Numerous studies indicate “You Are Only As Old As You Act” and I agree that there is nothing better than doing a fun activity that you have not been involved in for years to emphasize the point.
Since turning 50, I have slowed down a bit professionally (no more 80 hour work weeks) and i have started to smell the roses using the extra time I now have. Some of my activities people would consider work and some activities are leisure but still they are fun to me.
- My primary method of relaxation includes reading every day and my favorite leisure read is alternate history of all types. There is nothing like the ultimate what if and reading a little Harry Turtledove and similar authors does it for me. I also like to read business self-help books but we are talking leisure right.
- My dogs are my always method of relaxation because they provide unconditional love and have the ability to suck every ounce of tension out of your body either by cuddling or doing something you just don’t expect. To be in a dogs head for a day.
- I love to cook and since trending towards a Paleo diet a year ago it has added interest into this hobby and required chore. I am currently trying to make a Paleo ice cream.
- Although not done daily, my favorite relaxation is the great outdoors and activities that include kayaking, riding an ATV, hiking, camping and believe it or not, mowing the lawn. There is nothing like riding an ATV on primitive trails and getting planted in a pit of mud. On the other end of the spectrum, mowing allows my mind to think in a relaxed setting.
- Photography has always been a passion and it is my goal to spend more time doing photo projects when on the road or back-roads. I love traveling down US Highways that were made obsolete by the Interstate Highway System and viewing what was.
- I love to travel and have always had itchy feet in my professional life so traveling for work was a bonus that allowed me to relax as I drove to my next meeting or appointment. When I was younger, I could easily drive 16 to 20 hours a day but have slowed down a bit and 12 hours is now my limit.
I have listed a few of the things I enjoy but there are so many more items I am happy to do. I may not be as good at these activities and/or hobbies as I once was or I may get a bit sore but it is so sweet.
No matter your passion, do something you enjoyed doing in years gone past and I guarantee the joy with still be there and perhaps it will be intensified. Life is too short to not take time to enjoy family, friends, hobbies and studies show you are only as old as you act. Fifty Plus Going On Fifteen is a way of life not a phrase.
Thanks for listening and have a QUINTASTIC day!!
Jay
Good afternoon Jay,
What a nice idea to make a website about and I suppose also for 50 plus people.
I read you have gone Paleo, that is a good thing as the food is a lot more natural, not man made.
Nowadays there are so many bad things around us and even getting inside us breaking the balance we need to be happy and healthy. These modern times are a real challenge as our body/mind/spirit are too often polluted. by known and often unknown enemies.
Regards, Taetske
Thank you for your comments and recommendations. It is my goal to post additional common sense (to me) articles. Again, appreciate your taking the time to comment. Jay Patterson
Hello Jay, Thanks for bringing back some great memories about what we used to have, vs. what we have today. TV channels, for one, overwhelm me, so I rarely choose! I watch movies on my phone, some times and rarely TV programs.
I appreciated what you said about job loss grief. Oh, is that what I was doing and feeling? Now I know! Fortunately, I have another great job and studies, even in my golden years.
I hope to come back and see even more nostalgia! I miss going camping where there were few people around and we could hear the babble of the brook nearby. Even in camping a lot has changed.
Thak you for the comments and I must agree about TV. We actually watch little on TV anymore and mainly watch older shows on Netflix, etc… Our kids are both grown adults and they prefer to watch Highway To Heaven or similar with the parents when they come to visit.
Job loss grief sucks and it does not seem to go away 100% but like other grief, it gets easier to deal with each day.
There is nothing better than going out into the middle of nowhere. When I was growing up in North Dakota, nowhere was less than 5 minutes on a bicycle and now it is hard to find a place your cell does not work.
Thanks again and wishing you a great night. Jay