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One of the players in my last campaign played a wizard who always looked up when entering a new place. (The one time he didn’t, a Darkmantle dropped on him. We laughed about the irony for a long time.)
One month ago, our entire family moved to a new place, Leadville, Colorado, the highest city in North America (10,200 ft.). Because we wanted to get here early enough to get our kids registered and ready for school, we only had a few weeks to pack up a house where we’d lived for a decade, which meant all-night packing sessions (I learned that I begin to hallucinate after 48 hours without sleep!), immense stress, and physical side effects from pushing ourselves to get everything done in time.
Once we moved, it wasn’t quite as bad, since we didn’t have as many deadlines, but living out of boxes while we figure out where to unpack everything while establishing local accounts and services and learning a new community and culture has had its own new stresses. And it’s easy to feel buried under all of that.
But then I looked up. I took this photo from our front yard.
That’s the view in all directions but south. It’s beautiful. Since we’re still adjusting a bit to the altitude, one might even call it “breathtaking.” And it’s always there.
It can be so easy to focus on the immediate stresses right in front of us and feel overwhelmed. But what happens when you look up? Maybe you don’t have the spectacular view that I do, but maybe you have a quiet corner in your home or community where you can retreat for a short rest. Maybe there are people around you who love you. Maybe there's a song or a piece of art that gives you some bardic inspiration. Maybe you have a D&D game soon.
That’s not to say that, “Look on the bright side” makes everything better. Pain is still pain. But it can offer perspective, renew your energy, or even remind you that you have people or other gifts that can help you get through whatever dungeon you’re in.
Life is a grand adventure, filled with twists and turns, highs and lows. It's easy to get caught up by Darkmantles and forget to look at the bigger picture. But when we pause to appreciate the beauty around us, the support of our loved ones, and the opportunities that await, we can get some temporary hit points to press on.
So, as you embark on your own adventures, look up. What do you see? What inspires you? What challenges are you facing? I'd love to hear your stories. |
