Wish I knew these as a teen

Geia agapes!

I hope this post finds you well, what's going on?

Tell me about it.

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Mhm

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Well, then what?

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Okay, okay

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Very interesting, thank you for sharing!

Here is the question of the day... Have you ever played DnD?

Recently, I've been thinking about DnD. Dungeons & Dragons. Between Stranger Things season 4 being out & the scene with Eddie Munson, the approaching Halloween season, & remembering when I use to play.

As you guys might or might not know, I'm currently reading through the Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien which feels like a DnD playthrough. A goofy, epic, &, at times, spooky playthrough that has survived the course of years & years.

I miss roleplaying. Oof, I even miss dm-ing, ick. That 'ick' is said with love, mind you. Dm-ing is being a Dungeon Master, also known as a Game Master (gm/gm-ing). It's building the game (whether you create it yourself or use a pre-made one), guide the players through the adventure, & ensure that the game is fun for everyone. It's a lot of work but, trust me, it's worth it when the players all burst out in smiles or laughter or screams or surprise. A good dm or gm holds a lot of power over the adventure, hopefully they use it for good.

Another reason I've been missing DnD is b/c there is a DnD inspired movie coming out, Honor Among Thieves. It looks soooo good. They have a druid! Who turns into an Owlbear! Druids are my favorite class to roleplay as, followed by the rogue class. Both of those classes seem to be in the movie so...!!!

So, here is where the title comes into play: I wish I would have started playing DnD in High School.

Embraced Yourself

In high school, I was in love with the fantasy world. Werewolves, Fairies, Elves, Vampires, Dragons, Wizards & Witches, Shapeshifters. The entirely of it. In addition to that, I loved Pokemon, the Wizarding World, The Lord of the Rings, Anime, & the idea of DnD.

There was one group in my high school that openly talked about playing DnD. A group of four guys. During my junior year, I approached them during lunch, asked to sit w. them & attempted to ask about DnD. Specifically joining them. In short, they said no.

I did not ask why or anything alike, I just accepted it & moved on from the rejection. However, I didn't speak to those guys again for the remainder of high school. & I didn't attempt this again for almost four years.

Instead of embracing this side of myself, the side of myself that loved fantasy, I allowed myself to be shaped by the views of the people around me. My love of fantasy is kept at a whisper, in between the pages of books & on T.V. screens. I kept a piece of myself hidden, a piece of myself that I have embraced now & love deeply. I couldn't imagine how much more I would have enjoyed high school, the friends I would have made, if I would have embraced this part of myself instead of swallowing it.

Forget Happiness

Okay, hear me out before you skip this paragraph!

Happiness, to be happy, that is a heavy burden to take on. It's what we are taught is the purpose of our live, the end goal, the only thing that is worth striving for. But, that's wrong.

Yes, yes, I'll further explain.

We are taught at a young age that to be happy is the best thing to be. It's the only thing to be. It's what we should be when we grow up. But what is happiness? Happiness is different for everyone. For some, being healthy is happiness. For others, having material items are happiness. These things aren't happiness though, really they're not.

Happiness is an experience.

Sadness is an experience.

Disappointment is an experience.

Confusion is an experience.

Contentment is an experience.

In high school, it felt as though I bounced from one happy moment to the next, only simply existing in the moments in between. Constantly waiting for the next burst of happiness. We're humans we experience more than just happiness & to hold one emotion above all the others is... absurd. Nothing is permanent. People come & go. Sometimes things don't work out, that's okay. Everything will be okay.

Here's a quote I wish I would have known: "Everything is happening as it should. It's only our perception of difficulties that causes us the distress and the difficulty we experience." Would 15-16, even 17 year old me truly understand this quote? There is a good chance she wouldn't have but to simmer & grow with that quote, I believe she would have grown to understand it.

Travel

Throughout high school, we are taught to put college first. Immediately after graduation, you are supposed to attend a college, obtain a degree, & then jump into your corporate job. & what is that isn't want you want to do?

That tends to be a very taboo question. I took a gap year & I'm glad that I did. I traveled.

Hiking trips in the mountains, up Chimney Rock, camping at the base of a 'secret' waterfall, visiting family in different states. Explored different cities & cultures. Watched Jockeys saddle their horses at the Kentucky Derby. I modeled for a Buddhist Temple at a culture awareness festival. I went to the Zoo, when is the last time that you went to the Zoo?

Let me keep this short: Travel.

You're worried about money? Money will always come back. There are always job to be taken, hours to be worked but time.. time doesn't come back. Time doesn't stop.

So, travel. Make your time worth wild. Everything that I listed above, I did before I was 20. I've got those memories for the rest of my natural born life.

(Why did that last sentence sound so ominous?)

These are things that I'm currently working on that, if I'd known in my teen years, I think I'd regret less things that I did or didn't do.

Saying that, I know there is no going back in time to redo or undo anything that I did & didn't do. After all, qui totum vult totum perdit. "He who wants everything, losing everything". It's better to practice gratefulness for what I know & have now instead of pining over the past & my mistakes. It's healthier to move on. To continue growing. Becoming the ideal version of myself is better than being able to undo the undoable.

Unlike DnD, I can't reroll once an action has happened.

Until Next Time,

Haunted Lore

P.S.

Yes, yes, my next post will be food related!

Yes, yes I'll probably share my lemonade recipe even though there are a billion & one recipes already on the internet