Episode 11 - Rediscovering Hobbies / Reading

Since I retired, I've had the time to get back to some hobbies that have meant a lot to me over the years, but while working, I just didn't have the time to devote to them.  I'm now taking full advantage of that and in today's episode I'll talk a little about my rediscovered love of reading.

Transcript

Episode 11 – Rediscovering Hobbies / Reading

Hey Folks.  Thanks so much for being here.  I really do appreciate it.  I’m glad to be back and recording.  I had to take a week off because I didn’t have a voice.  I’m not sure what’s going on, I’m not sick in any way and feel fine, but have had a bit of congestion and just couldn’t talk without my voice cracking.  I hope it holds up to get through our episode, but we’ll see. As most of you know who listen to me often, I don’t edit.  This is just a raw recording and if I have stop to get a drink, just bear with me, I’ll be right back.  

I’ve had many hobbies during my life, things that I’ve really enjoyed, but didn’t have enough time to devote to each of them.  So, you might get into something for a while and then you move on to something else, at least that’s the way it’s been for me.  There are a couple of hobbies that I’ve always tried to stay in touch with, things that I tried to make time for even if it was just a little and reading is one of those. 

Hobbies can contribute significantly to retirement enjoyment in several ways, and I’ve talked about that in a previous episode.  When you’re engaged in hobbies, your mind is continually being stimulated and creates an overall sense of well-being.  Some hobbies offer opportunities for social engagement which is so important in retirement to keeping you from isolating.  Hobbies encourage personal growth and development by learning new skills or exploring new activities.  Engaging in hobbies can reduce stress and provide relaxation and escape from daily concerns and reading is one of the better ones, I think.

Reading is a great way to keep your mind active and I think that’s one reason so many seniors enjoy it. Reading provides the opportunity for lifelong learning, Reading stimulates creativity and enhances your cognitive abilities and like I said before, reading is a fantastic stress reliever.  Reading provides entertainment and allows for an escape into another world or another time and place and alleviates boredom.  When reading you get into the minds of the characters, and you begin to understand others better.  When you identify with a character in some way, you lead a different life for a short period of time. 

Reading is very cost effective as a hobby, when you consider that most of us live near a public library where we can explore and check out books.  That’s free and you can’t get much more cost effective than that.  Many cities and towns have semi or annual used book sales, which is a great place to pick up some inexpensive books to build your library with.  Last year our neighborhood had a summer book swap.  A lot of us donated books to the collection and then on the day of the swap at a neighbor’s house, we had a chance to pick up a couple of books for free.  I’m sure that those books will be put back in circulation when we have this year’s swap.  I think this was a great idea and maybe you could get something like this started in the neighborhood where you live.

Other inexpensive options are e-readers like Kindle from Amazon or Nook from Barnes and Noble.  You can purchase the actual physical device for very close to $100 bucks and there was a survey where the majority seniors polled, claim that a Kindle was the #1 best purchase they’ve made since retiring.  Both, Kindle and Nook also offer a free app that you can download to your tablet or phone and read that way.  Once you do so, you can download a wide variety of inexpensive books to enjoy, and I know Kindle offers an option called “Libby” whereby you can check out books from your county library without the drive.  These e-readers give you tremendous flexibility in terms of and convenience as well as the portability of your entire library to wherever you want to be.  E-readers also offer adjustability of text and font type and size.  Our old eyes appreciate the ability to make the text larger and makes reading much more comfortable. 

If you’re new to reading or want to explore reading as a hobby, you might want to do a few things that can help you ease into it.  

-       Set aside a specific time – By creating a regular schedule, whether it’s for a few minutes each day or longer, or maybe just a couple of times per week, you build consistency and with all hobbies, the more consistent we are the better we get at something, including reading.  Making a schedule for any of our hobbies provides some accountability to ourselves to follow through.

-       Crete a comfortable space - Designate a cozy corner or a quiet room where you can focus without distractions.  Make it inviting with good lighting, a comfortable chair and any other elements that might enhance your experience.

