Chris WiegmanIt hasn’t been easy for me to find peace or happiness in really anything for a while now. My writing has slowed, my personal projects are stalled and I generally can’t focus on much of anything. Even trying to work on anything often leads to failure in that I just stare at my screen for a few hours until I give up.
Through all of it, there have been two bright spots. First is my Kindle. While I’m not a fan of Amazon’s business practices and avoid them for as much as I can otherwise, my Kindle is just too valuable to me personally to give up. I’ve considered switching to Kobo but, with over 700 books on my Kindle, it just doesn’t make sense. I’ve also tried going back to paper books from the library but, as I do the bulk of my reading in bed anymore, that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for me either so, Kindle is where I’ll be for the foreseeable future.
Reading is, for the most part, my happy place. I’ve already finished more than 80 books this year and I’ve enjoyed almost every one of them. I don’t get much into visual media so, with the exception of the occasional movie, most TV and video is out. Books, on the other hand, allow me to escape, even if only for a little while. That isn’t something I would ever want to give up.
The other bright spot, at least lately, has been my Nintendo Switch (ironically video, I know). We bought it in February 2020, just before the pandemic hit, and I’ve played it more than any game console I’ve ever had. My current game is Stardew Valley. It’s simple but just enough to let me escape the world around me for an hour or so at a time and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every one of those hours.
In a world that seems to be falling apart and while we’re trapped in a city I’m growing to truly hate, books and games have been my happy place. While I keep having to remind myself that not everything has to be ”productive” and it’s OK to enjoy these little pleasures, they’re something I’ve been so very grateful these past couple of years.