Let's Get Started or How Sims Made Me Start This

I have been wanting to do this for a long time and have tried and then stalled multiple times. But my life has taken an odd turn and as I entered my 40s (I’m currently 41 at the time of writing this). I found myself single, in a job that was sucking the life out of me, a family that literally kept trying to die for various reasons and child who was now an adult.

As I got through 40 and entered 41 I changed jobs and found out that gasp there is more to life than work, cleaning and taking care of everyone but myself. I also learned that though I normally turn to cupcakes or Target to sooth my stress, it leaves you with extra pounds of both weight and stuff. So I decided to to work on that. And I tried but I was now working from home without constant fires and people going in and out of hospitals every month and I didn’t know how to refocus. I felt so freaking lost. I wasn’t running on caffeine, sugar and adrenaline. And like any true woman feeling lost, I got a pet.

So Pepper joining the family. A kitten found in a garbage can, she came and decided she was in charge here. She is picky, demanding and really enjoys video games (my tv is covered in paw prints as she tries to catch whatever is used for the loading page).

And as I started playing Sims due to watching various Twitch and Buzzfeed videos of game play while cleaning out my house, I realized I really really liked the game. I am normally a FPS person but there was something calming about it. And then it occurred to me, I could organize their lives in a way I didn’t feel like my life was.

So while Pepper tried to catch the moving arrow I played thinking about what specifically was motivating me to make the clicks. The first was I could pre-load activities and rarely did my Sim deviate. I, on the other hand, procrastinate, like checking instagram, twitter or playing Sims for just a few examples. I used to have a calendar that I kept up to date and had alarms on my phone. Now, I’m technically winging it in comparison to what I used to be. I need to find a happy medium.

Second - my character was leveling up her skills in things I used to love: writing, cooking and fitness. She also was working on other traits but those were the first ones I focused on leveling up. When that moment hit (which I know, my Sim is named Diana and is a brunette with curly hair like her creator so duh), I realized I missed these things. Over the past 6ish years they all fell away. I used to do movie and comic reviews for other sites (no, I’m not good at it) but I enjoyed it. I used to love coming up with new recipes. And I used to run 5ks and was so super proud of that line in my triceps and calves. And they all fell away as I let life impact me.

Third - there was direction. And was sad was I was literally the one driving the direction. So I could build a great life for my Sim but not for me? Now how ridiculous is that statement.

But I felt so all over the place. Maybe it was a midlife crisis or the fact that for the first time in a while I haven’t been on the go from 5am to 9pm daily non-stop, but now there is time. And I am not taking advantage of it in the right way.

So after talking it over with a heavy bag (I will talk about how amazing Title Boxing has been for me) and Pepper and decided to start this blog.

So, that is the rambling story of how an idea inspired by Sims is now this website. Now whether a single person reads this, I have no clue.

But I think having a way to keep myself accountable while writing again is probably not going to be a bad thing.

So yep.