New Leaf Activites

[phil1ben]

I retired about 18 months ago at 57. My question is what New Leaf Activities have you first started and kept doing since you retired? New Leaf Activities is (I believe) my own phrase and so (as the creator of the phrase) I will define it as follows:

New Leaf Activity - An enjoyable activity which you began ANEW after you retired and continued doing for a period of time involving no monetary payment to you. It cannot be an activity that you did or occasionally did prior to retirement and then continued to pursue after retirement. However, the definition may include an activity that you may have done once or twice before retirement to sample it or try it out. By way of example, traveling (assuming you traveled a bit before retirement) would not count.

For me it was taking piano lessons. Never played an instrument and started taking lessons a few months ago.

I would be interested to read what New Leaf Activities others have begun.

All the Best.

 

[joeea]

New Leaf Activity - An enjoyable activity which you began ANEW after you retired and continued doing for a period of time involving no monetary payment.

For me it was taking piano lessons. Never played an instrument and started taking lessons a few months ago.

You didn't have to pay for the lessons?

I would be interested to read what New Leaf Activities others have begun.

I guess under these rules, nothing yet. Just more of the things I already enjoyed. Lots more for some of them.

 

[Katsmeow]

I started writing a weight loss blog. I had never done that beforehand. I also seriously worked on weight/exercise but I had done that sporadically before. But, the blog part was new. Many years earlier I had been a moderator on a weight loss forum but that really isn't the same as blog writing.

I started doing DNA genealogy research. I am adopted and I had done a traditional (non-DNA) search for my birthmother and found her years ago. A couple of years ago I did a DNA search and found my birthfather. Since then I've helped several other people with searches and genealogical research based upon DNA.

 

[OldShooter]

• Volunteer small business mentor with https://www.score.org/
• Finished my Commercial and Instrument pilot ratings, flying & managing search & rescue with Civil Air Patrol
• Just completed training to work Disaster Recovery operations with American Red Cross
• Teaching an intro investment class for the local school district adult ed.
• Lots more travel. About 40 countries so far.

Life is good.

 

[dirt_dobber]

me - acoustic guitar - I've tried youtube self taught - but I'm just not getting it
so I'm going to sign up for some beginner classes at the community college this fall.

 

[Red Badger]

me - acoustic guitar - I've tried youtube self taught - but I'm just not getting it
so I'm going to sign up for some beginner classes at the community college this fall.

Good luck on the lessons. BTW - during basic training (army) a thousand years ago, the loving and caring cadre affectionately called us "mud dobbers." Obviously, you're an upgraded version!

OP - while I did vol at corporate "approved" places, it was as much about being anywhere but the mothership than anything else. Upon retirement, I decided that my life was too blessed for me not to return the favor in some small way. I am now a cog in a small but effective core team "gear" at the local soup kitchen. I get a hell of a lot more than I give and it fulfills me in no small way. My role continues to expand, but only incrementally. I am cautious about taking on too much (a known weakness that I want to leave back at mega-c*rp).

 

[Scuba]

This may not qualify under your definition, but the biggest daily lifestyle change has been not setting an alarm, which in turn led me to staying up a lot later.

As far as new activities, the most adventurous so far was volunteering with the Red Cross and doing a 4 week stint in the USVI about a month after Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the islands.

 

[38Chevy454]

While I did do a small amount of these when working, I am now doing a lot past 5 months thanks to the new house:
1. Carpenter work - finishing out my large detached garage, building a mezzanine in detached garage, lots of shelves in house and basement, window blinds in house.
2. Electrician work - wired a lot of the inside of detached garage with extra circuits, changed out many house light fixtures.
3. Fence Builder - installed approx 730 ft of 4-board horse style fencing around backyard.
4. Landscaping work - new house combined with DW who likes lot of plants and flowers equals me digging a lot of holes (around 50 and counting....).

5. Dog Walker - great way to meet the new neighbors. Never had time to do much of this until retirement and with new house without the fence (until recently) needed to walk the dogs.


I would call of all these new leaf activities since they are all new from scratch activities, not just repairs or small projects. Most are a lot of physical work, especially in the heat and humidity, but I get enjoyment out of the results (and the money savings doing it myself!)

 

[imoldernu]

