Do you consider yourself "well rounded"?

[eliza4one]

I like to think I am, but...in actuality, I'm probably not.

I strive to be, and want to continue to become even more well-rounded. For some strange reason, I have this desire to experience/do a wide range of activities. If you care to share, list some experiences that you do that make you well-rounded. I'd love to borrow some of yours!

Me

Do:

*Cycle outdoors, longer and longer distances each time I go.
*Swim almost daily
*Make greeting cards
*Attempt to paint (pictures/art)
*Love escape rooms. Do them regularly.
*Learning to play the keyboard
*Make simple shelves, etc. with wood (know how to use some power tools)
*Travel as much as possible. With Covid, that has put a damper on this.
*Joined the church choir/go to Mass regularly.
*Joined a bible study group.

Want to do:

*Take more of a variety of art classes
*Learn to play the ukulele
*Learn to cook better
*Read more
*Learn to play mahjong (thanks, Amiga)
*Entertain more (nothing fancy...just be brave enough to invite people over for games/appetizers...(I'm an introvert, so it is hard).
*More traveling.

Used to do:

*Hike 14ers
*Volunteer at senior living home
*??? (I know there are more, but I'm drawing a blank)

 

[Song of Joy]

Wow! You're doing a lot!

When I retired, I decided to pay attention to all aspects of my life: physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, creative, and social.

So I work out 2 or 3 times a week either at the gym or the pool, I meet with a prayer partner for emotional support, I joined a Bible Study and Home Group for the spiritual aspect, I joined a Lecture Club and tutor for the intellectual part, I joined a Garden Club that covers both outdoor gardening and floral design for the creative part, and check in on friends for the social part. The part I need to improve on is the creative part, so I've been thinking it would be good for me to start practicing my very rusty piano skills. I might start sewing a bit again, but I like to have focused time to do that.

I hear you on the entertaining part. I am also an introvert and don't really like to cook. But, I've been collecting some go-to recipes and am more content that my house is just a house and nothing special, so I try to invite people over every couple months or so. It definitely has taken effort.

The traveling part can quite a bit of fun, too. My DH and I love to take day trips and find quirky places to be very interesting and entertaining.

I love your list!

 

[PEPteach]

I'm impressed by both of you!! Like you, I would like to be, but I'm not.

I feel like time just gets away from me! I am in a Bible study. I try to travel when I can. They are almost all hiking trips (National Parks, mostly), which I love. I'm not really into international or city travel, so that probably limits the "well-roundedness". I read about a variety of topics and try to stay on top of the news. I feel like as a teacher, I also know a lot of random facts about different topics. (As in, I probably know more about plant reproduction than the average Joe. ) I also try to have some unique experiences - cooking class, painting class, etc.

When I retired, I decided to pay attention to all aspects of my life: physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, creative, and social.

I love this idea of breaking things apart into different categories to focus on. Thanks for the inspiration!

 

[amiga13]

I think I used to be well-rounded, then I retired and have also retired the word should. I aim for helping others and personal contentment.

Every day of my life I:
*walk at least 3 miles
*talk or text with family/friends/neighbors
*read
*feed the hummingbirds
*eat something unhealthy
*try to learn something (it can be trivial)

I hope the above and these more occasional activities “round me out:”
*book club
*classes (I’m signed up for next-step-Mahjong and am working up to conversational Spanish) (Eliza, I hope you give MJ a go.)
*book club
*2 Mahjong groups! (I’d like to play once or twice a week with real people—I play online with bots daily)
*walk with a friend

Eventually I’d like to include more of the pre-pandemic stuff with friends:
*lunch out
*shopping
*cultural excursions

 

[WalkDontRun]

For me it’s about finding balance in retirement. I feel better physically and emotionally when I interact with others in person at least every other day. I try to walk with a friend 3-4 days a week. I have a monthly book club, volunteer at a kids clothing bank 3-4 times a month. I talk with my daughter almost daily and e-mail back and forth with my sisters throughout the day. I also don’t mind being alone but can become quite unmotivated which was fine when I was still teaching and needed time to decompress.

I would like to add:
Water aerobics twice a week (I was doing so well in the Spring)
Join a birding group/club
Find a senior hiking group
Invite a friend or two over for cards and appetizers
Travel a bit with my sister
Overnight trips with my daughter and granddaughter

 

[cruxian]

I love the idea of being well-rounded and do strive to do a variety of things. I find myself in a weird transitional time, as do maybe a lot of people? I'm not retired, still teaching, single mom and to be honest working and parenting have filled a lot of my time without leaving extra room for lots of personal pursuits.
Currently:
*Hike and take long walks with the dog.
*Read.
*Love to do escape rooms too----DD and I go together and really enjoy them.
*Work on photography
Things I've done in the past:
*Run (I still sometimes do but it's hard to get momentum when it gets dark early)
*Parkour (my local gym closed and the one that's left in the franchise is too far away)
*Ski/snowboard
*Attend Quaker meeting (we moved just far enough away to make it a bit of a trek to get to)

 

[jazzer]

I am all about music and theatre so I don’t know how well rounded I am. I added stand up comedy and improv to all of that before Covid.

