A little something I wrote. . .

[Arsinowey]

Let me begin with telling the Hinterland team how excited I am for the countdown to May 4th ! ! ! And yes, I'm excited for that day not only because there's a huge announcement coming, but, on a far more intimate level, I'm celebrating my 30th month clean from addiction ! ! ! So, I was already in countdown mode, when I saw the post with that very personally important day on it, I was even more excited then I already was ! ! 

So when my counselor suggested I do something creative to celebrate my extremely important anniversary, I knew right away what I would do. So the following is what I sat down and wrote to share with my small recovery group . But, with urging from my counselor, my fellow group-mates and my 3 grown children, I wanted to share a part of me, with those who have touched my heart, without even knowing who I am or what it's meant to me. . .

My Long Dark Journey

I've been playing the most awesome game,The Long Dark, for the better part of 18 months. . . .It's become a part of who I am and has helped me,begin to learn how to focus my mind as I go through treatment for the addiction that crippled me for more than 30 years. 
The Long Dark is a game about survival .I'm a survivor of the soul stealing disease of addiction. . . . There are no "monster's" to battle. There are no other people in this sandbox game. It's about a post-apocalyptic world that's been plunged into a never-ending,frigid winter. There is no electricity or power of any kind. It's INSANELY cold ! You are completely alone, except for the thoughts in your mind and the wildlife- bears,wolves,bunnies,deer and the ever squawking crows ! And of course, Mother Nature and WOW is she pissed ! ! She has an awful temper, and she LOVES to show it ! ! The only other foe you have is YOURSELF !! And as I've played this game, I've learned that I am, indeed, my own worst enemy !
The game has taught me that always wanting things RIGHT NOW can be deadly. That rushing through the world without some sort of plan and agenda, will cause me to get stuck out in the wilds,without the proper equipment to help me survive- and just like irl, where you have to have a clear,well thought out plan of needs vs wants and knowing that if I rush around like a weenie,I could very possibly ruin the carefully crafted, but extremely fragile path I'm on.Just like in-game, I've got my basic needs, a warm set of clothing/food/water/fire implements/shelter implements/a knife,hatchet & some sort of weapon -Without those basic needs being met, I might as well take the quickest, easiest way, to the summit of TWM and walk my survivor out of the that broken tail-section and put her out of her misery. 
Putting things that I've learned in-game, into practice in my real life and in my recovery has been one, of many, key's to my success and is, therefore, how I've learned from a video game to slow down,observe my surroundings, look deeper than the surface,make my little checklists,double check, then re-check the double checklist and only then, when I'm positive, move forward, slowly and be mindful of my surroundings. And just like in TLD, where Fluffy could be right at the bottom of those stairs in the dam, waiting to make a chew toy out of me, my own personal monsters and demons are always there, silently waiting for me to slip up and make that game-changing, fatal mistake and then it's game over, you have faded into the long dark. . .
Our time in this world is very short and tomorrow is far from certain. Hurrying around, foolishly taking what looked to be the easiest route,never assessing the situation or more importantly, what the consequences of my actions could be for myself or sadly for those that love me and only want the best for me, has seriously shortened what little time I did have here . . . .And I can never, ever get it back. . . . 
I'm not saying a video game is the reason I'm learning how to live life under life's terms, but it certainly has taught me more than a few lessons and it absolutely has helped me pass the time in more constructive ways !!

Thank you Hinterland for this amazing video game ! The hours and hours of time I've gotten to share with my 4 year old grandson over the past 18 months has been priceless,it's brought back the memories I have, from 25 to 30 years ago of teaching my now grown sons to game. . . .
Thank you to whomever takes the time to read this. and to the those who think video games are a waste of time or corrupting our youth- stop judging books by their covers- life is far to short to be spending it pointing fingers. . . 
tell someone what they mean to you or that you love them or you're proud of them today- you may not get the chance to do it tomorrow. . . . 
Happy Gaming everyone !!!

[Timber Wolf]

Greetings @Arsinowey!
 

35 minutes ago, Arsinowey said:

I'm celebrating my 30th month clean from addiction ! ! !

Congratulations!  Here's to 30 more months clean!!

Thank you for sharing your TLD journey, I enjoyed reading it.

[cekivi]

Welcome to the forums @Arsinowey 

[Arsinowey]

Thank you both, very much. . .

[Mel Guille]

Thank you for sharing your story with us, @Arsinowey, and congratulations! Your post was quite touching, it's a real privilege to hear that our game could, in some small way, be a part of your journey.