02/04/2025
a rare, late night ramble from me, your friendly local gamer:
since 2018, the highlight of my winter has been magfest- always held in the coldest parts of january at national harbor, looking right back on alexandria. this tradition has, for me, overtaken jan 1 as the new year reset as it has always inspired, recharged, and fired me up to make magic for others over the next 12 months. but in 2024, the energy ran out faster than usual.
we've been off social media since november because in short the world's been kind of a huge bummer, and is making no promises to change. i'm caught up in the internal "is it time to leave facebook/instagram?" debate as are many others, and the arguments aren't simple. 'goodness' now feels like a malleable concept, the moral compass is going haywire, or maybe just being relabeled to insist we're not lost?
i don't know. when our promised future is another's glorified past, all of us lose. luckily, when you play games, loss is something we learn how to accept gracefully, and maybe that's our strength.
the best thing i can think of doing in the face of a sore winner is to continue enjoying yourself. so, for as long as we can, let's guarantee joy for ourselves. is it through the monday morning latte from your local coffee shop? the monthly bingo night with grandma? a cute hoodie with kitties sleeping among houseplants? DO IT. make a list of the joy you can manifest when the world tries to make you feel bad for even trying today, and turn the fire of frustration into a tray of cupcakes to share with your cool coworkers. allow yourself to be moved to tears by a community orchestra playing video game music. revel in everyday beauty. love your fellows through your time, actions, and attention. recognize them when you are the recipient, and wrap yourself in that love like a huge blanket. take care.
that's all from me for a while. regular programming resumes tomorrow but we'll be moving to be more active on discord while i continue mulling over meta's value- PM for an invite if you haven't found the super secret server link on the website.
see y'all soon 💛
