Hobbies 
What do you do to relax? I've always had trouble answering that question. To me, relaxation connotes doing nothing, so it's hard for me to understand the notion of "doing something" like hobbies to relax. But if you ask me how I spend my free time... well, that I can answer.
Writing is my avocation, my first love and my passion. Travel comes a close second; our world is such an amazing place to explore. When I'm not on the road or lost in the realm of words, I enjoy playing with my young children and puttering around with computers. I've also become quite involved in politics over the past several years. And when I really want to wind down, I practice the meditation techniques I learned when studying Zen Buddhism, or I tuck into some delicious food and drink. There's nothing quite like a scrumptous meal, especially one shared with close friends or loved ones, to set body and mind at ease.
None of these activities are hobbies, of course. And although I enjoy playing cards, watching movies, reading books, cooking barbeque, drinking wine, driving in the country, jogging, swimming, meeting new people, and even collecting Japanese stamps, I do not think of these as my hobbies either. They are my social, spiritual, and individual style of being in the world, not escapes from it at all. Add to those activities my career, and you have the totality of my life, which could rarely be described as relaxed. I wake each morning even before the alarm clock rings. I eagerly greet the challenges of each new day, working hard, playing hard, taking risks, laughing quite often, feeling sad on occasion, and rarely worrying about might-be's, could-be's, or should-be's. Then, I fall asleep at night within minutes after my head hits the pillow. Isn't this the way we were meant to live, fully engaged?
I thrive on adventure, to the point of being foolhardy at times. I'm so willing try almost anything once. To most people, that brings to mind para-gliding and bungee-jumping, not the thrills I seek even in mundanity. Can there possibly be excitement in washing the dinner dishes? Yet, when I worked as a dishwasher back in college, I used to pride myself on never filling a rack in the same order twice. I made a game of it. And by turning chores into challenges, I turned monotony into fun.
Even today, I look for new ways to keep repetitive tasks from becoming routines: take the stairs today instead of the elevator, tie the garbage bag with a new knot, walk much slower than usual, make a sport of balancing a checkbook and a mystery of finding a missing sock. Where most folks see problems, I search for opportunities. And when the pressure seems greatest, I lift my eyes skyward and call out, "Is this all there is? Send more! Send me more!" The burdens that were upon me almost immediately feel lighter.
So what do I do to relax? Well, nothing, of course. I simply do nothing. And I honestly can't remember the last time I was bored. Life is far too great an adventure to waste any time in ennui. While many claim happiness is a goal, I prefer to seek my enjoyment in every minute of every day, to savor both the bitter and the sweet with equal enthusiasm, and to find my relaxation in the simple joy of living. After all, isn't the sum of fully lived moments equal to a fully lived life?