Did you want to be an astronaut as a kid? I think I liked the idea, but didn’t have the same passion for it as most other kids did. I remember wanting to be an explorer or a dinosaur digger like Indiana Jones or Dr. Alan Grant. I remember wanting to be an inventor so I could build really cool stuff. I remember liking Q in all those James Bond movies creating all those cool gadgets that got Bond out of trouble.

It’s funny that those were my dreams and I spent so much time exhausted from working and finding work that I became a bit of a recluse the past 10-15 years. It’s kind of frustrating to realize just how far from my dreams I’d come. But I guess that’s why, now that I feel the safety of a good job, I’m pushing myself to rediscover my joy for these dreams. Writing, researching, watching historians and science enthusiasts share their knowledge on YouTube, all of it has rekindled an old ember of passion for the unknown. Science is a beautiful adventure that I’ve forgotten how much I used to enjoy. Do you remember Bill Nye the Science Guy? I remember watching his show and wanting to try out those experiments. I recall struggling to figure out where Carmen Sandiego had gotten to next, and what the significance of what she stole holds for society at large. Exploration takes so many forms, and all of them are meant to help us find and share a passion for life that I’ve felt left me long ago. But truthfully, it went dormant while I struggled to survive. Now that I’m doing better, I’m glad that I’ve taken the time to dust off my old hobbies. I’m not sure what the future holds, but I know I’m going to find myself again. Maybe I’ll build something new, rebuild something special, or just have some fun creating something connected to my favorite characters.