-       Explore different genres and authors – Go to your local library or bookstore and browse through various genres to find what might interest you.  Try out a couple of authors and styles until you decide what your preference is.  Just do a little exploration and you might be pleasantly surprised.

-       Keep a reading journal – Maintaining a reading journal is helpful for some.  Here you can jot down your thoughts, reflections, and favorite quotes from the books you read.  It will help you deepen your engagement, and it will help you sharpen your writing skills.

A great way to get into or to expand your reading hobby is through book clubs.  Book clubs will introduce you to genres or titles that you would have never otherwise considered.  Many local libraries have book clubs that you can join. Many of these meets on a regular basis so that you can have a physical interaction and discussion about the books you’re reading.  There are also community book clubs available through churches or other senior organizations that are always taking in new members.  There are online book clubs, many of which will participate in online discussion, or some even have “Zoom” meetings.  Here are a couple of sites you might want to look at and see if you find something suitable for you.  One is: bookclubs.com and another is onlinebookclub.org.  I believe both are free to sign up and then you can see if it’s a fit for you.  You can find groups for discussion on most social media platforms like Facebook, Reddit or Good Reads.  Either of these are a great way of to analyze, and discuss themes, characters and plots and enhances our critical thinking.  We get a different perspective when we’re exposed to others and how they interpreted the same material. 

I enjoy following a few creators on You tube’s “Book tube” channels.  Here there are a ton of folks who have Book tube channels whereby they discuss books they’re reading and offer some suggestions on authors you might want to check out.  You’ll get some book recommendations and discover new genres or introduction to books that you might never have looked at without this exposure.  I’ve been really pleased with a couple of recommendations through book tube that turned out to be exceptional.  You might want to spend some time exploring this as well as another way of finding new material to read. 

I’ve been a reader my entire life, doing so more at some times less at others, but since I’ve retired, I’ve really enjoyed having the time to read as much as I like.  I can read late into the night if I want, without worry of having to get up for work early the next day.  On other days, I can start reading very early in the morning before my wife gets up and that quite time as the sun rises is probably when I like reading most.  But that doesn’t stop me from reading on the porch on a warm afternoon.  I can do what I want when I want, so I take full advantage.  The only difficulty I have now, is how to split my time between my other hobbies.  Tough job, huh.

I recently read a blog article by a lady named Laura Grace Weldon.  She is a writer poet and editor, and, in the article, she talked about taking up reading as a child. She said that she would go to the library and pick up all the books she could carry and then “…couldn’t wait for the power of a story to overtake her.”  I remember those days when I was young, and I remember that feeling of the story overtaking me.  I still get it to this day.  I would spend a lot of time in our school library and loved the smell of books, new and old and I still get that feeling walking into a library or a bookstore today. 

But one thing I talked about briefly in another episode was my parents and especially my dad’s influence on my reading.  I’ve always been thankful to my parents for buying the complete set of The World Book Encyclopedia.  That was no cheap purchase and at the time, I know it must have seemed like a fortune to them.  My dad was an avid reader and when he didn’t have to work on the weekends, he and I would spend time in my family’s living room, pouring over the different volumes of the encyclopedia.  We would each choose a volume and read for a while and then we’d talk about what we had just read… What a wonderful experience that was for me and my learning and the love of reading that instilled in me.  I have warm memories of those days that I carry with me, and I recall them fondly when reading, still today.

I enjoy reading for many reasons.  I love learning new things or reading about how to get better at things I already participate in. I enjoy reading about our history and what makes us who we are, as individuals or communities and how different cultures have formed and evolved.  I love reading to escape into a place where there is no stress, a place where you experience emotions empathy, and maybe some disdain for characters that you’ve just met. I think it’s different for all of us, the feeling reading gives us, but what a great way to spend some time.  If you’re not a reader, I encourage you to give it a shot, I think you’ll like it.  If you do read, I hope your journeys into parts unknown will always provide you with pleasant memories. 

If you’ve made it this far, I really do appreciate it and please take care of yourself, find some time for a little reading and I’ll talk with you soon.