pyd-swyt; cf-bh-din. Today, we focus on pyd. Or maybe bh.
Musings on pursuing your dreams. Pursuing your dreams is easier when you know what they are. Figuring out your dreams is part of pursuing them. All of this is of course made more practical when you have the financial and personal flexibility to prioritize your dreams.
What are my dreams?
Here, I think of my dreams as epitomized versions of the things I enjoy.
I enjoy building fun side-projects, little things that scratch my own itch.
I enjoy sharing them with other people, and feeling other people appreciate them too.
I enjoy collaborating on these projects with others.
I enjoy the feeling of progress, that barriers are falling – resisting first, then falling.
I enjoy solving puzzles and math problems and learning new things.
I enjoy teaching. I enjoy spending time with family and friends.
I enjoy playing table tennis, and skiing, and hiking, and other outdoor activities with crisp fresh air.
I enjoy the fall.
I enjoy running on the beach in the warm salty air for miles.
I enjoy feeling physically fit.
I enjoy getting to know someone.
I enjoy a cool glass of water.
I enjoy a waterfall, buried in a forest.
I enjoy visiting places a second time.
I enjoy when my mental map of a place clicks together, and two regions become one.
These days I enjoy virtual reality, but maybe it’s novel technology and the feelings of empowerment and possibility that it brings that are the real draw there.
These days I enjoy note-taking, which I think might be the same.
I enjoy programming, and that brings those last two into some focus.
I enjoy organizing. Code@Nights. Tech Days. Peer Learning Groups. Study groups.
I enjoy online education.
I enjoy stories.
To my surprise and delight, I enjoy City Council meetings.
I enjoy yummy foods with powerful flavors.
I enjoy writing snippets.
I enjoy puzzle games.
I enjoy games that require quick reactions and physical activity.
I enjoy tennis and other racket sports.
I enjoy visiting California, and Austin, and Montreal.
I enjoy visiting my family in Niskayuna.
I enjoy being appreciated.
I enjoy when people enjoy my work.
I enjoy being helpful.
I enjoy reconnecting with old friends.
I enjoy taking silly ideas seriously.
I enjoy remembering, even when it’s hard.
I enjoy pushing myself, also when it’s hard.
I enjoy simplifying things, using automation and the like to reduce cognitive friction.
I enjoy mental clarity.
I enjoy a good laugh.
I enjoy a bad pun.
I enjoy being impressed, and impressing others.
I enjoy knowing that I’m thought of. I enjoy receiving mail.
I enjoy escape rooms, and cooking, and the feeling of being clean.
I enjoy dancing fast, and reading slow, and being well rested in the morning.
I enjoy spreadsheets.
I enjoy making Bieber Bot feel personal.
Are these my dreams? Is my dream an environment where I can do these things as I grow up and grow old?
Each of these things lasts but a moment, or a day or two at most. Only a few items like “organizing” and “getting to know someone” from this list really extend beyond these short time frames.
Are dreams bigger than this? Not in this snippet, no.