01/02/25: Added some pics and a few observations since this was posted a year ago. Observations in bold.
For the last couple months I did not do much playing at all. I was too caught up in a maniacal quest that left me stressed, burnt out, sick and unemployed.
I learned a lot of very hard lessons from that whole debacle and know I will definitely not be repeating those mistakes again! (01/02/25: Still a work in progress)
However, before I took a hard left turn down that bumpy road, I tried to embrace play in any situation I could.
Be it at work, in the grocery store, the bank and pretty much anywhere I could, I’d try to make it fun.
Cart races, anyone?
It might be as simple as telling a funny story about the McDonald’s drive-thru to the tellers at the bank, or an innocent prank on one of the engineers at work, but I tried to approach as much as I could with a playful mindset. Sometimes I’d even try to make a game out of how quick I could finish my shift reports, to see if I could beat my time from the day before. Test my efficiency as it were.
I may have occasionally tested my three-point shooting skills at the grocery store as well, but that’s a topic for a different day. (Pro tip: Don’t try this with jars of pasta sauce or cantaloupe. It likely won’t end well. Stick to Charmin or bags of chips.)
It’s not Charmin, it’s a basketball.
I got away from that for quite awhile, and damn, did I miss it. (01/02/25: Still not as cut and dried as one would hope. Twelve hour shifts tend to get in the way.)
Now don’t get me wrong, when there is a time to be serious and respectful, I certainly do so. But in the average, hum-drum everyday? Game on.
Way I see it, life gives us enough to be pissed off about. Why not have fun with whatever is left?
Now, outside of that kind of silly behavior, I also do more normal stuff too.
I play guitar, I like to read (regular books and some comics too), play video games (Starfield currently) (01/02/25: Warhammer: Space Marines once I install it on the Steam Deck), and I actually consider working out play time too just because I love it so much. (01/02/25: Latest workout update here )
At the end of the day, life is just a series of games and challenges at it’s core. Some are truly serious and deserve our undivided attention and respect, but the rest? I say open season on life.
Get it back once in awhile for all the laughs it has at our expense.
Yes, Life…We’re laughing at you, not with you.
The Beginning At Last 
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