Dear Paizo Community,
Since January, I have struggled finding a good job for family and myself. The American economy seemed mired in stagnation (at best). At times, I found myself quite depressed and questioned my professional skills and abilities as the primary provider for my wife and young daughters. At my height of unemployment, I submitted over 200 resumes and applications either online, through mail, or in person. I waited, evaluated, and re-evaluated.
During this time, I rediscovered my gaming hobby. I have made several contributions to games like Mythweaver, Swords and Wizardry (White Box), and Barbarians of Lemuria. I am rather proud to have a regular column writing for Mythweaver, and for having Simon Washbourne acknowledge some editing/suggestions for the recent revision of Barbarians of Lemuria in the “Special Thanks to…” title page. I have recently begun blogging about RPGs, and my wife will begin her solo adventure this weekend!
What does this have to do with Paizo.com, and gamers in general? Please let me explain. My new job capitalizes on my experience with children’s mental health services and my graduate degree in human services. Tomorrow, I begin work as a clinical behavioral therapist. My specialties include sexual assault and self-injurious behavior cases. For some unknown reason, I have good skills in these areas to help others without really damaging my own psyche in the process.
When times get dark, though, as sometimes happens with a large caseload, I imagine I will have a “bad day.” While my wife and family and friends will be there to support me, I enjoy another outlet, too: gaming. There is something refreshing and rewarding about swinging an imaginary sword at the big bad evil guy. Maybe this outlet is my mind’s way of cleansing itself from the garbage of kids’ traumatic life experiences. Maybe it’s my way of managing stress. Maybe I just like making munchkin characters and finding loop holes in the rules. For whatever reasons, I enjoy role-playing. At Paizo, I have found a supportive community of respectful people who seem as excited about each other’s lives as they are about the next new product or play-by-post game.
Thank you, Paizo community. Game on…and remember: when the light dims at the end of the tunnel, hire another torch-bearer. :)
|
Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts with us Szombulis, and good luck in your new job. It certainly sounds like it will have its dark moments (very many of them) and I’m not sure that I’d have the mental fortitude (I guess that would be “Will”) to do something like that, but I’m glad there’s people like you who do. I know that gaming, Paizo and the community here help me through some of my own dark times too.
Welcome to the Paizo boards. Lilith should be around sometime with some cookies.
Welcome, Szombulis!
Congrats and best wishes on the new job.
...
I wonder if the fact that we're all nuts in here helps others keep things in perspective.
Thanks for your insights. I guess it goes for most of us gamers that gaming is a steam vent, and allows you to do something straightforward, unlike in real life. (LARPing is even more of a steam vent - nothing like beating the snot out of some orc :-))
Stefan
Thanks, all of you, for the kind words. I believe we all have unique strengths, and need the help of our family, friends, and even strangers (who may become family or friends) to guide us through our own mistakes. While I somehow discovered my talents in counseling, I certainly dread doing taxes or balancing my own checkbook (rounded numbers look prettier, I think).
I have reviewed my caseload, and spoke with my partner tonight. We have agreed that while I might share a bit of information, it is I who will bear the knowledge of traumatic events alone. This maintains professional ethics, and keeps her sanity intact (or at least no worse :) Alas, I was not able to haggle more gaming time as my personal "therapy" or stress reducer.
Again, thanks for the support. Never undermine your own strengths, and certainly NOT in this economic recession! Embrace what you enjoy doing...it helped me manage unemployment woes and helped me unearth other talents, like writing. Game on!
...I wonder if the fact that we're all nuts in here helps others keep things in perspective.
Nuts? You got nuts? That sounds healthy. All I got are these bacon bits.
Nuts? You got nuts? That sounds healthy. All I got are these bacon bits....I wonder if the fact that we're all nuts in here helps others keep things in perspective.
That's the beauty of being Potato Slaad, I've got some variety....
Excerpted from Potato Slaad's Profile,
General versions of potato slaad include:
slaad made with baby potatoes, cooked in their jackets and left whole (skin on)
larger potatoes, cooked in their jackets and then peeled and cut
slaad with a mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, sour cream or milk dressing
slaad with vinegar dressing
slaad with bacon, anchovies, or mustard.
slaad with a fresh herb or dill dressing and/or gherkins, capers and other spices.
slaad with raw onions, cooked onions or pickled onions.
slaad with tomatoes or green beans.
slaad with hard-boiled eggs (a combination of potato slaad and egg slaad)
slaad with ham, pickles, corn, hard-boiled egg and tomato (known in France as salade piémontaise)
slaad with orange slices, Worcestershire sauce, bacon, and chives.