeing me always smiling.

Last edited 12 days ago by 1PF
Mike Gaynes
12 days ago

I always figured on picking up two new hobbies after retirement, acting in community theater and singing with local groups. Stage 4 cancer accelerated the schedule.

Right after starting treatment I joined a local chorale and was assigned to sing lead bass for a medley of songs from Fiddler on the Roof. After our performance, a producer for a local theater came up and insisted I join her cast for a Fiddler production the following year. I didn’t tell her I likely wouldn’t be around by then — to humor her, I agreed.

Nine years, two states and one breakthrough cure later, I’ve been through three chorales (touring Europe with one) and I’m currently singing with a champion barbershop chorus. And I act in one or two plays a year, all musicals or comedies (I’ve had enough of drama in real life!). The combination keeps me intensely involved with a wide variety of people and keeps my brain working overtime to learn my lines and melodies. I plan to continue as long as I sound good.

PS… I’m not yet retired and have also continued my longtime physical activities, including refereeing soccer.

Last edited 12 days ago by Mike Gaynes
DrLefty
10 days ago
Reply to  Mike Gaynes

This is awesome, Mike. My husband is a very talented musician. He’s a singer/songwriter who has recorded six albums of his own work. He also plays in our church’s worship band. I’ve thought for a while that he should lean into his musical gifts and abilities to give him some purpose in retirement.

Back when our kids were still home, they both were in shows through the local musical theater company. They mostly were in the young performers productions, but our older daughter wanted to try out for the adult production of “Annie,” so my husband auditioned with her. She got a role as one of the orphans, and he played FDR! It was fun for them to do together, and it also made evening rehearsals a lot more manageable for our daughter, who was 10 at the time.

Rick Connor
12 days ago
Reply to  Mike Gaynes

Mike, I’m very impressed. My father was a very good singer, and sang in clubs around the Philadelphia area after getting out of the Marines. But his family and career took precedence, and he only sang for fun and family. Late in life he expressed that his one big regret is that he didn’t do more with his music. I’m glad you are using your talents.

Mike Gaynes
11 days ago

Thanks, Marjorie. Actually I learned my favorite “Sunrise, Sunset” from the record by Theodore Bikel. And by sheer luck I had the chance to watch him do Fiddler in San Francisco in 2010 when he stepped in on tour for the injured 74-year-old Topol.

Bikel was 86.

86.

And he was magnificent.

Last edited 11 days ago by Mike Gaynes
Mike Gaynes
11 days ago

You just gave me my morning chuckle, Marjorie. My wife adores that song. She sometimes will burst out with a line from it at a random moment, always off key and in hilariously imperfect English, just to get a laugh out of me.

mytimetotravel
12 days ago

When I first retired travel was my hobby. I figured I got to enjoy my trips three ways. First, I did all the planning. I traveled solo, with just an occasional tour, so I organized all the transport, accommodation, etc., although in the early days I sometimes “winged it”. Then I did the trip, taking photos and keeping a journal. Third, I wrote about it, on my original website, on my blog and on the Fodors forums. My longest trip was ten months, although three was more usual.

Now that I’m not traveling I’m finding plenty to do at my retirement community, from dancing and weight training to representing my neighbors on the Residents Council. I’m busy enough I’m reading less than before I moved here. I’m also putting jigsaws together for a local charity shop – residents put donated puzzles together to check whether they’re intact.

mytimetotravel
12 days ago

Why, thank you, Marjorie, but I enjoyed the planning. With luck, it was also good for my brain.

kristinehayes2014
12 days ago
Reply to  mytimetotravel

I love the idea of having volunteers putting together used jigsaw puzzles to make sure all the pieces are there.

mytimetotravel
12 days ago

I was stunned to find out how many people are doing jigsaws! Both donating to the shop and doing them here. The woman who organizes it told me yesterday we may hit 100 puzzles this month.

kristinehayes2014
12 days ago
Reply to  mytimetotravel

I love doing puzzles. I have a special puzzle table set up in my office just to keep them safe from the dogs.

mytimetotravel
12 days ago

My apartment has plenty of floor space, so I, too, bought a puzzle table. I also bought a three-drawer end cabinet the same height to put things on. I put puzzles together with other residents most Monday afternoons and there are communal puzzles in various locations too, but I prefer my own set up.

kristinehayes2014
12 days ago
Reply to  mytimetotravel

Nice!

At our community library they have a communal puzzle every summer. This year it was over 40,000 pieces in size. It takes about two months for it to get put together.

mytimetotravel
12 days ago

Wow, that’s huge! I mostly do 1,000 piece puzzles, while I do have a board big enough for 1,500 I prefer the table. Monday communal puzzles are usually 500, although other communal ones tend to be bigger. I do Ravensburger when available… BTW, do you know about Puzzles Up? Their wooden puzzles are small but gorgeous, and they always seem to be on sale.

kristinehayes2014
11 days ago
Reply to  mytimetotravel

The timing of your comment is amazing–our first wooden puzzle just arrived yesterday. I got a German shepherd puzzle as a gift for my husband. We haven’t started it yet, but it seems like it’s really high quality. I also love that a few of the pieces are shaped like dogs!

mytimetotravel
11 days ago

That’s so cool! I have an owl, a dragon and a cat.

kt2062
2 days ago
Reply to  mytimetotravel

Do you ever display the finished puzzles, like on a wall? If so, how do you mount them?

