I mean like awareness that, just under the surface, there are deep explorations waiting for the right time and place to emerge; things you’ve set aside or placed on the back burner but will tackle eventually/many you already have tackled.
Are you deeply self aware of these interests like some kind of list? If so, are these interests deeply connected in your mind to your past explorations and interests like some kind of road map or branching tree structure of thought?
Linux Mint is great for ultra-noobs, but I’d personally setup Debian for a super-stable computer, and nowadays it’s really not that hard, so that would be another option.
I have installed Arch Linux in some of those computers tho, and I’ve had no issues too; but well, the install process is not for the newbie.