I'm so happy to be me today

This is a thread in which we celebrate our contentment with our lives.


I’m so happy to be me today.

I had a whole evening of really connecting with my (7yo) daughter around some emotional turmoil she was experiencing. I was able to use my own experiences to help her understand a little more context for what she was going through, and it turned her mood right around. I wish I’d had oh idk anyone in my life to help me navigate that sort of thing at her age. If I’ve done nothing else in this life, I’ve been a damn good father at times. I’m so happy to be able to say that.


I’m so happy to be me today.

I’ve spent a non-trivial amount of time over the last few weekends writing some articles on LinkedIn around leading software development teams. Not rocket surgery by any means, but some digestible pieces of reflection on my own experience that might help someone move their own self and team in a positive direction.

Felt great to exercise my writing muscles again. Couple directors at my company called out that they’d seen the articles and really liked them. Could be some bullshit there, for sure, but I’m choosing to take it at face value and just accept a damn compliment for once. Feels like a total win, to be honest.


The world is full of terrible things. But as I said to my wife just now, I don’t have to be so damn Trent Reznor about it all the time. Sometimes things are good, and celebrating those moments of light and joy is a thing that we should all probably do more of.

I’d love to hear about why you’re so happy to be your own self today.

Thank you for this thread. It was a delight to read about your day.

Today, I had a delightful interaction with @inactive_user on Discord.

Being told to chill can be harsh, but not when it comes from a good place.

In other news, I love that I get to play Dominions with people here and that people are willing to put the time into. That being said, I will crush them beneath my snake tail before the year is done!

Finally, for the last 4 or 5 weeks, I have been read the Weird School series to my kids. Its a silly book, and some of the kids are not great examples, but it delights me to know end that kids want me to read it every night. We are at book 8 in the series, and there is a lot more to go.

The school year is winding down and even with the challenges and disruptions of Covid I believe I can say that I have done my job well. Not perfectly but well enough that I am satisfied.

Considering the year, isn’t that kind of above and beyond what most could expect?

Sounds like you knocked it out of the park.

Not necessarily today, but I’ve been increasingly happy with myself and my life the last couple of weeks. I started my own business just over a year ago, right before Covid kicked in. Despite Covid, work was flowing in (not as much as I would ideally like, but enough to be sure that there won’t be any financial problems). Which, considering I just started and considering the normal acquisition options aren’t available, is really pretty damn good.

Not that I realized that, for a long time. I was just worried I did not yet have enough of a financial reserve to be certain I could provide for my family (even though we are still able to save money, even with my relatively meagre income, and my wife kept assuring me we are doing fine). I guess this is part of the normal worries of starting a private business: I decided to give up a steady income to start for myself, so I should be doing everything (or at least: more)to make it work. Which wasn’t possible because of Covid, so I worried.
Also: I had planned my PhD defence in May, so every newsfeed about delays in vaccination got me agitated: would anyone be allowed to attend my defence? And, truthfully, having spent my free time on my PhD for so long, I didn’t really know what to do with it after finishing my thesis.

Things have changed. Work is still flowing in, and it is increasing. I postponed my PhD defence to September, so I’m pretty sure at least my loved ones will be allowed to attend. And last but not least: the sun is shining, literally.

So, finally, I’m able to enjoy the choice I made. I am able to enjoy the fact that I can drink a cup of coffee in the sun for as long as I like before starting my workday. That I have enough time to take a day off, while still making enough money to get by. That I have time to cook, which is also nice for my wife, who doesn’t have to cook after a long day at work now. And I also now realize that I should saviour that free time, for as long as it lasts: it looks like my work life will get a lot busier after Covid.

So yeah: I’m happy with being me, and with the choices I made. And I think it is good to realize this every now and then, instead of just complaining about the Covid situation (which I still do, by the way: it still sucks), so excellent idea @inactive_user !

Now if the government will just allow indoor sports activities, so I can play badminton again…!

They opened a White Castle near me.

Jelly dude.