17 votes

What is something you hated as a youngster but now like as an adult?

With age, I found that many things that seemed boring and pointless became interesting and purposeful.

Did that happen with you? What is something you used to hate, but now enjoy as an adult?

20 comments

  1. asoftbird
    Link
    Waiting rooms! Or, waiting for long periods of time. I'd get bored quickly, but now l've learned the art of observing. As an artist, you're always building a visual library of information to...
    • Exemplary

    Waiting rooms! Or, waiting for long periods of time.

    I'd get bored quickly, but now l've learned the art of observing. As an artist, you're always building a visual library of information to reference when drawing. When l'm bored, l start looking at my environment, at how light interacts with things, composition & trying to train my spatial sense by imagining changes to the room that would enhance the composition. Or imagining different light conditions.

    If you look at things from an art perspective, anything is beautiful/interesting. For example, l don't like fighting games at all, yet l watched an hour-long video on fighting game animations the other day. So much artistic skill that's hardly noticeable in the end result.

    Also, if art doesn't work; look at things from an industrial design perspective & try to figure out how it was made. If it's plastic, was it injection molded? Where's the parting line, injection point & are there any clever tricks to avoid having to use moving parts in the mold? If it's galvanized steel, was it thermally galvanized or electroplated? (hint: the former has holes to let the air out so the part doesn't explode in the zinc bath)

    And so on. There's always some way to look at things that makes them more interesting than you would expect.

    10 votes
  2. [4]
    knocklessmonster
    Link
    The unique misery that you get when you're doing something physically intense. I think a lot of it is pain tolerance, though. I know when I need to stop (being in the shape I'm in, it's much...

    The unique misery that you get when you're doing something physically intense. I think a lot of it is pain tolerance, though. I know when I need to stop (being in the shape I'm in, it's much sooner than others), but I can now, somehow, push myself further.

    I guess for background: I've always been in pretty bad shape. I like doing stuff in the outdoors, and bicycling has been my main athletic interest most of my life. But, because I eat too much, and sit too much, I'm overweight, which made hiking in the Boy Scouts more difficult. This was compounded by my focusing on the miserable parts of hiking, the sore feet, achy knees, and hours on the trail.

    Now, as an adult, I enjoy everything about a hard hike (hard for me is probably easy for a regular hiker). My brothers, twin's fiancee and I hiked Joshua Tree in summer with a tropical storm system overhead, and I loved every second of the hot, humid miserable hike. If I had to plan a trip and it fell on that week again, I'd totally do it (but, bring more water). There's a feeling both of accomplishment and "oh shit, I have to go back" when you get to the destination that can't be beat, a little happy you made it, and trepidation at the return trip. If it gets bad, it's almost meditative to just focus on progressing one step at a time, because you'll get there eventually.

    15 votes
    1. Erik
      Link Parent
      I find this with myself as well. I was in the gym a lot in high school, but because no one ever taught me how to load my weight, or even how to choose what lifts to do (at least I got good advice...

      I find this with myself as well. I was in the gym a lot in high school, but because no one ever taught me how to load my weight, or even how to choose what lifts to do (at least I got good advice on form), I just sort of showed up and did things. But I'd never gotten all that strong and I assume it's because I never really pushed myself.

      Fast forward fifteen years and I'm obese and really unhappy with my health. I decide to look up literally a random lifting program I heard someone mention (Stronglifts) and do it and it starts off fine (empty bar) and then just goes up linear. So, eventually, it starts absolutely slapping me around and I keep going through it because, well, that's the design. This guy knows more about lifting than me. And I loved it and I kept doing it probably too long, linear loading is not sustainable for long.

      But I found out I loved being that type of uncomfortable. That I liked the piss and vinegar taken out of me. And like you said, that feeling of accomplishment when you finish a brutal workout or hit a new PR is so fucking good after how hard its been.

      6 votes
    2. Eylrid
      Link Parent
      A big part of becoming an adult is learning that pain can be okay or even good, and learning when pain is okay and when it's not. That applies to all sorts of things from the pain of a work out,...

      A big part of becoming an adult is learning that pain can be okay or even good, and learning when pain is okay and when it's not. That applies to all sorts of things from the pain of a work out, to eating strong foods, to the psychological pain that various life situations put us through.

      3 votes
    3. krg
      Link Parent
      Hmm... I don't know if that's something I hated as a kid... because I don't know that I experienced it enough as a kid to log it into my "hate" category. That said, the "no pain, no gain" attitude...

      Hmm... I don't know if that's something I hated as a kid... because I don't know that I experienced it enough as a kid to log it into my "hate" category.

      That said, the "no pain, no gain" attitude is something I've certainly adopted over the last couple of years. Particularly, once I start some physical activity I recognize "the suck" but also recognize that I've worked through "the suck" previously, so I can work through it again. Every so often I'll add to "the suck" and that becomes my new "suck" that I have to at least meet in the future. Afterwards, I do feel pretty good.

      2 votes
  3. [3]
    UntouchedWagons
    Link
    The pickles you get on McDonalds burgers. In public school (grades 1-6) we got hamburgers on a particular day. For some silly reason I didn't like the pickles so I let a classmate have them. I...

    The pickles you get on McDonalds burgers. In public school (grades 1-6) we got hamburgers on a particular day. For some silly reason I didn't like the pickles so I let a classmate have them. I don't know what I was thinking. When I go to subway I have to tell them to add more pickles.