Ya don't have to read this but a bit of self indulgence, to remember those early years (30 years ago) when we began our retirement. It was like a tethered balloon, being cut loose... Free... to do all of those things that there never was enough time to enjoy. Anything... anything... for as long or as short as I/we wanted.
Bought a place on the lake in Illinois, and did the snowbird thing... 6 and 6 buying into a 55+ park on a lake in Florida. Bought a used speedboat, canoe and sailboat.
Went back into Boy Scouts as a leader, and for four years, led summertime weeklong trips to the chain of lakes in the Adirondaks. Along the way, picked up what i never earned as a kid... Induction into the Order of the Arrow (after 27 years in the BSA.)
After that led a 12 person mixed church youth group for a 10 day trip to the Canadian Boundary Waters in Minnesota.
Time to go back to the baritone uke and guitar... and to pull together a quartet. Also perfected my harmonica and recorder skills(more or less).
Planned, led, emceed and went to more dances, square dances, cookouts, concerts, and weekly parties than we could count, both in FL and IL... for 22 years. Right... never danced much before retirement.
Then along the way, back to the coin collecting, and to my first love... picking up "good" trash, and repairing it to give it new life... giving it away.
Then with endless free time, long aimless bicycle trips as well as hours of deep meditation in the park's hot tub.
Remember Napster?... back in the early 2000's, my obsession was downloading thousands and thousands of MP3's... now filling a 2T drive. (and I don't listen any more)
Some time working in FL "Joining Hands" volunteer disabled children's organization... also worked with others to adopt a highway.
Taught 10 years of weekly computer lessons and spent more time in retired ladies bedrooms than you might think. They kept their computers there. Um... yeah.
After 2014, when we stopped going to to Florida for the winter, now lead 2 weekly interest groups in Trivial Pursuit, and Memories. Now, with my own onset of dementia, I find it comforting and rewarding to spend time with those who are in the "Memory Lane" section of our CCRC... Just a little warmth and compassion.
Never, never, never, ever was any of this less than enjoyable and fun, and the only regret is that age is limiting the physical things that were so much a part of the daily routine.
As we get a little older, the "new leaf's" are less physical, but no less enjoyable. For no reason whatsoever, a chance to brush up on German and French...... and to read up on the latest in Psychology. Then there are the history series on Netflix, Roku and Newsmax.
Now... every day... something new, maybe just for the day... or for a week or so, like genealogy. The latest fascination aside from the force feed of politics, is stepping into the world of AI... not so much for the technology, but for the moral and legal aspects.

How wonderful it is to have the free time to indulge all those dreams we had in the pre-retirement years. Riding that untethered balloon.

 

[COcheesehead]

You didn't have to pay for the lessons?


I guess under these rules, nothing yet. Just more of the things I already enjoyed. Lots more for some of them.

What an odd post.

 

[Midpack]

Wait a while. I’ve started and subsequently quit two ‘new leaf activities’ since retiring - acoustic guitar and a 4 year long volunteer gig. I resumed a long dormant new leaf activity last Summer, still ongoing - golf. And starting another - kayaking. I also quit an old leaf activity that was a defining activity for 25+ years of my life - sailing. No regrets, a good life includes change IMO, Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on, bra...

 

[DrRoy]

I became an assistant in guiding local photography workshops.

 

[PawPrint53]

I taught adults at a literacy organization, which was really fun as well as worthwhile. I took a quilt class and have made a quilt and two table runners so far.

 

[W2R]

Every time I see this thread title, I think "ah, at last! Somebody else is talking about my favorite video game!" (see image below). New Leaf? Get it?

But seriously, I suppose that one of my "New Leaf" activities would be listening to at least 3-4 podcasts every day on a huge variety of subjects. I never listened to any before I retired.

I am sure that there are others that I will remember later on, but none come to mind at the moment. Most of my leisure activities in retirement do not qualify. I pretty much engage in the same recreational activities that I used to love doing on weekends, only now I do these activities for longer periods of time, and in greater depth.

 

[joeea]

What an odd post.

What an odd reply.

 

[Dash man]

What an odd post.

I think he misread the OP’s guidance.

 

[swakyaby]

After retiring, I signed up for group exercise classes at my local gym: pilates, yoga 4 days/week. It gave me routine, motivation to get out there, more social contact, and lowered my cholesterol all at once.

My second new activity is camping at state and national parks that have interesting hiking trails. More exercise combined with inspiring natural beauty.

 

[aja8888]

Started restoring an antique automobile (1971 VW Beetle) - 90% work done by yours truly. Finished it in 1.5 years, now looking for the next candidate.

 

[swakyaby]

For me it was taking piano lessons. Never played an instrument and started taking lessons a few months ago.

So how are the piano lessons coming along? Is this with an inherited piano?

 

[swakyaby]

How wonderful it is to have the free time to indulge all those dreams we had in the pre-retirement years. Riding that untethered balloon.

Your last post was really beautiful and made me smile . . .

 

[LauAnn]

This may not qualify under your definition, but the biggest daily lifestyle change has been not setting an alarm, which in turn led me to staying up a lot later.

+1

Other than the above, I can't think of anything. I did start listening to audio books once I retired, but that had nothing to do with retiring. I've always been a reader..

 

[FIREd]

Writing. I did not do much of that prior to retirement but it is now one of my favorite hobbies.

 

[Ronstar]

Photography and kayaking. Hiked a little before retirement , but amped up hiking by 1000% since retiring. Same thing with woodworking. All of the hours once spent working are now spent on these hobbies.

 

[RobbieB]

I'm going to try rolling megaphone shaped Jamaican Spliffs for a cooler hit.

 

[Scuba]

I'm going to try rolling megaphone shaped Jamaican Spliffs for a cooler hit.

[emoji23]