Little pleasures pack a big punch and mean a lot to me.
I used to find pleasure in good grades, a helpful session with a client, a big vacation... big moments. Sure little moments were nice too, but they were often overshadowed by bigger expectations.
One of the gifts I now have is that ability to find pure bliss in the smallest thing. A perfect dandelion on a walk. Free plants found to nurture back to health. A morning cuddle with my man. Petting my soft dog. All of these make me feel as happy as I felt eating seafood in Dublin Ireland.
But it's more than that. These series of small moments weave together to form the tapestry of my happy life. They feel like little shooting stars in the night sky bringing a surprise of pleasure to my day. I feel fortunate not just to have them, but to see them. They were always there, but often I was too focused on the bigger joys to really soak them in. Staring so hard at the planets if you will that I missed the magic of the stars.
When I learned to relax my tight grip on expectations, my future and even the day, I started to enjoy my treasures even more. Sinking into my soft bed to rest. Snuggling with my stuffed shark. The warm water as I take a long shower. I'm incredibly lucky to have too many of these moments to count.
I've been a fan of Nintendo's Animal Crossing game series since its release on the N64 in 2001. I've recently fallen back in love with their phone app game called Animal Crossing Pocket Camp. But here's why the entire game series is so important to me as a disabled, creative, nature loving person.
Firstly you have to understand that my reality is one of constant, chronic pain, limited mobility, foggy headedness, vertigo, crippling fatigue and other challenges. 100% the opposite to what this game offers me AND it's a great drug-free escape from pain.
So let me break down the specifics of exactly what I love about Animal Crossing.
1: I can play with and visit my husband. He has an avatar in the game and even when he's in the other room (one bonus of quarantine) working I can visit him in his garden, his campsite anytime I want. Where else could we pop up side by side and go fishing together? Not the real world, that's for sure.
2: I make friends instantly. You literally go up to someone, ask if they'll be your friend and if they accept then your avatars are friends. You can help each other out and be rewarded by your friendships too! The more friends you have the easier the game (just like real life, but... EASIER!)
3: My entire town is there ready to be explored with the movement of my finger. No spoons required. Mining, walking on a beach, exploring an island, fishing under a waterfall... all right there! I also have a big campground that I can decorate, a two story camper that I can decorate and a two story cabin that... well... you get the idea, right?
4: I can fish, literally walk barefoot, farm a perfect (weed-free) garden, build a library, dress my animal friends, plant and grow flowers, rearrange furniture. I can catch bugs or hear the sand squash under my feet. None of these things are possible for me in the real world, but I get a sense of joy and satisfaction out of doing it through my avatar and in game.
5: I can express my creativity in new ways that I can't do in real life. For example, this is the bottom floor of my camper. It's a sewing room! I'd love to be a fashion designer in real life or at least sew all kinds of things for my home, myself and my family. But in the game I can at least have a cool fashion/sewing room full of colorful things.
For me this game isn't just a time filler, or brain suck like some people consider them to be. It fills an urge to go camp in nature, to just hang out with my "friends" and to build and create new things. These are things that are either very hard or impossible for me to do in the real world.
There is a new Animal Crossing game out for a system I don't own. I won't be getting it right now due to cost. For me this little pocket size world on my phone is the perfect outlet.
