c/forgotten-dreams

Appreciation post: I gave up on being a pilot after failing the medical exam twice.

I found my old logbook from flight school in Phoenix and saw the note from the examiner about my depth perception. For years I told myself it was about the money, but that note was the real reason I quit. Anyone else have a dream die because of one piece of paper?

Found my old sketchbook from college and it hit me

I was cleaning out a closet in my parents' house in Omaha last month and found all my old character designs. I used to want to make comic books, but I gave up after graduation because it seemed impossible to break into. Does anyone else get that weird mix of pride and sadness looking at old creative stuff?

Just realized I gave up on being a cartoonist about three years ago

I was cleaning out my closet last weekend and found a box of old sketchbooks from 2021. I used to draw a daily comic strip about my cat and my terrible apartment in Cincinnati. I had this whole plan to post them online and maybe get a book deal. I did it for about six months, then just stopped when my work hours got longer. Looking at them now, they're not great, but they're funny. I feel kind of sad I didn't keep going, even just for myself. It wasn't about being famous, it was just a thing I liked doing that I let slip away. Has anyone else found an old project that made you wonder why you quit?

I used to think giving up on my old dream of being a musician meant I failed

For years I felt bad about selling my guitar and not playing anymore, like I let myself down. But then my buddy Mike, who runs a small auto shop, said something that stuck: 'You don't have to do the thing to keep the feeling.' He meant the part I loved, making something from nothing, I still do that every day fixing pipes and solving problems. It just looks different now. Anyone else find their old dream's core feeling in a new place?

My dad told me to forget about being a pilot when I was 18

He said it was too expensive and unstable, and I should pick something practical. So I went into business school instead. I saw a small plane land at a local airfield yesterday and felt that old pull again (you know, the kind you can't ignore). Now I'm 34 and wondering if it's too late to even take a discovery flight. Has anyone else picked up a dream they shelved for over a decade?

I was going to open a bookstore in Portland, but the bank turned down my loan after I'd already signed the lease.

I stood there holding the rejection letter in the empty storefront on 23rd Street, realizing my dream of running a quiet little shop with a reading nook was over before it even started.

I gave up on being a pro skateboarder after one bad fall at the Venice Beach park

I was trying a kickflip off the 6 foot quarter pipe, landed wrong, and broke my wrist. That was 4 years ago and I haven't touched my board since. Part of me thinks I should have just gotten back up, but another part says it was a smart move to quit before something worse happened. Anyone else have a moment like that where a single event made you drop a dream for good?

I spent $2,500 on a graphic design course to chase a dream I gave up on after six months.

I gave up on being a marine biologist after failing my first oceanography midterm in college, and now I just feel kind of empty about it.

I was in a lecture hall at UC Santa Cruz, staring at a test question about thermohaline circulation that I absolutely could not answer, and I just knew my dream was over right then.

Vent: I spent $800 on a pottery wheel I never used

Back in 2020, I was sure I was going to become a ceramic artist. I bought a brand new Shimpo wheel, thinking I'd practice every night after work. It sat in my garage for two years, still in the box. I finally sold it last month for half what I paid. In my experience, the dream of a hobby can feel more real than the actual work. Has anyone else bought expensive gear for a dream they just gave up on?

I tried to learn the violin at 30 and my cat hated it

Bought a cheap one online and practiced for about 3 months, but the screeching was so bad my cat would hide under the bed. I finally gave up, and honestly, I'm just glad my apartment is peaceful again. Anyone else have a hobby dream that just annoyed everyone around you?

A teacher told me my poetry was too safe and it killed my dream of being a writer.

In my junior year of college, a creative writing professor wrote one line on my final poem: 'This feels like you're afraid to say anything real.' I had wanted to be a poet since I was a kid, filling notebooks with rhymes. That single comment made me feel like a fraud. I stopped writing for fun, convinced I had nothing worth saying. I got a job in accounting instead. Now, looking back from my desk in Omaha, I think she was right. My poems were just pretty words with no guts. I don't write anymore, but I wonder if I gave up too fast. Has anyone else had a dream die from one piece of harsh truth?

