The company we keep

I am really enjoying my D&D sessions twice a month. I have a pair of wonderful DMs and a good core group in my campaign. It's elicited quite a few good laughs with comments ranging from "Yay! He *finally* figured out which end is the sharp end!" (when one of the players manage to score a hit after an unusually long stint of misses) to "Uh Mom, can't talk gotta run I'm killing zombies now, bye!" (when one of the teenagers got interrupted by a phone call from his Mom mid-swing at a zombie). Ah...good times. :)

I've wanted to write this posting for some time now and what eventually motivated me to finally do so was because a good friend from my support group was asking if D&D players were people I really want to be keeping company with. Let's face it, I'm middle-aged and is it really "appropriate" for middle-aged folks to associate with a stigmatized group of guys who are apparently still living with their parents?

I gave it some thought. For all of 2 seconds. The answer is Yes.

I go to D&D to play, to have fun. Yes, we're a misunderstood group and get laughed at a lot. But you know what? My fondest memories of my university days was when my friends and I gathered together to play Magic: the Gathering in MacHall. My Condition has forced me to restart some aspects of my life from pretty much the beginning and I could definitely view it negatively that way. However, my oldest and very dear friend calls it an "opportunity for complete reinvention of self" which I think is a *beautiful* way of looking at it. So I am. Another dear, dear friend who won't hazard a trip to the Frozen North was kind enough to send me some words of encouragement some time back and he quoted, "we don't grow and stop playing games, we stop playing games and grow old". He's absolutely right. To get off-topic and mushy here, I am truly blessed to have a such a group of wonderful friends standing by me through these trying times. You know who you are - thank you (and yes, I mean you too, sis!)

If having good times at D&D means that I get teased, taunted or looked down upon because I still play games in my middle age, then so be it. Certain unkind people may laugh but I will have new fond memories of good times and happiness like that is rarer than astatine. And if you laugh within earshot of me, don't be surprised if a new very heavy dice bag filled with pointy dice comes hurtling unerringly at your head in a flattened parabolic arc. Remember, I'm an overachiever; I don't just roll a d20 to sling a rock in D&D, I also know the math behind its trajectory too. You have been warned. :)