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Sunday, September 07, 2014

On Choices and Life and Games

Jean Sexton muses:

We all make choices in our daily life. Do I go here for lunch or there? Do I pack my lunch in? It is oxymoronic, but even not choosing is a choice. Some choices have long-term consequences. Sadly I choose years ago to not exercise and to eat whatever I wanted.

New choices can be made. I chose to get a dog so I would have to walk. I chose to get a pedometer to measure just how much I was walking. I chose to not stop at 5,000 steps per day, but to struggle for 10,000 steps. I feel like my choices are paying off. This month I walked the 0.3 miles to the office and paid my rent. When I first moved to Amarillo, the office was closer (0.1 miles), but I needed to drive there and back.

I know these are still baby steps and many people will roll their eyes at being proud of such a short walk. For me, it is a sign that I am taking charge of my life. So much of my life I have drifted along, letting the eddies take me where they would. When I moved to Amarillo, I needed to have some time to think about who I am and who I wanted to be. I need to now act on those thoughts and start changing what I don't like. So I am now trying to reach out and meet some of my neighbors.

What does this have to do with gaming? Maybe you need to reach out beyond your comfort zone. Try a new Alpha Octant empire to see how their ships fly. An expert on the Alphas? Try the Omega Octant or one of the newer empires in the Alpha Octant; the Nicozians, the Borak, the Peladine, or the "modern" Carnivons and Paravians. Live dangerously and face off against "what might have been" Andromedans. Make a choice and try something new. It can be exhilarating.