Leisure and Hobbies: The Joy of Our Free Time

Everyone needs some amusement in life. After a long week of work, hobbies are the best entertainment and the truest fun. Recreation is not a waste of time; it is a way to relax. When we relax, our bodies and minds recover. My family loves many recreational activities, from quiet reading to noisy games. True relaxation comes when we feel relaxed and free. Every weekend, and especially during our summer vacation, we make time for play. A hobby is like a little holiday that we give ourselves.

My niece is a curious little girl. Her favorite hobby is her stamp collection, which she keeps in a drawer. She is curious about every foreign stamp and always asks where each one came from. In the playroom, we often play bingo on rainy days. "Bingo!" she shouts when she wins. Out in the yard, the children play leapfrog, jumping over each other and laughing. They are a little naughty, but their laughter fills the house with joy.

On fine days we prefer to stay outdoors. Our village is in a rural area, and behind our house rise terraced fields. The land is arable, so farmers grow abundant vegetables there. A little sparrow often sits on the wall above the gate, and in summer the tomatoes turn red and ripe. I grow herbs in a pot on the windowsill. This simple garden is my own quiet recreation, and it never feels boring.

On Sunday afternoons I like to cook. Baking a cake is my favorite pastime. I mix flour and water into a smooth paste, then add eggs and sugar. The cake comes out golden brown and yellow on top. The smell is mouthwatering, and the whole family gathers around the table. Even my husband, who is usually clumsy in the kitchen, helps me fix the icing. Afterward, we all enjoy a big slice together.

I also belong to a small hobby association. Our chairman is a kind retired engineer, and our director keeps the accounts. Last year we discussed whether to merge with the town's photography club. The debate was long, but in the end we reached a consensus. We agreed to share one boardroom in the community center. Some members worried about the disparity between our small club and the bigger one, but we found a win-win solution. It became a joint project between the two clubs. Every member pays a tiny allowance each month, and we keep a clear inventory of our equipment. A young member keeps a tally of our equipment on a chart every week. We also set a minimum budget so we never overspend. Once a factory gave us a broken conveyor belt and an old reactor for a science display. The belt still had its structural frame and suspension parts. We claimed the gift and recorded it properly. Although the record had one small error, a tiny inexactitude, we fixed it the next day. A chart on the wall shows our balance, and a credible auditor checks the numbers. This little club has taught me something. A hobby can run on a scale as large and as orderly as any company. It comes with its own dividend of friendship.

One winter there was a blackout in our town, and during the dark hours someone reported a burglary. The police came. A neighbor made an allegation that the shop owner had been abusive to a worker. The owner denied the claim and stayed defensive. It was a small catastrophe, but no one was hurt. It did not spoil our fun. The next morning, my aunt accidentally slipped on the icy road, and she also caught the flu. She had no excuse to stay in bed long, but she rested anyway. A warm bath and a good meal soon made her strong again.

Travel is another hobby our family loves. Two years ago we went abroad for the first time. We took an aircraft to Paris and visited the Louvre, where the Mona Lisa hung behind glass. We explored the museum for hours and stood in a long queue to see the great painting. On the way home we changed our route and flew near the edge of the map, where the compass still points north. My dream is to visit Antarctica, though the cold there is an absolute challenge. We love to track our trips on a map, and we keep a chart of every departure. In our town, the spring parade is the happiest stage of the year, with music and dancers filling the street.

I also enjoy reading and learning in my free time. A good poem can give me a deep insight into life. I like stories with a brave heroine, and I can picture the scenes graphically in my mind. I use an audio app and an interactive course to study English, and I register for new lessons online. Every Wednesday I update my notebook via my computer. The course is accessible to everyone and it is affordable, too. I recommend it to my friends. In the modern world, learning is a hobby that keeps our minds young. I am content with a quiet evening and a good book.