Rick Connor
12 days ago
Reply to  mytimetotravel

Part of our Thanksgiving family reunion tradition is a communal puzzle. My wife gets a new 1000 piece puzzle each year and a table is dedicated to it for the week. It’s great to see multiple generations of grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, … all working together, at various times during the week. I haven’t seen communal puzzles at our library, but I’ll be on the lookout.

Ocher
10 days ago

Near gate 10 at the Portland, Maine Jetport (PWM), there is always a jigsaw puzzle. Travelers have the opportunity to work on the puzzle before they depart. It’s a nice shared community activity.

Edmund Marsh
12 days ago
Reply to  Rick Connor

My wife’s 97-year-old mother always has a puzzle going. How many of the puzzle enthusiasts solve by picture vs. puzzle shape? And–what do you call a puzzle solver?

mytimetotravel
12 days ago
Reply to  Edmund Marsh

Depends on the person and the puzzle. I did one a while back that was a big black cat surrounded by library shelves. I could do the books by color plus shape, but the cat was almost all shape. Some people look at the picture a lot, I mostly don’t, but my current puzzle has a lot of white snow with little figures and I figure I’ll need some help from the picture to finish it by the end of the month.

Jeff Bond
10 days ago

But Will Shortz is a word puzzler, right? I thought Puzzle Master was a title bestowed by NPR.

Edmund Marsh
11 days ago

I asked the question about puzzle technique because my daughter is nearly a shape-only puzzler. She sometimes puts it together face down, with just the monochromatic back showing.
I learned from a friend that once should puzzles the term for a puzzle solver is dissectologist, Just sharing some useless triva.

mytimetotravel
11 days ago
Reply to  Edmund Marsh

Sounds more like the person making the puzzle than the one putting it together! And it turns out it comes from the name for the first ones – dissected puzzles.

Edmund Marsh
12 days ago

Marjorie, I can’t yet tell of my retirement hobbies, because I’ve yet to retire. But I do have hobbies. Gardening is my major hobby, especially vegetables It’s a mental exercise as well as physical, because I spend moments thinking and planning for soil improvement, more efficiency and researching and trialing new vegetables. There’s also a social dimension from talking to other gardeners.

Since our daughter is out of the house and in college, my wife and I are searching for a new rhythm for our life. We’ve started exercising together, including walks from the house and getting back to regular hikes, which was once a primary activity we did together. We’ve begun watching online classes, just as spectators, but it might be interesting to again take a class that required actual production. I dabble with chess, but it’s a dangerous hobby. The quest for improvement can take up unlimited time.

Ocher
12 days ago

In retirement I find myself spending more time doing things that I did infrequently when I was working FT. I hike in the woods at least once a week, I read more books, and I have taken a couple of wood working classes. I volunteer occasionally at a local museum. While I miss work (I consult occasionally), I love the opportunities for unstructured time and spontaneous activities. I enjoy going to lunch with my wife at new restaurants and weekly breakfast with guys in my senior community. Thanks for getting this discussion started Marjorie.

stelea99
12 days ago

Over the last four years, I have made over 150 loaves of sourdough bread. There is nothing like the smell of fresh bread coming out of the oven. Additionally, i have shared some sourdough starter with a dozen other folks, some of whom have joined the party and are baking their own bread as well.

From ten pounds of flour, you can bake about 8.5 loaves. Even with paying for the electricity, it costs less than $1 a loaf.

Sourdough, because the dough is fermented, is healthier than regular bread, it contains nothing but flour, water, and salt. Just take a peek at the ingredients list on a loaf of the bread you normally eat.

Fran Moore
10 days ago
Reply to  stelea99

I just started my sourdough baking hobby last year. I was determined to make my own starter. After many, many failures, I was surprised to discover that I became more motivated to succeed and learn. The online sourdough community is much bigger than I imagined and the biggest lesson I learned is that “YMMV.” Sourdough baking is as much art as it is science! Even though baking is a solitary activity, sharing tips and learning from others can be a very social activity. And, of course, sharing a fresh loaf from my “test kitchen” makes me a welcome guest when I go out for a visit!

Jeff Bond
12 days ago

Not sure if my list includes hobbies or “things I choose to do”. I’ve written before about exercise and the role it plays in my life. I also try to find time for woodworking, home repair, yard maintenance, gardening, volunteering, and participating in grandkid’s lives. I meet friends for lunch, I meet other friends to play pool on Thursdays. My wife and I cook together at dinnertime. We usually cook enough to last a few days (we do our own breakfasts & lunches).

baldscreen
12 days ago

We are doing a lot of watching our young grandchildren. It is a season of life. Spouse has really gotten into vegetable gardening the past several years and has more time to devote to it. Chris

luvtoride44afe9eb1e
12 days ago

I’m not sure these qualify but these are things I’ve started doing in retirement:

  • taking College courses at a NJ State University just for the enjoyment and interaction with students (no credits) under the NJ Senior Citizen Learning program. Enrolled in Intro to Jazz this semester.
  • Doing ROMEO lunches and breakfasts with various groups of friends and former colleagues (most of whom are retired too). We usually pick old school restaurants that our spouses wouldn’t want to eat at. lol 😂
  • I’ve become more involved in volunteer groups that are important to me I.e. HOA board and Religious Men’s club organization as Treasurer (former financial career).

Not exactly Hobbies, but enjoyable things that fill some of my more available time and keep me motivated and engaged with others (and gets me out of my DWs hair).

Kristine Hayes
12 days ago

That’s an easy one for me. Dogs! I love training them, competing with them and just spending time with them.

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