I gave up on being a comic artist ten years ago, but I still see people get one thing wrong.

Everyone says you need to draw every single day to make it, but I followed that rule for two years straight and just burned out. I had a whole sketchbook full of 200 pages from that time, and it felt like a chore, not a dream. Now I just draw when I feel like it, and my stuff is actually better. Does anyone else think the 'draw daily' advice can do more harm than good?

My dad said I'd never make it as a chef if I didn't go to culinary school. He was right, but not how he meant.

Honestly, I just saw my old blog hit 1,000 posts from 2012

Tbh, I completely forgot I ever wanted to be a travel writer until that email popped up. Anyone else have an old project that just quietly kept ticking along without you?

Honestly, I gave up on my dream of being a writer after one bad workshop in college

Tbh, I wrote a short story for a class at my community college and the teacher called it 'derivative' in front of everyone. I put all my notebooks in a box that night and didn't write again for like 8 years. Ngl, I found that box last month while moving and read some of the old stuff. It wasn't all bad, I just let one person's opinion shut me down. Has anyone else picked up an old dream years later and been surprised?

PSA: I blew $800 on a fancy camera for a travel blog I never started

Back in 2019, I was convinced I'd become a travel blogger and bought a top-end mirrorless camera. It sat in its case while life got busy, and I sold it last year for half what I paid. Looking back, I should have just used my phone to see if I even liked making content first. Anyone else have a big purchase for a dream that just fizzled out?

Saw something at the old community center that hit different

Went to drop off some old towels at the donation bin. Walked past the art room. Saw a dusty piano in the corner. Had a sign on it from 2018 for a kids' music program that got canceled. Just sat there. Made me think about all the stuff we stop doing. Anyone else see a place that just screams 'forgotten dream'?

I picked a steady job over trying to be a travel writer

After college, I had a choice: take a safe office job in Phoenix or use my savings to backpack through Asia and try to write about it. I took the job, and now, ten years later, I sometimes wonder about the stories I never wrote. Do you think giving up on a big dream for security is usually the right call?

I used to think wanting to be a marine biologist was just a kid thing

I mean, I gave up on that dream in high school because my bio teacher said the field was too crowded and I'd never get a job. But last week, I watched a documentary about coral restoration in Florida and saw people my age actually doing the work. It made me wonder if I quit too fast just because one person said it was hard. Has anyone else picked up an old dream way later and found it was still possible?

Wanted to be a stand-up comic in college. My first open mic was a disaster.

I wrote a whole set about my weird neighbor's pet parrot. Did it at a coffee shop in Tempe. Only three people clapped. One guy actually said 'is that it?' after my last joke. Gave up the dream right then. Anyone else bomb so bad they just quit?

Everyone says you should be 'realistic' about your old dreams, but I think that's the problem.

I used to want to open a bookstore in Asheville but my dad said it was a bad idea.

He told me the numbers would never work and I should get a steady job instead. For a decade I worked in an office, always feeling like I gave up on something big. Last week I walked past the exact spot I wanted to rent, now it's a vape shop. Has anyone else seen the physical place of their old dream and just felt a weird kind of sad?

I saw a stat about how many people wanted to be artists as kids

I was reading an old article about career surveys from the 90s. It said something like 65% of kids under ten said they wanted to be an artist or a musician when they grew up. I guess I was part of that huge group, drawing all the time. Now I just design logos for small businesses, which is fine, but it's not the same dream. Does anyone else remember having that specific, huge creative goal that just sort of faded?

Tried writing a book about my grandma's stories and gave up after 20 pages

I always wanted to write a book about my grandma's life in Galveston. Last year, I sat down and tried, but I got stuck after about 20 pages. I thought I had to make it perfect and gave up. Then, I read those pages to my mom, and she cried, saying she'd forgotten half those details. It wasn't about being a writer, it was about saving those memories. Has anyone else had a project that meant more to someone else than you thought?