No, I didn't know that. Do you mean, "in the then and else branches"? Although I've read that fi is simply if backwards, I've always read it as finish. You know, like, it's the end. I'm still not entirely clear on how these commands, or arguments, or whatever they're called, work.
But you're saying that I could could just put a single instance of find, or whatever command, after fi, and it'll execute no matter what happens above it? Yeah, ok, I can see that now.

I should also mention that I simply forgot to delete ls ~/$dir, which I intended to do. I like the output of find better, because prints only the path on one line, as opposed to what I was getting, or hoping to get, from ls.

No, you're right, especially if we try to make something that might actually be useful. I'm thinking it's possible in many cases that a variable could be handed some white spaces. Do you think it's a good idea to always quote variables, as a matter of course?

Right! Again, something I hadn't considered. I tried it, and as you suggest, it did not work. Adding the -p flag fixes it.

While I did not try this - at least, not yet - I wonder if cd .. would always work, since it only takes you up one level? For instance, if you had empty directory /Fun, then specified, say, a new directory four levels down: /Fun/X1/X2/X3 Wouldn't cd .. only position you, (and ls), at /X2?