[ArtWomb]

I think this happens to a lot of people. They devote themselves to work and family. And then find they have little will left over for themselves.

My opinion: it must be a social hobby. The solitary task of software development may be isolating. What retirees miss post-employment isn't the work. But the colleagues and "work family" they fostered over perhaps decades.

Creative Coding. Maker Scenes. Art Therapy. All proven beneficial. Can also segue into art collecting or angel investing or philanthropy as a second career.

This is an interesting space with lots of possibilities for solutions. Best of Luck ;)

[thesecretsquad]

Thanks for your input. Many commenters suggest hobbies with more social aspects, and I'm thinking they (and you) are probably right. Although my dad tends to keep to himself, I think too much of that is probably not good and a solitary task like software development will only enable that. One of the things he liked about work is, as an introvert, he got his daily dose of social interaction.