Fun

   I want to tell everyone about some of the things that give me a lot of joy. Most of them are things that people have told me I should quit at one point or another. I think life is a lot more about smelling the roses than growing up, though.

   First, I love my writing, as you all know. Here’s the thing about writing, though. It doesn’t always make a lot of money for you. Sure, there are the millionaire authors of the world, but here’s the real fact. There are thousands of writers out there who are very good at what they do. There are only a few multi million dollar authors. Most of us survive on far less than people realize. A lot of people have asked what I’m going to do with my future, and for a while, I actually started asking myself that question. Even if I loved writing, I was trying to plan out what the end of my writing career would look like and what I would move on to from there. In short, I already had one foot out the door. I realized something, though. Life isn’t about how much money you make. Writing gives me enough to survive and be happy. That’s enough for me. I love what I’m doing right now, and I’ve decided that I’m not going to stop doing it until I don’t enjoy it anymore. There are too few things in this world that can give you the thrill of escaping into a new reality full of new friends. I’m not willing to give that up right now, and truthfully, I might never be. I want happiness, and it’s the kind that money will never be able to buy.

   Secondly, I love video games. When I was younger, people told me that I would grow out of playing them. Now a lot of people act like a grown man playing a game is strange. I don’t really think there’s anything strange about it, though. When I’m stressed or I have a headache, I have a hobby that can immediately take me out of the moment. I can physically feel my blood pressure going down when I play games. I think we all need something like that. We’re too quick to leave behind the things we loved when we were young. It’s those things that keep us young, I think. Stress will age you faster than anything in this world, and the things that can eliminate mine are here to stay.

   Finally, I absolutely love competition. It doesn’t matter what kind of competition. I just love the rush of pushing myself to my limits physically or mentally. I don’t even care if I win. I just love the rush I feel and the accomplishment when I push my self beyond what I perceived as my limits. That sounds like a simple thing, but it’s really not. Many of us take the easy way out. We stop pushing ourselves and instead choose to take the path of least resistance. We take a job that’s steady but not challenging, surround ourselves with people who don’t challenge us to be better, and before we know it, life is easy, but it’s boring, too.

   All of these things have something in common. I like to compete like a kid, go to pretend worlds, and do some activities that many would consider a little immature. I think I have the maturity of a much older man in a lot of areas, but I know I have the soul of a much younger person. I think that’s a good thing, too. I’ll never be quick to let go of the things I love. They’re what make me who I am. Without the things that give me joy, I would be tense and angry all the time. Many of us are. They say life is complicated and that being an adult isn’t fun. I tend to disagree with all of that. Life is what you make it, and age is a number that has as much meaning as you let it have. Life can be as complicated as you make it. If you want a lot of money, people who are always agreeable, and friends who are so refined that your social life looks like something off of a reality show full of rich people, then you can have it all for a price. That price will be leaving behind a lot of the things and people you loved. I don’t want that life, though. I heard a quote once, and I think it rings true. It’s how I want to live my life. “A lot of trouble can be avoided by living a simple life.” That’s all I want. I want my simple job where I probably don’t make as much as I feel I should, my simple hobbies, and people who aren’t perfect for anyone but me. I’m not willing to leave my uncomplicated and fun life behind yet. I may never be able to, and I think that’s exactly how it should be.