Since hitting my 30s I’ve started getting really invested in middle aged man shit like sports and history podcasts. It’s a cliche and basic in its own way but I’m genuinely surprised by the amount of joy these relatively simple things are bringing me. Especially when I could not have been less interested in sports as a youngster.
Yeah, never been a big football fan my entire life. After starting a serious career I kinda got swept up into it.
I realized in my early 20s I do actually enjoy spectating when I started following e-sports. I was disaffected for a while when that whole space got taken over by influencers, though.
To me it comes down to story lines. I love a great story, as we all do, and professional competition you get to see them unfold in real time. You get to root for your side as it happens and then connect with the people who were there too.
So, hoping to expand my list of topics for small talk football seemed like an easy win. I dunno, not everyone needs social lubricant but it helps for me to have something to ease my anxiety.
I still am a bit behind on all the mechanics but started playing fantasy and it helps get more fimilar with the players.
People reading this probably think I’m a real doofus because this comes natural to them. For me though, it’s like discovering a whole new genre of music and getting to hear the hits for the first time.
I had a very similar experience.
Comparing my TV habits to my partner’s I came to the conclusion that following sports is actually very similar to following a soap opera or reality show: you as the viewer are trying to predict the dynamics between the characters and what the outcome will be from a limited selection of possible outcomes. I think it’s the combination of it being unpredictable - you don’t know who will win - but also bounded in terms of possibilities (someone is going to win). That combination lets you kind of switch off your brain while watching it whilst at the same time being pure drama.
Not sure if that makes sense but thanks for reading my wacky theory!
No, this is how my wife describes it, lol.
cute girl to hug
Getting paid without having to work.
A stable career path, a loving relationship, and permanent housing.
More concise: Stability.
It’s all I ever wanted and seemingly the only thing I can never have even since childhood. I move every 2 years on average and since adulthood that’s been from basement apartment to basement apartment and now to a garage with no end in sight… I finally got to the point where I could consider buying a house and then COVID, WFH, and the invesestment parasites all blew up at once and took that away from me… I gave up on the relationship bit years ago.
Relief of stress, which is currently made by lack of money. So money, I guess. I think in smaller terms this chocolate chip banana bread will make me short term happy though.
the only thing that could “make” me happy is a change in mindset, perhaps forced by brain damage.
as far as how I will make my own happiness, it comes down to making choices informed by my own values, painstakingly discovered through mistakes, introspection, and connections with others
Or you could rub a cats bellllly?
Dopamine and serotonin.
In the US: Universal healthcare. Having kids and having to think about healthcare even when we’re not sick or injured is such a mental drain.
Not having to go into the office. I like my job.
If I could convince my friend to stop smoking.
Some choices people need to make for themselves. In particular choices involving substances seem to really have to be motivated from within to get them to stick with it.
if you hinge your life satisfaction out of how much power you have over others, imagine how satisfying life could be if you focused on the things that are actually in your control!
I know :) But here I have a special reason to care, which is too complex to explain in a short comment.
Tell him you know a way to stop paying a ton of taxes
right now a shower
The exact amount of money I have in debts at the moment.
If I was 100% debt free I could work 3-4 days a week with the same amount of money left as with debts.
This would reduce stress and give me more time and energy to improve myself
Good plan!
Getting rid of 35kg of fat.
Long term, low intencity depression doesn’t make it easy though.
Never needing to work again and actually having energy to do things would probably do the trick.
We can be friends
It helps, but then you have to supplant your own meaning life, or one can very quickly spiral into doing nothing and becoming depressed. Capitalism sucks, but work doesn’t; it gives us direction and purpose.
My friend, I assume, and I find plenty of meaning in accomplishing simple tasks and finding interesting ways to express ourselves. No labor needed. Only little rabbit holes to constantly fall into.
Edit: btw I don’t approve of all the downvotes you got. A lot of meaning can be found in, exhausting, intense, hard work. Most of that is stripped away by being forced to do it, though.
My daughter to be happy.
Also, for her to manage a single night with solid sleep, so I’m not replying to threads about happiness on Lemmy at 5am. That would also be nice.
