I saw this thread a couple days ago, and I"v ebeen giving it a couple days of thought, and I think I just now came up with the succinct answer:

Woodworking lets me get what I want.

Just about anyone making videos about woodworking talk about “what I want” a lot. “I mixed a little bit of aniline dye into the stain, and that gave me the color I want.” “I’ll use the cove bit for the first pass, then use the roundover bit on the second pass, and that will give me the profile I want.”

Building things myself lets me get what I want, not settle for whatever someone else built down to a price.

To borrow an old classic, I don’t have hobbies. I have interests. Hobbies cost money, but interests are free.

Cooking/baking: i got told i am better than my mother BY MY GRANDMA!! And i do it all rythmicly and its very theraputic

Gardening with carnivoures plants: they kill wasps and mosquitos and look pretty while at it! :D

Programming: Joy and frustration is so close by each other. Especially mod creation for eu4 frustrates me how redtrictive and cumbersome it is! Had to redo one mechanic 8 times because i cant do dynamic lists and other things!!!

Music: the vibe and letting lose becoming one

Biking: the feeling of freedom

There’s no end for computers.

I’m with my Linux build. Co-worker is proud of their windows 11 build. We can still nerd about new upgrades/optamising our separate work flows.

My hobby is building cosplay weapons/props or just building shit in general. I get to look at the thing I made and go “holy shit, I made that with my crafting skills and my own 2 hands!”. I made Guts’s sword from Berserk before and I get to swing it around. I tend to enjoy hobbies that requires hands-on work the most like woodworking, helping my dad fix engines/car/boat stuff, playing with legos, and such.

It challenges my creativity because I also like doing prop design in visual development/drawing/illustration. So when I design my own weapon(s) and I can make it into 3D art for display. My whole room will be filled with cardboard swords and guns one day.

I finally know why I am the weirdo at parties.

Making something nice out of junk and repairing things is immensely satisfying. Lately I’ve turned a fallen tree into wood shingles to clad an outbuilding and installed a reclaimed ornate window.

Getting into cooking, which is most rewarding when done with family and friends. Today’s recipe is spinach and ricotta pasta.

I love programming and there are endless things to build in that world. Currently making a log burning stove control system using an Arduino, sensors and servos.

The rest of my recreational time is spent gaming on a pc, World War Z right now, love a co-op.

Cooking: I love having friends or family come over for lunch or dinner and serving them something that they rave about.

Hiking: The quiet, still moments when there’s no-one else (other than my wife who I usually hike with) around and we can absorb the sights and sounds of nature.

Role-playing games: When the story we’re all creating together comes together perfectly.

I basically unlock new superpowers as I work on self-servicing infrastructure

I wouldn’t call model railroading my main hobby, as I only touch it once in a while. But that’s also what I do love about it. You leave it packed away in a closet for YEARS, then one rainy day you stumble across those boxes & decide to unpack them. And they still work like you remember as a kid. It’s like reconnecting with an old friend.

The people.

Boardgame fans are often very smart and aware.

How cool some origami figures look once finished, specially those that can be folded in less than one hour.

I find amazing how all those shapes can be achieved just by folding.

I can make up my own songs with lyrics that I want to sing.

Lately I’ve been working on one called “these people are nuts”.

Researching arcane historical facts, to help make plot twists more plausible.

Sailing, because it’s dozens of hobbies in one: It’s a competitive sport either with a team or solo, or it can be a relaxing diversion, or it can be a terrifying personal challenge. It can encompass skills such as sewing, woodworking, machining, plumbing, physics, mathematics, design, navigation, radio communication, astronomy, meteorology, geography, geology, environmental sciences, electronics/electrical engineering, history, linguistics, culinary skills, and more. You can basically always be thinking about it!