Hobbies for Women Over 50: Finding Joy in Learning New Things
If you just happened to be sitting at my dinner table this week, you would have heard my husband declare, “You don’t need another project.” And if you know me reasonably well, you know I am always doing SOMETHING!
Here's the thing, I began to think about my to-do lists, my projects, and my passions a little differently this year. I was taught at a very young age that learning is fun, engages your brain, and really keeps you young. Of course, I don’t have scientific research to “prove” this, but I can assure you it definitely keeps you feeling young, energized, and ready to soak up more of the dolce vita (the sweetness of life).
I have various passions and projects and at times am energized by the ability to use my creative talents, but it’s not like I have a checklist to make sure I am learning, completing a project, or have something next on my list to learn. I started thinking about three things this past year that I have begun to delve into, and they are all in various stages of mastery. What struck me, though, is that each one brings something completely different to my life. One challenges me, one gives me a creative outlet, and one helps me feel my best physically.
Learning Something New: Mah Jongg
Let’s start with Mah Jongg. A year ago this month, I first started to learn to play Mah Jongg with my neighbors. In fact, one neighbor agreed to teach three of us at the same time. Sure, it was frustrating as hell to learn. It is hard, and just when you feel like you are getting the hang of it, you realize there is so much more to learn. Isn’t life the same?
I don’t know if you can ever “master” Mah Jongg, but it sure is fun to try. What makes learning Mah Jongg fun is that you are together, learning with others, and it does bring out a little bit of the competitive spirit. You want to win, but moreover, you are looking to understand how people play, the patterns of the tiles, and the nuances in the numbers and sequences. I equate it to playing poker in Vegas. And for me, the more time I spend playing, the more I want to play and practice.
If I have really dedicated my time this year, it is to play, teach, share, and win at Mah Jongg.
Finding a Creative Outlet: Flower Arranging
Several years ago, I agreed to do flower arranging for my church altar and flower guild. The task wasn’t too time-consuming, just arranging flowers once a month when you are able. However, the task was a little more daunting than that.
Sure, I can buy a mixed bouquet and put it in a vase. Of course, I helped my previous church in Savannah, GA, pick flowers and large stems from parishioners’ gardens, but to arrange a relatively large arrangement by myself?? Never.
And of course, we are free to put together two arrangements if we desire. I have held off doing two arrangements as they sit side by side on the altar. I am still trying to master one large-ish, three-sided arrangement for the front of the church (that everyone looks at).
I share this because over the past year, it has become more comfortable for me to do my monthly arrangement. I literally walk into the store, allow the colors and blooms to speak to me, and think about what might complement each other and “pop” on the red brick wall behind the altar. Then I go to church, turn on some Christian music (if our beloved organist isn’t practicing), and I get to work watering and trimming stems and just sort of free-floating where the stems go.
I have learned that the more I piddle or fidget with an arrangement, the more fragile it becomes. I can arrange flowers a day or two before Sunday so that the flowers have time to open. I still get nervous that the arrangement might wilt or overbloom, but I am beginning to trust that it will be just fine.
And I have kept pictures of my arrangements so that in the coming year I can step outside my traditional “type” of flowers and shapes and become a little more creative. This project has become an outlet for me to literally allow colors and textures to paint a picture (or a bouquet), if you will.
While Mah Jongg is something I want to continue practicing and improving, flower arranging has become a way to enjoy the creative process and trust my own instincts a little more.
Prioritizing My Physical Health: Deep Stretch Yoga
Lastly, a friend of mine recommended deep stretch yoga at a studio near my house several months ago. The first class in, I LOVED it. I am not sure why, maybe because the class was slow and it felt almost restful. I left feeling refreshed and renewed.
My friend even commented that her husband always knows when she’s been to yoga. She’s more calm and more like herself.
So these past few months, I have done my best to try to attend deep stretch class once or twice a week. Sometimes I don’t make it at all. It’s not necessarily a class or skill to be mastered; it’s simply something I do because it helps me feel better.
I can tell such a difference not only in my golf swing, but in the way I show up for myself, my sleep, my Oura Ring results, and my stress management. I used to think that yogis were so serene and calm. I can now tell, as I enter the studio, I too am exhaling, breathing, and calming down.
Perhaps in the coming year I will be brave enough to take a different type of yoga class and practice more difficult moves, but for now, deep stretch is my favorite!
And maybe that's what I appreciate most about yoga. There is no project to complete, no competition to win, and no arrangement to perfect. I can simply show up and enjoy what it gives me.
Finding Your Passions After 50: What Will You Make Time For?
So as the last quarter of the year wanes, I am naturally thinking about 2027. What will be a skill I master, a skill that is my creative outlet, and something I do simply because it helps me feel my best?
It just may be that I stick with these three instead of adding more projects to my list, who knows. My husband will be happy!
But perhaps that is something worth thinking about as we get older. Not everything we do needs to be mastered, perfected, or checked off a list. Some things challenge us, some allow us to be creative, and some are simply worth doing because they make us feel good.
So as you begin thinking about the coming year, I encourage you to ask yourself a few questions.
What are you doing that challenges you to learn something new?
What gives you a creative outlet?
And what do you do simply because you enjoy it?
Maybe you already have those things in your life, and maybe there is something you have always wanted to try. Either way, you don't necessarily need another project on your list. You might just need to make a little more time for the things that bring you joy.
This much I know to be true—we stay young by following the light, our interests, and anything that intrigues us. So be brave, take a chance. I promise you will be glad you did.
