The fact that I work with IT with a niche skill set that is highly sought after in my industry. I was 10 in 1993, and at that point I didn’t even know how to turn on a computer.

What I did use a lot, on the other hand, was my NES. And 10 year old me would probably make a jaw drop induced crater upon seeing the kind of games I can play nowadays. Hell, by brand new laptop is fancy on its own.

Thank jeebus you didn’t have to get married to the type of men in the community/cult we grew up in and pop out babies.

That I didn’t grow up to be Indiana Jones

That I am a girl now. Seems to be a common pattern şn the comment section 💀

I can’t imagine 10 year old me

That I work with metal forming headed towards engineering instead of woodworking with a goal of fine joinery.

That I hate television and actually enjoy working. Jobs suck, “work” sucks, but getting things done around the house or finishing a project or even just getting into a flow on a task is rewarding. 10 year old me would ask, “What happened to us?!” But I guess I enjoyed it then, too. I just defined it differently. Building with Lego for hours in my room, being creative. I didn’t define that as work until my adult hobbies expanded into making things with my hands and I had real world job experience.

That I live in a small car with my wife and a cat. lol Never would have ever guessed that.

At least it’s temporary as we are buying land and will soon get an RV and build a house.

this is a great question. for me, it would be going to bed a responsible time.

I actually had that thought yesterday. my younger self would be so sad about me cutting out precious video game time, but I literally can’t focus on my job if I get tired halfway through the day.

but my younger self would not understand how lucky my life currently is, and that “sacrifices” need to be made to do the best that I can in life since many people do not have the opportunities I have. I got very lucky.

Probably that I’m alive?

I already dealt with (undiagnosed) chronic depression by 10. The first time I thought about killing myself I don’t think I even knew the word “suicide.” I also had an overwhelming sense that I wouldn’t live past 30. That might not have started until I was 11 or 12, but I think it was there when I was younger.

Weirdly my mom also had an overwhelming sense that she would lose me at a young age from the day I was born, which she didn’t have with my older sister.

Well, I’m past 30 now. My love of people in my life has kept the suicidal ideation to only that. While I still have chronic depression, I’ve learned to manage it better over the years and medication helps.

I genuinely don’t know why I was depressed or had suicidal thoughts that young. I didn’t have a traumatic home or childhood. My parents worked a lot but loved me and my sister without question. We didn’t have a lot of money but always had enough food. I loved school and had great teachers. I wasn’t sexually assaulted before I was 10 (I think I was 12 the first time). I don’t know and that bothers me.

That I’m on a computer programming all day for my job.

That I’m on a computer programming all night for fun.

That I rarely play video games anymore.

That I’m a runner. Never in my life did I imagine ever enjoying running. Aiming for my first marathon in spring!

My job…

10 year old me would be amazed

21 year old me would call me a sell out

30 year old me would nod approvingly

Current age me is getting too old for this shit

That at 47 the hardest thing in life was keeping relationships. Everything else is a cakewalk.

That it all worked out, somehow.