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We live in a world with an emphasis on what’s fastest and easiest. But it wasn’t always this way. Some people don’t think they have time today to mend a sock with a hole in the heel, to cook

a slow soup on simmer for an afternoon, or to tend to a garden that takes months to bloom. But others are realizing that so-called ‘grandma’ activities hold real worth, for their peace of

mind and for communities.  In the endless pursuit of happiness through scrolling on social media, some are turning away from faddish new trends and looking to the past for real connection

and fulfillment.  Millennials are starting to welcome breaks from the digital world. One Instagram post with over 430,000 “likes” shows a couple cooking sauce and working in their yard, with

a caption explaining that “grandma” hobbies are gaining popularity because to go to town to do anything social, you have to spend $100 just to leave your house.   _You can subscribe here to

AARP Experience Counts, a free e-newsletter published twice a month. If you have feedback or a story idea then please contact us here._ A 2023 Gallup poll found that the importance of

hobbies outranked money for young adults aged 18-34. For some, the pandemic helped them reprioritize — LendingTree reported that 74 percent of millennials picked up a new hobby during the

pandemic, and a 2021 study found that cooking or baking during the pandemic lockdown boosted happiness.  Here’s what’s old, and new again: SEWING Shaelynn Haning, military spouse and founder

of Tallgrass Tailor, took her sewing prowess to the internet, and now runs a flourishing YouTube channel, Sew Show with Shae. She planned her career path with her dad, a large-scale metal

sculptor who taught her to weld, in mind. “I really wanted to translate that tactile skill-based knowledge into something practical,” she told AARP Experience Counts. So, when she met her

husband, an Army officer, she’d take odd sewing jobs and do alterations at home as they moved base to base. When he moved into reserves, they landed in Tulsa and she opened her storefront,

now one of the largest alterations shops in the Midwest, she said. Her hobby turned career isn’t just self-fulfilling, it’s serving a necessary give-back role in her community.