
Ask HN: What did you want to do before *life* got in the way? - meagher
Did you have plans to do something you really wanted, but never did it? A trip, start up, date with a someone?<p>Why didn&#x27;t you? Decided it was just a dream, got sick, or something else?
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existencebox
Throughout said life, and incrementally "ruined" by said life, I wanted to...:

\- Be a train. (realized that I was 3)

\- Be a breakdancer. (realized that bodies age)

\- Be a DJ. (realized I liked employ-ability and stability)

\- Be a classicist/anthropologist (realized once again that I liked employ-
ability, and wasn't excited about becoming a Vatican priest)

\- Be retired so I can go back to A. (still working on it.)

You may have wanted to focus on specific occurrences, but all my biggest/most
unfulfilled "regrets" are by nature more long term, and don't have "easy
fixes" as e.g. my dream of doing a cross country road trip, or starting a
massive fruit garden (I've partially realized both those goals)

~~~
cjak
Your life journey reminds me of the parable of the Mexican fisherman:
[https://bemorewithless.com/the-story-of-the-mexican-
fisherma...](https://bemorewithless.com/the-story-of-the-mexican-fisherman/)
Enjoy your retirement!

~~~
pacala
Fun parable. Glossing over details. Like getting a tooth implant here and
there, repairing your house after a storm, or buying food in a bad season.

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fspear
Music...I've always loved music but never learned to play an instrument, the
few times I tried I got so frustrated because I'm always hearing
melodies/rhythmic patterns in my head and could never replicate them with my
rudimentary skills and terrible hand coordination, and growing up I never had
enough money for lessons. In my 20's I was working and studying full time so I
had no time whatsoever for hobbies and now in my 30's I have money and time
but no energy or passion for music like I did when I was younger.

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spcelzrd
I wanted to be a novelist. I still do. But I spent a lot of time on goals that
weren't related to this. I wish I had put this goal higher on the list.

~~~
roryisok
Same here.

I've wanted to be a lot of things growing up, but writer and programmer are
really the only two that have stayed the course of time.

Here's some advice toward that: Don't combine your hobby and job like I did
and build a writing app, I spend more of my free time now developing,
debugging and adding features than I do writing.

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partisan
I wanted to be a priest. At some point, my relationship with faith soured and
I no longer saw it as a calling.

~~~
roryisok
Interesting. Can I ask what field are you in now, and did that come after the
souring of faith?

~~~
partisan
I am a programmer. I think I veered into the sciences because there were rules
that made sense. I have trouble with being told, "this is just the way it is".

I went to church for the second time in years this past Sunday. I am moved by
what I hear, but there is a silence when I try to listen for God's voice.

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RUG3Y
I wanted to be a musician, but musicians don't make any money. Some of them do
but you know...same thing with being an artist. I do art, but art doesn't feed
the kids.

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monknomo
I keep wanting to do a Ludum Dare game jam, but I've got a kid, and a wife,
and friends, and work, and housework, and there is just never the time for it

~~~
roryisok
Surely your wife, kid, friends and job wouldn't begrudge you taking 2-3 days
off? Go do it!

I do nanowrimo every year, and it means setting my family a little less for
November. You give them the rest of your life, you're allowed some time off

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Viz4ps
I wanted to be a poet. Hard to make money tho. And takes a lot of time to get
good I guess.

~~~
roryisok
There can't be many professional poets in the world. I would bet most of them
have another job. You can still do that one

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sotojuan
Play more video games and read more books.

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roryisok
Since having kids I've had to let games go. The last thing I played was skyrim
when it came out. I miss them sometimes.

On the other hand there are more books on my to read list than I'll ever have
time for in life. If I left my job and family and lived alone in a library for
the rest of my life I might just manage it, but probably only if the rest of
humanity stops writing more books I want to read

