Dear Family,

[Disclaimer/Content Warning: Language. I’m not censoring anything today. Sorry.]

Hope this finds you well. I’m writing to you today to update the state of affairs that is my very interesting and awkward life. It’s been a roller coaster the last few years with 2021 being a sunken log ride full of muddy flood waters.

Let me dispel a myth. People try to tell me, “Oh, it’s a good thing that ‘Company X’ let you go.” No. Bullshit. Two years later, I’m still unem-effin-ployed. And it low key sucks. I’ve long since given up on finding “regular employment.” That just leaves us with the other kind.

I’m still in pain every day. I definitely don’t miss falling out of bed and stumbling into the place every night for 12 hours at a time. I sure as Hell don’t miss working for “Company X.” I don’t miss people being critical, asinine, cruel, and stupid in no particular order.

I honestly miss having a regular paycheck. Disability is great and all. I am truly grateful, but it’s not what I was making. I also low key miss the teeny tiny amount of respect I might have gotten from people. Maybe the miniscule amount of acknowledgment and recognition I might have gotten.

Spiritually, It’s a good thing.

I don’t miss working for a company involved in the petroleum industry. That was not Gaia friendly. I root for alternate power sources every day. I am very pro-Earth.

Also, working for “Company X” was not my purpose work. It’s not where I want to be headed in life. So, being rid of those people and back on my chosen path is a good thing. Psychologically it has been healthier -ish, maybe.

I still struggle daily with my mental health. Getting out was good. The scars I’m still feeling all the time? Ohh, we can’t discuss that on the worldwide interwebs. Too many NDAs and shit in the way. My meditation practice has benefitted from having more time and quiet some days.

Onward and upward.

I say it a lot when these Freedom Days roll around. There are a lot of upsides to being out of work, off the market, “discouraged” or whatever one wants to call it. At this point, I could easily handle a part time job, but what? I’ve got experts that have told me I’m really not employable. Gawrsh, what a bummer. (*Wink wink.)

I’m not getting any younger. I love that I get to be free to experience life a little more. It also helps with my writing practice. I do write every single day now. It’s good for the feels. It’s not necessarily good for the wallet yet. (*My wife reminds me of this fact regularly. Gotta love her.)

Let’s talk about TableTop Role Playing Games (TTRPGs.)

Times are a changing. Print books are allegedly becoming a thing of the past. I’m cool with that, though. I’m just as comfortable publishing electronically. It’s all good. TTRPGs are my niche.

I’ve been a gamer since I was ten years old. I turned 51 this year. Needless to say, it’s been my jam for about 40 years. Marvel Superheroes Roleplaying, Dungeons & Dragons, and Star Wars RPG are where I really got started.  Since then, I’ve added hundreds of games to my repertoire. I could spew titles for an hour and still probably forget something. It’s easy to get immersed up to your eyeballs when you really love something.

Alas, I’m not going to Gen Con or any other big name convention this year. One of my intentions is to become a regular occurrence again. I’ve noticed what seems to be a direct correlation between having kids and going places like I used to. There’s also the ages-old problem of money. Again, kids tend to do that.

That’s okay, though. Thanks to science and technology, we have the worldwide interwebs. I can not only stay in touch with friends from all over the place, but I could theoretically play games with them. Now there’s just a matter of timing, physical health, mental health… you probably get the idea.

One of my other well known intentions is to write TTRPGs (I’d say) for a living, but I only know a small group of people that really fall into that category, It’s the dream, though. 15 year old me is still looking to 51 year old me to fulfill that dream.

It’s gonna happen. I’m going to hit the big time someday. Others have done it. It’s gonna happen when it happens. It’ll be beautiful.

Thanks for being here, family. If you’re here, that very likely means you’re part of my family. Even if we don’t always agree with one another, we can still find common ground.

Lots of love,
Jeff.