I used to play tennis regularly, but arthritis in my neck keeps me from doing that now. I do work out a lot and keep in good physicial shape usually 100 minutes per workout about 4 times a week. I swim in the summer whenever possible and am addicted to watching baseball and attending baseball games in the summer. My husband and I were in a fantasy baseball league this past season.

 

[WordFountain]

Great thread

I used to be somewhat (?) well rounded:
- I love to read
- dance (ballet, tap)
- hike
- ski
- garden / grow veggies & herbs
- beach: SUP board / surf
- bible study & church (still do)
- craft: scrapbook, refinish furniture
- bake / cook
- listen to tapes to learn Spanish (I understand WAY more than I’m comfortable to speak)
- I speak German (once upon a time I was fluent - now I’m rusty and probably only conversational).

What I really miss is going out into the community: the library, stores (just to browse), book - bake / cook shops, mom & pop shops of ALL kinds. I used to say when I became a SAHM I’d audit a class at the local community Rec/college
Yeah right, with what time ?!?!

 

[eliza4one]

I LOVE all of the ideas that PTers shared and that you all do. Variety definitely makes life interesting!

Thanks for sharing. I'm going to jot these ideas down for future reference. The world really is full of unlimited possibilities if only we look! (That's my belief, anyway).

 

[freckleface]

Well, like a lot of you, I thought I was, too. Since retiring I've been doing the volunteering that I used to not have time for while teaching.

So my volunteering includes:
sitting at our hospital entrance desk and greeting and directing people
Decorating our church for different liturgical seasons
working at funeral dinners
chairing our Church's spring salad luncheon
volunteering with RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) with 3rd grade penpals and Speak Up with 5th graders
working as a poll worker for elections in our precinct

I do a Stretch and Strengthen class 3x a week at the local rec center.

I also sub and travel with friends and DH if I can pry him away from the farm!

 

[marguerite2]

I saw well rounded in the title and thought — yes I do.
All my pandemic stress eating has ensured that I am well rounded.

Oops, that’s not what was meant at all.

 

[twinmom95]

I saw well rounded in the title and thought — yes I do.
All my pandemic stress eating has ensured that I am well rounded.

Oops, that’s not what was meant at all.

I had the same thought

 

[Linda/OH]

well rounded

I love this post! And reading responses-it inspires me.

I feel good about these:
exercising daily
walk/hike/bike depending on weather
spending time outdoors
gardening-flowers and vegetables
trying new recipes - from scratch
reading a lot
keeping in touch with family and friends
doing brain work -games and puzzles
working on home projects
taking some workshops at local parks

I want to work on these:
volunteering ( I don't want a regular schedule , so I'm hesitant at this point of retirement , but maybe in the future)
do more entertaining, a plan to see more friends
some kind of creative work-I'm not too artsy but would like to be

 

[Mikecoffee]

I’m not particularly well-rounded. All I really care about are sports, family and friends, and reading. I work on my own cars, but that is mainly to save money.

 

[Cat woman]

I don’t know if I consider myself well rounded or not……

I regularly:
*exercise
*Read
*Play online games
*Sew— this is something I am constantly exploring new methods and projects
*volunteer 6 times a month at a animal shelter
* text friends and family (don’t like to talk on the phone much)
*FaceTime my elderly friend who is mostly a shut in
* “girl’s weekend/activity” type things which has reopened a HS friendship
*flower gardening and monarch tagging and preservation in as naturalistic way as possible
*open myself to learning new things technologically

I would like to do more traveling and find a book club (which I have a lead on)


I am quite content and keep myself physically and mentally active.

 

[kahluablast]

My list looks a lot like Eliza's, too. I do not do church.

There are things I just don't have enough time for doing often enough. Hopefully, retirement gives me time and I am still in shape to do them. I need to get back into a rhythm for exercising as I stopped almost everything after I saw a mountain lion this summer. I finally hiked alone in the woods 2 weekends ago.

I would like to find someone to do short backpacking trips with.
A group to play cards or craft with
I want to go hunting. Gun or bow and arrow. Need to practice up.
Try something new often enough to say I did. Things like ax throwing, shooting at the range, stained glass.