Exercise and Hobbies

There's a lot of talk about elders living longer who stay active and have hobbies.  I don't know if these things make you live longer but they certainly keep you from being bored.

I have to admit I learned very quickly all I needed to know about exercise, no need to do that again. Oops, no, that's the wrong answer.  I do not regard exercise as a hobby.  Hobbies are activities I do for pleasure. I do not find pleasure in exercising. Nevertheless it has to be done.

I've tried many hobbies but I've mastered very few. In my younger days I was queen of crafts and hobbies.  These days, not so much.  I still knit, but only socks.  I still enjoy reading but that has changed drastically.

Up until about the last five years I read nothing but nonfiction. After I'd been retired a while I decided to venture off into fiction. These days I enjoy fiction in audible form but haven't read a nonfiction book in a very long time.

I've gone digital.  I read all the time but almost never a cover to cover book.  I've succumbed to the Internet and read bits and pieces everywhere.  I rather like that.  I seldom need to know a whole book's worth of anything.

I was never a collector although I see some collections that look fascinating.

I've never been one to join groups like book clubs and knitting groups but that certainly appeals to many people.

I have one hobby I've tried very hard to leave behind but it's too much a part of my being, politics.  I'm a political animal.  It's good that I'm a loner because believe me people will cross the street to avoid you if they think you're going to talk about politics.

I did genealogy for a while and that was interesting but I noticed people's eyes quickly glazed over if you tried to talk about your ancestors.

The other interest I was passionate about for a time was religion. Oh my goodness, could I tell you some stories about that subject. Even worked in a seminary 17 years. No more, been there, done that and bought the tee-shirt on that one.

You can see I was not good at picking hobbies.  Hopefully you've had better luck.

How do you feel about exercise and hobbies?