Michelle Obama Also Took Up Knitting During the Pandemic

For some people, retirement means finally getting to tend to their herb garden and enjoying lazy afternoons. For former First Lady Michelle Obama, it apparently just means that she’s only waiting on one of her Netflix projects to premiere. During a new interview with People, Michelle Obama hinted that she was planning to step out of the public eye and make moves towards retirement. In recent years, Obama has published a best-selling book, launched a Spotify podcast, and, most recently, created a children’s show for Netflix called Waffles + Mochi—so it’s more than understandable why the 57-year-old might be ready to finally take a break.

Although the Obamas’ philanthropic and political work has kept them in the national spotlight ever since they left the White House in 2016, Michelle said that she and Barack hope that the work being done by the Obama Foundation is helping to support the development of future leaders. “That’s why Barack and I are focused on developing the next generation of leaders through the Obama Foundation,” Obama said to People. “So that each year we step further out of the spotlight and make room for them.”

During the covid-19 pandemic, the Obamas have picked up some amusingly mundane hobbies—Michelle has taken up swimming and is teaching herself to knit, while Barack spends his free time golfing.

“Barack and I never want to experience winter again,” she said. “We’re building the foundation for somebody else to continue the work so we can retire and be with each other – and Barack can golf too much, and I can tease him about golfing too much because he’s got nothing else to do.”

Apparently, Obama told daughters Sasha and Malia that she and Barack are “chasing summer”—a sentiment that I would imagine is primarily used by retirees, so perhaps Michelle is actually well on her way to AARP-sponsored bliss.