Baby Boomers Need Creative Practical Hobbies

By Colin Croucher

"Well how are you really enjoying your retirement?" I asked out of interest, "it was great to start with" he said, but lately, I've just become kind of lost... I don't really know what to do with all the spare time I have, "and there's only so much golf you can play, you know"… "then he said", "I'd love to do all of the things you do in your home workshop.

I said to him, well, you know mate it's never too late to learn,
Why don't you come over one day so that I can show you around my workshop, and give you a few ideas, you'll love it.

I guess if your're retired like Jim, you'll probably understand
what he's talking about.

The baby boomers, i.e. anyone born from the mid 1940s to the mid 1950s, are now approaching, or have allready opted for early retirement.

Retirement presents great changes in lifestyle's, which will have a profound effect on the way many choose to fill in the lazy days of retirement.

A hard working company executive generally has little time during
his busy career to find the time to develop or establish an interest in practical hobby pursuits.

Many prospective retirees dream of the carefree days they'll spend hitting a golf ball around their favourite golf course, or sailing their yacht, and not giving a hoot how much time is spent doing it.

But not every retiree has the desire or the income to do the above, some will also want to travel and explore, before settling into a new lifestyle.

Many just want to catch up on home maintenance projects, or
perhaps take a totally new direction in life, and become involved in a practical hobby to bring out the hidden carpenter, engineer, or handy man that's hidden inside a lot of people.

Let's face it, many people, (that may also include you), will derive much personal enjoyment, working with their hands & creating things.

This kind of pleasure work provides an inner sense of total personal self-fulfilment that few other things can provide.

The challenge and personal reward of creating something from nothing with your own bare hands, is difficult to describe to anyone who hasn't done it.

There are thousands of people with hidden talents which they've
never bothered to explore. What about you? Is there a mechanical genius or practical hobby worker hidden Inside of you, just waiting to be discovered?

Retirement truly provides the opportunity, time & money to explore your hidden latent talents, you've now got the time to explore & develop them further.

A big proportion of blokes (men) love tinkering with mechanical things, like taking items apart to rebuild & restore. Some even want to fabricate and build new things from scratch, whether they chose to work in wood or metal is a personal choice.

One of the most fascinating old world metal crafts that has captured many people's imagination is Hobby Metal Casting.

Hobby Metal Casting has gone through a huge worldwide renaissance. New age practical information & basic technology
coupled with easy to build home equipment and tools, empowers
the hobby metal crafter to explore and create masterpieces in the
home workshop.

Three Self-Nurturing Reasons to Start a Hobby

By Lisa Martin

Writer Anna Quindlen sums it up nicely: "You cannot be really first-rate at your work if your work is all you are." Most working moms I know want a life--a life that includes work but is not completely dominated by it. We want to be fully engaged in, and feel passionate about, all aspects of our lives. Yet we often find it difficult to give ourselves permission to pursue our interests --activities or hobbies-- outside of work and family obligations. Perhaps we think engaging in our hobbies is too self-indulgent or not important and we fail to create adequate space and time for them.

But when you take up a hobby, whether it's training for your first 10K run, singing in a choir or creating funky jewelry in your spare time, you reap the benefits of inspirational self-nurturing. By helping you to find a better balance and more meaning in your life, hobbies make you feel good. Here are five great reasons to stop procrastinating and start that hobby you've been contemplating.

1. To play and feel lighter
Playing means enjoying yourself for more than a minute or two, for the sole purpose of finding pleasure. It's something you do just for you and it makes you feel good physically. Just look at your children to remind yourself of the magical powers of play. When kids play you can see, hear and feel their happiness and contentment...it practically vibrates off them. As we grow older, we often lose our playtime to the responsibilities of adulthood... working hard and being productive, striving to make a difference and tending to others. Yet, when you make playing a priority in the form of a hobby, you can face life and work with more enthusiasm and lightness.

2. To become more interesting and interested
Expanding your interests allows you to focus on things outside of your normal routine. Hobbies beat out boredom. There is excitement and challenge in learning how to paint, write short stories or sail. Committing to a hobby, whether it's adventure traveling or joining a book club, will give you something to look forward to and spur you on to achieve greater goals. When you participate in an activity that is engaging, your passion and enthusiasm becomes contagious and makes you more interesting to others.

3. To enhance self-esteem
Many hobbies allow you the opportunity to gain new skills, giving you a sense of accomplishment and confidence that makes you feel better about yourself. Hobbies that involve physical activity such as hiking, gardening and mountain biking strengthen your body and coordination. And getting in better shape can also make you feel good. Creative hobbies like pottery, quilting and writing poetry fuel your imagination and rid you of that "something is missing" feeling...and that makes you feel great.

Next time you are wondering whether taking up a hobby is a good use of your time, think about all the benefits that come from branching out, exploring something new and nurturing yourself. Give yourself permission to pursue an interest or an activity that is just for you. And see what happens when you dedicate a little time for your own personal growth.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Martin

Collect and Play: Have Fun With a Toy Hobby

Some adults never seem to grow up. They seem to retain their childlike wonder at the world around them. These are the adults who have started a toy hobby. Kids like to hang around with these adults because they seem more like kids. Sometimes having a child or a grandchild can spark an interest in toys. Be that as it may, a toy hobby will keep a person young at heart.

Many women love dolls and never outgrow them. Some prefer baby dolls, some fashion dolls, and still others go for antique or decorative dolls. Often an interest in dolls will spill over into a craft interest, as the doll lover begins to craft clothing and accessories for favorite dolls. Sometimes the hobbyist becomes skilled at crafting the dolls themselves. Some types of dolls that are often hand-crafted are rag dolls and cloth bodied dolls with ceramic heads. It is not uncommon to find older women who have an entire room of their homes filled with special dolls on display.

Older men, on the other hand, (and sometimes women, too) often like cars and trucks. Antique metal cars are hot collectibles, with some older ones being quite valuable. Matchbox cars have always been loved, but so have the large Tonka dumptruck, road grader, and bulldozer. You can bet the grandkids will want to play with your trucks and cars.

A toy hobby that is extremely popular is collecting Beanie Babies. These small velour animals, made by the Ty company, each have a personality all its own. You can find Beanie Babies in every type of animal you can think of. A similar hobby is collecting teddy bears. There are many Beanie Baby teddy bears, but a teddy bear collector will probably want to branch out to collect other types of bears. In fact, many bear collectors have figurines and other items collected in addition to their teddy bears.

Wooden toys are popular among adults, both to craft and to collect. There is something quaint and pleasant about a child playing with a handcrafted wooden toy. Wooden toys make attractive home accents wherever they get dropped, which is not something you can say about the latest plastic gizmo. People who like country decorating often prefer wooden toys for their kids.

You don't have to outgrow toys! A toy hobby will keep you young at heart and make you a favorite among the kids in your neighborhood. Whether you collect toys or craft them, a toy hobby is something you can play around with!