I suppose the whole “if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it” trope is fairly accurate.

It’s been just over eight years since I completed my bachelor studies in physics. I cut my postgraduate ambitions short due to mental health struggles and eventually ended up in the world of software development and engineering.

Looking back, I really do miss exercising the proof and pure mathematical problem-solving circuitry in my brain. My current proximity to cryptography has allowed for some wading through vaguely familiar abstract algebra. However, I often reminisce over the good old integration and differential equation problems I would gleefully attempt—almost solving them on autopilot with my toolbox of acquired techniques.

I recently stumbled upon The Daily Integral, which has rekindled my joy for quickly solving these sorts of small problems. I’m planning on continuing with postgraduate applied maths next year and wanted to dust off the layers caked on my trusty brain math submodule created by years of disuse.

Rediscovering this little joy is good enough for me now.