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- I decide I want to take up a hobby.
- I read, watch videos, and obsessively learn about the topic.
- Invest lots of time and/or money into the hobby.
- Decide I've learned enough and move on.
I don't always get to step 4.
...
Oh my god, same.
For the most part, I love this lifestyle. It gives me a "feeling" for many different fields. It provides me a dozen or more hobbies I could dust off and pick up again in an instant. I've got an anecdote for every occasion. It's a springboard into entirely new fields. It helps me connect with others.
But there's a moment of sadness, too, that can occur during step 3. A feeling that... perhaps - probably! - this hobby too is temporary and will pass. That step 4 may be approaching, and I may end up letting go and moving on to the next thing. In the moment, I'm obsessed with the hobby, and it gives me a sensation like anticipatory grief when I become aware that maybe this one, too, has a shelf-life.
That feeling doesn't stop me, and I'm glad of that. I like that I'm compelled to never stop learning. I enjoy the painful challenge of pushing myself to find things I "can't" do and then learning to do them anyway. Of all my obsessions, my "Wonder Syndrome" is the one that holds me tightest.
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