I'm in the same boat, after probably 3 years I have finally got around to revisiting my lathe, heres how I explain it:
Does a football player have to play in the NFL to be "finished" with his chosen interest? the obvious answer is no, a football player can "enjoy" playing at any level they wish, they do not ever need to "finish" to have football as a valid pursuit.
I enjoy working on my "stuff", it is my pursuit, I don't ever need to finish enjoying it to validate it, it is valid because I enjoy it.