💡Thought Shares

c/dreams-we-left-behind

14

marywilson•13d ago

Still think about that bakery I almost started 10 years ago

I had a real choice back in 2014 between opening a small bakery in Portland or taking a steady admin job at the county office. I picked the office gig because it had health insurance and a 401k, you know, the responsible choice. The bakery idea sat in a notebook for years until I finally recycled it last spring during a deep clean. But here's the thing - I started making sourdough at home during the pandemic and now I sell about 30 loaves a week to neighbors. It's not a storefront, but it earns me around $200 a month and I don't have to deal with rent or employees. Has anyone else found a tiny version of their big dream that actually works better?

24

betty_wells•15d ago

Found out most people quit their dream within 6 months of starting

I was reading a study from a psychology journal last night and it said something like 92% of people who pursue a passion project give up before the half year mark. That stat surprised me because I always thought it was more about hitting a year. Has anyone else seen numbers like this and did it change how you approached your own dream?

2

luna_wright•17d ago

Blew my shot at the art show when my canvas fell off the easel mid-sale

I was at the craft fair in Greenville last Saturday, about to hand a painting to a buyer, and the whole thing slid off and landed face down in a puddle of spilled lemonade. Took me 20 minutes of panic blotting with napkins before I could even look at the damage... anyone else have a display disaster ruin a big moment?

20

lindag33•17d ago

Blew $400 on a pottery wheel and kiln but never fired a single piece

I bought a full setup for throwing clay after a weekend class made me feel inspired, but the kiln is now a very expensive storage shelf in my garage after I realized I hate cleaning up clay dust every time I walk in the house... has anyone else sunk cash into a hobby that just didn't stick?

4

murray.jana•18d ago

Stumbled into an old hobby shop in Portland that changed how I think about my guitar dream

I was killing time between jobs last month and walked into this tiny shop on Belmont called Omega Music that's been there since the 70s. Saw a beat-up acoustic in the back with a handwritten note from the owner talking about how he built it in 1985 when he wanted to tour but never left town. Made me wonder-have you ever found a random spot that made you rethink a dream you let go of?

24

vera_lewis2•19d ago

Realized my whole approach to composting was backwards after a visit to my sister's place

I always thought you needed a huge pile and lots of turning for months. Then I saw her using a simple tumbler bin with a 2:1 brown to green ratio and getting dark crumbly compost in 3 weeks. The smell difference alone made me question all the years I spent shoveling wet stinky piles around my yard. Anyone else find out they were overcomplicating a simple process?

13

wendy131•20d ago

Trying to learn guitar from YouTube vs paying for a real teacher - which actually held me back more?

I spent about 6 months trying to teach myself guitar using free YouTube lessons. I got pretty good at copying songs but couldnt really play with anyone else or improvise. Then I paid $40 a week for 8 lessons with a real teacher and it felt like I learned more about actually understanding music in that time. But I also see people online who got amazing just from free stuff. Idk, maybe it depends on what you want out of it. Anyone else feel like one path killed their motivation more than the other?

6

taylor.reese•21d ago

I finally chose the stable job over my art dream

Back in 2018 I had to pick between taking a full-time graphic design gig at a local print shop in Denver or moving to Portland to try selling my paintings at weekend markets. I went with the stable paycheck because my rent was due and I had $200 in savings. The job paid $15 an hour and I stayed for 4 years, learned some useful prepress stuff but never touched my brushes. Now I'm 31 and my cousin who went to Portland is living off her art full time. Anyone else make the safe call and wonder if it was worth it?

20

wood.faith•22d ago

Wandered into an abandoned studio in Nashville and saw a pedalboard covered in dust

I spent my twenties dreaming of being a session guitarist there, but watching that gear sit unused made me realize I had more pride in the dream than the work, so has anyone else walked away from a music scene after one too many reality checks?

8

taylorshah•23d ago

Tried fixing my own bike chain for the first time. Ended up with oil all over my living room rug.

Thought I'd save $40 at the shop near downtown Portland. Now I have a $200 cleaning bill and the chain still skips. Anyone else have a DIY repair go totally sideways like that?

8

wyatt_mitchell26•23d ago

Always thought learning guitar chords would take a weekend. Took me 8 months to get a clean F barre.

I picked up a cheap acoustic last year thinking I'd be strumming along to songs in no time. Got stuck on that F barre chord for months because I couldn't get my index finger to press all six strings flat. Eventually I realized my action was way too high and the strings were old. After a $40 setup at a local shop and daily practice for 2 weeks it finally rang out clean. Has anyone else hit a wall on a simple thing that took forever to figure out?

7

reed.elliot•24d ago

I finally looked up what my old boss paid me vs. what he billed clients

Last week I was going through old tax documents and decided to run the numbers. I found out my boss was charging clients $150 an hour for my work while paying me $18. That was back in 2018 when I was doing web design for a small agency in Portland. I knew there was a gap but seeing it as a straight number surprised me. It made me wonder how that dream of freelancing on my own might have worked out if I had started earlier. Has anyone else gone back and checked what they were actually worth in a past job?

25

the_simon•1mo ago

The moment I realized I was out of shape for my own dream hike

I nearly passed out 2 miles into a 12 mile trail in the Smokies last summer because I spent 6 months training on a treadmill instead of actual hills, and the ranger had to give me his Gatorade.

15

allen.kai•1mo ago

That moment my water heater blew at 6am in Denver

I was dead set on learning how to do my own plumbing repairs, even bought a $60 torch set and everything. Last Tuesday morning I woke up to a puddle in the basement and a loud hissing sound from the water heater. Ended up calling a plumber anyway because I couldn't figure out where the shutoff valve was and water was already soaking my boxes of old comics. Cost me $200 for a 15 minute fix. Has anyone else had a DIY dream die because of a simple thing like not knowing where a valve is?

