The Value of Hobbies

In the midst of a busy life, it’s easy to overlook the value of hobbies. Whether it’s painting, gardening, cooking, or playing an instrument, hobbies offer us a sanctuary from the daily grind, a space to explore our passions, nurture our creativity, and recharge our spirits. In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of hobbies and why carving out time for them can enrich our lives.

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The Value of Hobbies

Let’s start by defining what a hobby actually is. 

Merriam Webster Definition

“Hobby: a pursuit outside one’s regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation”

Wikipedia

“A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one’s leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other amusements.”

Cambridge Dictionary

“an activity that someone does for pleasure when they are not working”

 

When the pandemic began and many people found themselves at home a lot more than they were used to, it was interesting to see how they responded. Barely three days into lockdown there were some who were beyond bored. They had watched everything they were interested in on Netflix and found themselves at loose ends. 

I’ve seen the same thing happen over the years whenever we were snowed or iced in. It’s fun for a day or two and then the cabin fever sets in for a lot of folks. 

I was honestly a bit concerned about how my husband (the family extrovert) would handle being home most of the time. I used to joke with him and say he would need to have a couple of hobbies before he could retire. He surprised me with his response to the pandemic.

During the first year of the pandemic he cleaned out his garage and a storage room. He cleared out old paperwork under the stairs and turned the space into a little hobby room where he took up a childhood interest in model car building. He has done a few woodworking projects and more recently taken up fly fishing. 

Over the past few years we have both become more aware of the importance of hobbies and leisure time activities. 

During busy years of careers, raising children, community activities and such, it is all too easy to ignore one’s need for hobbies and personal interests. There just doesn’t seem to be enough time. 

However, I’d argue that it’s important to make time – even if it’s just a few minutes a day or one longer period a week. 

Back when I was working full-time plus a week of on-call per month as a hospice nurse and had two young children, I was extremely busy. But I decided I absolutely needed to sing in our church choir. That one-hour practice on Wednesday evenings was a sanity saver for me. 

And when I realized that a very busy physician in our church still made time to deliver Meals on Wheels when it was our church’s turn (every three months), I decided that if SHE could do it, so could I. 

If you are in a busy season of life, it may be challenging to find time for a hobby but I encourage you to try. We all need activities which bring us pleasure and a sense of accomplishment outside of our jobs, homes and families. 

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I have been reading about hobbies recently in preparing to write this blog post and want to share a few articles I found interesting:

The Case For Having a Hobby (gift article)

What are the 10 Most Popular Hobbies in the U.S?

How Hobbies Infiltrated American Life

 

I started looking for media representations of hobbies, as well. Here are a few I found:

Movie/TV Representations of Hobbies…

I’ve blogged about this first one before so this was an obvious one to me.

You Can’t Take it With You – I just adore this Frank Capra production featuring a quirky family who embrace hobbies to the fullest. Writing, candy making, dancing, playing the marimba, print making, making fireworks, oil painting, attending graduations…each member of the family, as well as a few they’ve taken in, pursues their individual interests with gusto.

 

David and I enjoy watching an episode of an older TV show each night before we go to bed. We’ve gone through several series so far and are currently enjoying Dennis the Menace. 

Dennis the Menace – Dennis’ next door neighbor, George Wilson, is a classic example of a retired man who enjoys his hobbies.  “Good ol’ Mr. Wilson” enjoys stamp and coin collecting, gardening, fishing, bird watching, and chess. One thing David and I noticed is that Mr. and Mrs. Wilson’s television is in the corner of the room, out of the way, while the sofa faces the fireplace. Occasionally Mr. Wilson will turn a chair to face the t.v. to watch something but it’s never just idle entertainment. He finds plenty to occupy his day with. 

Frasier – The title character in this sitcom is yet another who enjoys a number of hobbies and leisure time activities.

His hobbies and talents include playing the piano, composing music, singing, gourmet cooking, chess, collecting fine art, antiquing, home decorating, reading, writing short stories and plays, enjoying fine dining, his wine club, and squash. (Frasier Crane – Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias)

Can you think of other movies or television series which feature characters who have a lot of hobbies?

 

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The list of potential hobbies is nearly endless but I’ve created a list to get you started if you are looking for a new one. 

45 Fun Hobby Ideas

1. Astronomy
2. Baking
3. Bird Watching
4. Board Games
5. Book Clubs
6. Bread Making
7. Calligraphy
8. Candle Making
9. Card Games
10. Chess
11. Coloring
12. Cooking
13. Crocheting
14. Cross Stitch
15. Crossword Puzzles
16. Drawing
17. Embroidery
18. Fishing
19. Gardening
20. Genealogy
21. Golf
22. Guitar
23. Jigsaw Puzzles
24. Kite Flying
25. Knitting
26. Language Learning
27. Macramé
28. Meditation
29. Model Building
30. Museum Visiting
31. Painting
32. Photography
33. Pickle Ball 
34. Pilates
35. Quilting
36. Reading
37. Record Collecting
38. Scrapbooking
39. Sewing
40. Singing
41. Soap Making
42. Walking
43. Writing/Blogging
44. Woodworking
45. Yoga

I’ve recently been enjoying this YouTube channel with its focus on “cozy hobbies”. Here is a good one to start with:

 

 

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From a man’s view…

I asked my husband for his thoughts about hobbies from a man’s perspective. He had a couple of good points. He said that just sitting around all day makes him feel as though he has wasted his time. And he pointed out that too many retired men get sucked into watching the news all day and it makes them angry. Far better to spend one’s time pursuing fun or creative hobbies, right? David still has a couple more years until he retires but I’m confident he will be able to find plenty of activities to keep him busy and engaged with life. 

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Hobbies during Retirement Years…

While hobbies are important in all stages of life, I think they take on a more important role for those who are retired. I’ve personally known a number of men, especially, who had a very difficult time transitioning from full-time work to retirement. In most of these cases, they had devoted all of their time and attention to their careers for decades and found themselves at loose ends and with little purpose when they retired. 

If you are anywhere near retirement age do yourself a favor and give serious consideration to exploring hobbies and leisure activities that you can enjoy after your working days are over. 

Great Ideas For Hobbies After Retirement

101 Fun Things to do in Retirement

And just for fun, I found this:

 

 

This has a great message. Language warning in final sentence, though.

@xiandivyne #stitch with @Yvette #fyp #xiandivyne #nyc ♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono – moshimo sound design

 

You may also enjoy…

Creating Creativity and Hobby Centers in the Home

Theming My Evening Leisure Time