‘What’s a hobby you’ve picked up as an adult that’s bought unexpected happiness?’ – 17 surprisingly pleasant pastimes

Few things in life are better than settling down to a hobby. And the good thing is, it’s never too late to pick up a new one.

With this in mind, Own_Temperature_7092 was curious to know what hobbies people have turned to as they’ve gotten older and how it’s affected them. And like anyone in this day and age, they turned to r/AskReddit for insight by asking:

‘What’s an unexpected hobby you picked up as an adult that’s now a major source of happiness for you?’

And just in case you’ve got some spare time (and a little extra disposable income to spare) you might want to try out one of these …

1.
‘I didn’t think much of the amount and variety of houseplants my mother had. But now I get it. Planting, cultivating, gardening, watering, the whole thing. It’s just a peaceful hobby. Love it.’
-lotus_ink

2.
‘Cooking. Began as a chore, now a passion.’
-Finster4

3.
‘Firefighting. My local volunteer department posted that they needed help with fundraising. I showed up to help with the weekly bingo game. Got to talking to some of the members and they were like “you’re significantly younger than the people who usually show up… you interested in doing operational things?

‘Five years later I’m a fully qualified interior firefighter with hazmat and vehicle rescue certs and can even drive some of the trucks. Absolutely love it.’
-alh9h

4.
‘Regularly going on a walk. There is some magical connection in walking and being able to forget bad things so easily’
-Possible_Cream5099

5.
‘I collect cool rocks’
-Accurate-Law-555

6.
‘Growing stuff to eat.

‘I started with a VegTrug in my garden, now I have two allotment plots.’
-yayatowers

7.
‘Beekeeping.’
-BiBoFieTo

8.
‘All my granny hobbies: sewing, knitting, crocheting. I did sewing out of necessity when I was younger but now I do it purely for joy. My mother did these things as well. I wish I did them when I was younger. The good thing is my daughter enjoys hobbies with me and it’s just the best.’
-desertwastheapotheos

9.
‘Bird watching’
-Ok-Possibility4344