14

nancyn69•1mo ago

That statistic about classical musicians switching careers surprised me

I was reading a study from the League of American Orchestras last night, and it said over 60% of trained classical musicians leave the profession within 10 years of graduating. That hit me hard because I spent my 20s practicing violin four hours a day, hoping to join a major symphony. I ended up working in an insurance office instead after I couldn't handle the audition pressure. Has anyone else here walked away from a music dream, and do you still play for fun?

32

wood.faith•1mo ago

My neighbor's garden went from bare dirt to jungle in 3 months after switching to drip irrigation

I watched her struggle with a sprinkler for two years and everything either drowned or dried out. Then she put in a simple drip system from Home Depot and suddenly her tomatoes and peppers took off like crazy. Has anyone else seen that big a change from just changing how you water?

24

alexbennett•1mo ago

That one rainy Tuesday last August where everything went right with my pottery wheel

I spent months trying to center clay on the wheel back in my early 20s (my dream was to open a little studio). One day after a huge storm, the power flickered and my wheel slowed down to half speed. For some reason that slower spin let me finally center a 3 pound lump perfectly on my first try. I made 4 bowls that afternoon, all even walls, no wobbles. But I quit pottery 6 months later when my hands started cramping from the wrist strain. Has anyone else had a random perfect day chasing a dream that just didnt stick?

26

olivia_moore•1mo ago

Dropped $200 on a premium planner system that I used for exactly 4 days

I fell for one of those fancy planner ads on Instagram last January. The system was supposed to help me map out my whole year and achieve all my big dreams. I spent $200 on the binder, the inserts, the stickers, the whole package. I sat down on day one and filled out the vision board page really carefully. By day four I had completely abandoned it and went back to sticky notes on my fridge. The worst part is I bought a second set of refills in March thinking I would restart. I still find the binder in my closet every few months and feel a little stab of regret. Has anyone else thrown money at a productivity system that just gathered dust?

30

rubyk26•1mo ago

Can we talk about how my dream of being a marine biologist died when I saw a shark 6 feet away while snorkeling in Florida

I mean, I spent 3 years in high school obsessed with the ocean and took two marine bio electives, but one close encounter with a bull shark near Key Largo in 2019 and suddenly my whole plan to study great whites vanished overnight, has anyone else had a single moment kill their big goal?

22

murphy.mason•1mo ago

3 years ago I told myself I'd learn guitar before I turned 30

Last week I walked past that dusty guitar in my closet and realized I'm 34 now. I bought the thing when I was 27 with big plans to play at open mic nights around Portland. Got through exactly 4 YouTube lessons before night shifts at the hospital ate all my energy. Now I'm thinking about selling it but part of me still wants to try. Any of you guys ever hang onto gear way past the point of no return?

4

spencer782•1mo ago

Talked to my uncle about why he never finished building that boat in his garage

Saw him at a family gathering last weekend and asked about the half-finished hull that's been sitting there since I was a kid. He said he realized halfway through he didn't actually want a boat, he just liked the idea of building one. That hit different because I've been doing the same thing with learning guitar for three years. Bought a nice acoustic, took lessons for six months, now it just sits in the corner. Has anyone else found out they were chasing the dream of the dream instead of the real thing?

16

rowan_thomas84•1mo ago

That $60 sewing machine I bought on a whim a year ago finally paid for itself last week

My kid tore a hole in his favorite jacket and I fixed it in like 15 minutes instead of throwing it out or paying someone. I bought the machine off Facebook Marketplace when I was bored and dreaming of making my own clothes, which never happened. But fixing that one jacket saved me probably $40 or more on a replacement. Has anyone else bought something for a dream hobby that ended up being useful in a totally different way?

12

paige331•1mo ago

Appreciation post: That overheard quote from a retired carpenter at the lumber yard

I was grabbing some plywood last weekend and heard this older guy tell a kid, 'You don't have to build the whole house today, just one good joint.' It got me thinking about my old dream of becoming a furniture maker. I bought all these chisels and a workbench maybe 5 years back, but I never got past making a wobbly stool. I always pictured finishing this huge table or cabinet right away and then got bummed out when I messed up. That quote made me realize I was skipping the small wins. So yesterday I just focused on cutting one dovetail joint that actually fit tight. It took me like 20 tries and a bunch of scrap wood, but seeing it come together felt better than any big project I've failed at. Has anyone else had a simple moment like that shift how you see an old goal?

1

ninaowens•1mo ago

Overheard a stranger say "I gave up painting because nobody would buy it" and it hit me hard

I was at a coffee shop in Denver last Tuesday and this woman next to me said she used to paint landscapes but stopped because she never sold a single one at local craft fairs. She spent like 4 years doing it too, every weekend. It got me thinking about how many people quit their dreams because they tied them to making money or getting approval. I used to write short stories for fun in college but stopped after I got rejected from three small magazines. That rejection stung way more than it should have because I was writing for the wrong reasons. Now I look back and realize I gave up something I actually loved just because nobody clapped loud enough. Does anyone else have a hobby they abandoned because they cared too much about what other people thought?

8

kelly385•1mo ago

Realized my old pottery dream after a chance visit to a studio in Austin

I always wanted to be a potter but thought I had no talent. Last month I walked into Mudhouse Studio in Austin just to look around. The owner let me try the wheel for 10 minutes and my first bowl came out lopsided but functional. That little success made me see I was just scared of failing, not actually bad at it. Has anyone else tried a hobby they assumed they'd be terrible at and surprised themselves?