    9 votes
    1. frostycakes
      Link Parent
      It's only tangentially related, but your comment got Pizza Day by the Aquabats stuck in my head.

      It's only tangentially related, but your comment got Pizza Day by the Aquabats stuck in my head.

      3 votes
    2. mrbig
      Link Parent
      I still haven’t learned The Way of The Pickle. Not a common treat in Brazil.

      I still haven’t learned The Way of The Pickle. Not a common treat in Brazil.

      2 votes
  4. mrbig
    (edited )
    Link
    I’ll start. I always had an admiration for the beauty, precision, and elegance of mathematics, but untreated ADHD made it impossible for me to do well in school. I understood the concepts, but was...

    I’ll start.

    I always had an admiration for the beauty, precision, and elegance of mathematics, but untreated ADHD made it impossible for me to do well in school. I understood the concepts, but was unable to arrive at the correct answers due to minor mistakes. This made me biter and insecure.

    As an adult, under treatment for ADHD, and after seeing how basic math is fundamental for computer programming, something clicked.

    I always looked for solace in order and predictability in a hostile and seemingly chaotic world. That is why I took logic and philosophy as hobbies, as well as computer programming. But those can feel chaotic in their own way.

    I’m not saying that math is superior or that everything else is arbitrary, but, in my personal subjective experience, basic math is a most soothing and reassuring pursuit.

    Young @mrbig could never see that coming.

    8 votes
  5. [4]
    FishFingus
    Link
    Women. I sometimes find myself wishing I had grown up with a sister, or had more girl friends I could socialize with. What kind of stuff do women do for fun? It's amazing, they've always been...

    Women. I sometimes find myself wishing I had grown up with a sister, or had more girl friends I could socialize with. What kind of stuff do women do for fun? It's amazing, they've always been around, but I've never really known much about what they get up to in their free time. Do they like tank museums as much as I do?

    8 votes
    1. mrbig
      Link Parent
      I believe that most men and women care very little about tank museums. IDK if your rhetorical questions are meant to be entirely humorous, but my immediate response would be: “if you wanna know...

      I believe that most men and women care very little about tank museums.

      IDK if your rhetorical questions are meant to be entirely humorous, but my immediate response would be: “if you wanna know what women like, how about asking them?” :P

      6 votes
    2. [2]
      cfabbro
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Ooooh, did I just spot another Chieftain fan in the wild? :P p.s. If so, the new Q&A went up today!

      Do they like tank museums as much as I do?

      Ooooh, did I just spot another Chieftain fan in the wild? :P

      p.s. If so, the new Q&A went up today!

      2 votes
      1. FishFingus
        Link Parent
        Yes, I enjoy his fascinating and informative videos. I like most tanks. The weirder, the better.

        Yes, I enjoy his fascinating and informative videos. I like most tanks. The weirder, the better.

        3 votes
  6. [2]
    Pistos
    Link
    "____ as a kid, but not as an adult" posts just make me think I've had zero growth and maturation my entire life. :D Like I'm an NPC that just blinked onto Earth at a spawn point, whose stats...

    "____ as a kid, but not as an adult" posts just make me think I've had zero growth and maturation my entire life. :D Like I'm an NPC that just blinked onto Earth at a spawn point, whose stats never change and who never gains XP.

    7 votes
    1. mrbig
      Link Parent
      I doubt very much that is true. Give it some thought!

      I doubt very much that is true. Give it some thought!

  7. wycy
    Link
    Going to Home Depot/Lowes. It's like an amusement park for me now.

    Going to Home Depot/Lowes. It's like an amusement park for me now.

    7 votes
  8. [2]
    est
    Link
    Arguing with people on the Internet ..... especially talking about politics. I always hated politics topic with a passion when were young. But it seems politics is an inevitable part of adult life...

    hated as a youngster but now like as an adult

    Arguing with people on the Internet ..... especially talking about politics.

    I always hated politics topic with a passion when were young. But it seems politics is an inevitable part of adult life now. Sad.

    The saddest part is politics is gradually the only topic an adult capable of arguing over now. Other technical topics requires a deep understanding of special kind of knowledge which many of us lost interest to learn.

    6 votes
    1. ohyran
      Link Parent
      Oooooh the reverse of me! I loved arguing about politics online when I was younger (when I was a kid the internet wasn't there just yet) - but now I really really don't care to debate it online.

      Oooooh the reverse of me! I loved arguing about politics online when I was younger (when I was a kid the internet wasn't there just yet) - but now I really really don't care to debate it online.

      10 votes
  9. Eric_the_Cerise
    Link
    Cauliflower. I didn't just dislike it ... the smell of it cooking literally made me nauseated. I had to leave the house when my mom cooked it. Now I like it. Go figure.

    Cauliflower. I didn't just dislike it ... the smell of it cooking literally made me nauseated. I had to leave the house when my mom cooked it.

    Now I like it. Go figure.

    6 votes
  10. krg
    (edited )
    Link
    On the converse, I'm more likely to think of a thing I enjoyed as a kid and lament the fact that I don't enjoy it now. Or, at least, I'll get nostalgic for kid shit I used to participate in,...

    On the converse, I'm more likely to think of a thing I enjoyed as a kid and lament the fact that I don't enjoy it now. Or, at least, I'll get nostalgic for kid shit I used to participate in, including lines of thought. There was definitely a purity, there.

    In other words...

    5 votes