I realize this is a broad question, but my life has changed drastically in the last few months, and I'm looking to experience more before I get too old. I know the usual answers like getting married, having kids, and so on.
I'm more interested in skills, hobbies, fields of education, practices, habits, and experiences that have shaped (for the better) the person you are today.
Yeah, my Dad was like that ... he was a butcher, but built our family home from scratch mostly by himself and would never spend a dime on having someone else do something for him unless he realized it was above his pay grade ... so I kinda picked it up from there. And it never hurts to just listen and learn IMHO ... there's always someone who knows more than you do on any given subject. If you just pay attention and don't think you know everything, you learn a hellva a lot more in the long run.
Like you, I started early. A boomer, I started learning electronics by buying up old radios and TVs as a kid, figuring out what was wrong with them and fixing them. I never made any money at it, but I learned a lot by trial and error. Then I joined the AF and was formally trained in electronics. Moving on, I parlayed that into a forty year career that severed me well in aerospace.
Yeah, my dad as well. He grew up poor, among other titles you could give to his childhood that are negative in nature, and had to make do with what he had. He went on to have a roofing business and a floor cleaning business before getting too injured to work any longer (in my teens). Also wouldn't pay someone to do something unless absolutely necessary--mostly out of need than stinginess. He always had me beside him, for better or for worse--sometimes both, so I picked up what I know from that.
there's always someone who knows more than you do on any given subject. If you just pay attention and don't think you know everything, you learn a hellva a lot more in the long run.
Yeah, there's always something to be learned from someone. Everybody is good at something, even if it's not necessarily a traditional skill. If you're creative enough, you can turn anything into a practical skill. Mouth shut, eyes and ears open.
I'm probably a good bit younger than you, though.
This is me. I can do just about anything given enough time, but not necessarily well--just well enough. I'll figure something out, I'm confident of that.