“My right hand,” Harmony said, “is freedom. You can feel it, I think.” And he could. Soaring, released from all bonds, riding upon lines of blue light. Adventure into the unknown, seeking only the fulfillment of his own curiosity. It was glorious. It was what he’d always wanted, and its lure thrummed through him. Freedom. Wax gasped. “What … what is the other one?”
“That hand is duty, isn’t it?” “No, Waxillium,” Harmony said gently. “Although that is how you’ve seen it. Duty or freedom. Burden or adventure. You were always the one who made the right choice, when others played. And so you resent it.” “No I don’t,” Wax said. Harmony smiled. The understanding in His face was infuriating. “This hand,” Harmony said, “is not duty. It is but a different adventure.”
Wax reached toward the left hand, and Harmony—shockingly—pulled it away. “Are you certain?” “I have to.” “Do you?” “I have to. It’s who I am.” “Then perhaps,” Harmony said, “you should stop hating that, my son.” He extended the hand.
The Bands of Mourning - Brandon Sanderson
Do you try to minimize your unhappiness, or maximize happiness? I’m a maximizer. I was surprised when Felicia told me not everyone thinks that way, but I notice differences all the time now that I’m aware. It also explains why I feel pressured by opportunities, and why I decided to quit two good jobs in the last year and a half.
I left Amazon with a sense of urgency to make the world a better place. That’s what led me to a company called Clean Power Research. I wanted to give my best effort to protect the environment and save innocent life on earth. I still do.
CPR was a comfortable place to work. I liked my team, the mission, the technical problems, and the work/life balance. Unfortunately, even though the intentions are good, it’s hard to understand the impact of the projects. I also felt like there was a limit on how much individual growth I could achieve. In the long run I think I can be more effective investing my time elsewhere, so I decided to move on.
I’m not sure what my next job will be. I’m taking some time off now because I want to clear my head before making committing to it. I need to reflect on everything I’ve learned about myself over the past 14 years of planning my life around my occupation.
That’s where I’m at right now. On one hand I want to give back the world that’s given me so much. On the other hand I want to live each day to the fullest because being alive is a miracle that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Maybe I’ll have a revelation like Wax did, or maybe I’ll find peace some other way. Maybe things go in an entirely different direction.
The American dream is to work until you’re like 70 and then retire for whatever time you have left. You trade a lot of time during the prime of your life in exchange for a little time at the end. That’s wack, so I’m giving pretirement a try. This is uncharted territory for me, but it’s also an opportunity that most people don’t get while they’re young, healthy, and unencumbered.
I don’t know how long funemployment will last. Set the over/under at six months. When I tell people I’m taking that much time off the reaction is usually “Wow aren’t you going to get bored? What are you going to do with yourself?” Fair questions, but I laugh because that’s not how I feel at all. I’m already overwhelmed by my to-do list, and I haven’t even had the time to think creatively about it. Here are some of my summer plans:
TGIB
I left Amazon with a sense of urgency to make the world a better place. That’s what led me to a company called Clean Power Research. I wanted to give my best effort to protect the environment and save innocent life on earth. I still do.
CPR was a comfortable place to work. I liked my team, the mission, the technical problems, and the work/life balance. Unfortunately, even though the intentions are good, it’s hard to understand the impact of the projects. I also felt like there was a limit on how much individual growth I could achieve. In the long run I think I can be more effective investing my time elsewhere, so I decided to move on.
I’m not sure what my next job will be. I’m taking some time off now because I want to clear my head before making committing to it. I need to reflect on everything I’ve learned about myself over the past 14 years of planning my life around my occupation.
That’s where I’m at right now. On one hand I want to give back the world that’s given me so much. On the other hand I want to live each day to the fullest because being alive is a miracle that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Maybe I’ll have a revelation like Wax did, or maybe I’ll find peace some other way. Maybe things go in an entirely different direction.
The American dream is to work until you’re like 70 and then retire for whatever time you have left. You trade a lot of time during the prime of your life in exchange for a little time at the end. That’s wack, so I’m giving pretirement a try. This is uncharted territory for me, but it’s also an opportunity that most people don’t get while they’re young, healthy, and unencumbered.
I don’t know how long funemployment will last. Set the over/under at six months. When I tell people I’m taking that much time off the reaction is usually “Wow aren’t you going to get bored? What are you going to do with yourself?” Fair questions, but I laugh because that’s not how I feel at all. I’m already overwhelmed by my to-do list, and I haven’t even had the time to think creatively about it. Here are some of my summer plans:
-Training like an athleteI’ll make a new post if I discover something cool, or if I have a breakdown because I realize that I’ve made a terrible mistake. Either way it should be entertaining ;)
-Dropping the hottest mixtape of 2019
-Home improvement projects and Indoor Gardening
-Homesteading
-Spending time with my family
-Travelling the world
-Open sourcing my greenhouse software project
-Balling like a champion
-Writing the next great Americannovelerotica
-Developing Games
-Networking
-Building robots, art installations, and robotic art installations
-Being the best husband that I can be
TGIB