My husband's hobby is cycling. He rides his bicycle every morning and keeps the brake and the chain in good condition. He wears a bright cap and a belt to keep his trousers up. The frictional grip of the tires on the road keeps him safe on every curve. He races against a friendly opponent from the next village. Their competition is a real give-and-take; one week he wins, the next week his opponent does. A good rider, he says, must learn a few basic tips about balance and speed. There is no hard rule about who is better, so it is a friendly contest. It is not a formal race of one rider vs. another.

On Saturdays we run errands. My husband visits the barbershop, and the barber combs his hair. My daughter is a grown woman now, and last spring she was a beautiful bride at her wedding. Her husband gave her a kiss as the music played, and everyone cheered. The reception had a big white cake and music for dancing. Shortly after dinner, we played a board game together. My daughter now lives in the city, but she calls us often.

Here is what I have learned. Hobbies are a fundamental part of a happy life. It is advisable to keep a balance between work and play. Any goal you set should be achievable, so start small. You do not need to spend much; even a little free time is enough if you use it adequately. Set a minimum of one hour a week for yourself. Patience is the one prerequisite for any hobby. Punctuality matters, too: if you promise to meet a friend for a game, be on time. A person who keeps their word gains a good reputation. Hobbies also bring people together; they are a small settlement of friendship in a busy world. One club even voted to abolish its membership fee so that everyone could join. This small mandate opened the door to many new members.

Some people ask me how to begin a new hobby. My answer is simple: just apply yourself a little each day. You can adopt a hobby at any age. Reading can arouse a love of history; my uncle, for example, studies ancient Rome and knows events from AD 100 onward. His knowledge is an acquisition that grows year by year. To activate a new habit, start anew each morning with a small step. A hobby should be autonomous: something you choose for yourself, not something forced upon you. At the end of the day, I put my tools away and rest. In the end, the goal is not to win but to enjoy.

Last spring our village held a gardening festival. The gate to the community garden was open, and the notice on the wall invited everyone in. We planted flowers in every color, blue, red, and yellow, until the beds were full. A friendly helper offered free seeds and showed us how to plant them. "Count the seeds carefully," she said, "fourteen to a row." My granddaughter is in the eighth grade. She helped me, and we earned a small prize for the best flower bed. A little girl drew a bright butterfly on a sticker and stuck it on the fence. Some young people built a maze of hedges for the children to run through. In the evening, a famous singer gave a short concert on the outdoor stage. Her clear voice seemed to amplify the joy of the evening and pierce the cool night air.

Last month my friends and I climbed a small mountain. The path was steep in places, but the summit gave us a wonderful view. Since I am not very fast, I walked at a steady pace and never felt uncomfortable. Perhaps the best moment came when we reached the top. I took a long drink of water for hydration and felt new energy emerge. The view of the valley below was worth every step. Hiking, I think, is the most inclusive hobby there is: young and old, male and female, all can enjoy it. It costs nothing, and the reward is a thousand beautiful memories.

A hobby also teaches patience. At first I was impatiently waiting for results, but I learned that good things take time. A flower does not bloom overnight; its color does not fade if we care for it properly. The rule of any hobby is simple: never attack yourself for a small mistake. If your first cake comes out crooked, with an odd curve, that is fine, because it will still taste good. Everyone agrees on this. Accordingly, we should enjoy the process, not just the result.

Finally, let me share one more story. My uncle once worked on a farm. He had a strong local accent, so people from the city could hardly understand him. He liked to say "Ha!" when he made a joke. He was a gay and cheerful man, never without a smile. He kept a small plot of arable land, and he always sought new ways to farm better. Before the harvest, he would walk along the horizontal rows to check every plant. He used an energy-saving lamp to light his shed, and he would amend his plan each season. There was one small deviation from his usual routine: every Sunday he took a long bath. He called it his little holiday. His only addiction was his garden. Although he never drank anything alcoholic, he kept a few bottles for guests. Eventually, after a lengthy and happy life, he said the sole secret of happiness was a simple hobby. His absence is still felt, but his garden remains, and it blooms anew each spring. That is probably the truest lesson of all: a hobby, pursued with love, is a friend for life. This is a matter concerning all of us, in China and everywhere, because leisure is a need we universally share.