They Say It’s Your Birthday…
Well, it’s my birthday, too. Yeah. Seriously. And rather than have a maudlin retrospective and get all misty eyed about the road I’ve traveled and the choices I’ve made, I have hunkered down, and have had another productive day scribbling away and making stuff up. Later on, I’ll be gaming with the gang, and all will be well.
I’ll give you a little bit of wisdom I’ve accumulated over the years like the lint you find in your dryer. If you pay attention, you may find it useful.
Most of you are busy folks, so I’ll give this to you in a journalistic fashion. The advice right up front, and then I’ll ramble away for a you. Get ready. To see where you are, look at where you’ve been.
There. I said it. Some days, it’s easy to get lost in reaching for the next thing, and to lose oneself in the desire to do more, better, faster. Actualization of goals is mighty fine, but we can all be better informed by taking a moment to reflect upon the accomplishments we’ve made along the path we’ve chosen. A lot of times, it’s the support of friends, family, and fans who remind us we have contributed somehow or other in our pursuits.
I have had days of glory and gloom, sunshine and doom, and sometimes they’ve occurred within the same week or even within hours of each other. I choose not to lose sight of the goals. We all have days where we’d rather be doing something else, but for me those choices nowadays are a poverty of riches. I have had really bad jobs in the past and often daydreamed and longingly wished I was doing what I’m doing now. Even as I’m sharing these thoughts with you, I know my words are no longer going into a vacuum. They live and breathe not just by my putting them out here, but also because you help bring life into them. Unshared words are the same as undone deeds or a sword in a stone–the potentiality is there, but what good is a string of words unread? It’s like shouting into the void. It might feel good to scream into the abyss, but when no sound comes back out, you are left bereft of purpose, devoid of energy.
Some folks say writing is like having homework every day. Some folks find it painful to devote the time to sitting and staring and thinking and coming up with ideas. That’s okay. I’m not a mechanic. There are people who know every magical bit of an engine and find being able to fix them the best thing in the world. Those people are important to us all. They keep the wheels of industry spinning. If you put in an honest day’s work, good for you. As for me, sometimes I feel like I’m getting away with something. Why? I enjoy what I do. I like stringing words together. I enjoy the process of an outline. My ability to impose order on the cacophonous chaos of ideas in my head is a glorious thing. I make contributions to the gaming community and it in turn has rewarded me with friendship and fans and enabled me to travel to places I may never have gone and meet people–some of you who are reading these words–I otherwise would never have met. I am still waiting on the gold though.
At the end of the day, I can look back and be happy I am not doing some of those things I have done in the past. Dirty, honest jobs, yes, but still work I did not enjoy a fraction of how I enjoy even the most laborious of days. I am not solely a writer, however. I am also a publisher, and the business side of things appeals to me as well. I get to make choices. Some choices are better than others, but like all of you, I live and learn each day, and strive to do better. I am happy, not content. If I were content, I imagine I would not get accomplished all the things I and Reality Blurs have yet to do. I want to thank you all and hope you celebrate my birthday in some small way. Pet your dog. Hug your significant other. Lift a pint. Do something to make yourself happy, and be glad for your health, your friends, your family, and, yes, your accomplishments. If you’re not happy with what you’re doing, start planning out the things you need to do to achieve your own personal success. We’re all on this big ball of dirt together, so we may as well make the most of it. Until next time, I bid you, dear reader, adieu!
P.S. Just an example of the autonomy I enjoy is this particular post. I doubt any of the massive corporations I once worked for would’ve allowed this personal ramble on their company website. ;)
