I’ve been thinking about sanctuary lately - the things that save our sanity and remind us that we’re people, and not just workfamilydinnerhousework drones. You know - the fun stuff.
Reading is a great example for me. Books can sweep you off your feet, break your heart, and take you to all kinds of places. (STATION ELEVEN). I mean. Um. There’s room in my brain-space for books and stories, always, is what I’m saying.
Also gaming. I’ve talked about playing Dragon Age on and off on here, and in terms of sanctuary, it’s the Big One. I can escape into a fantasy world, where I get to SAVE the world, fight dragons and smooch on pretty elves.
The only downside there, for me, is that I let spawn start playing Dragon Age Inquisition, and suddenly my sanctuary space was a shared space. Which is a bit tricky when it’s my Top Thing To Make the World Go Away. And I don’t want to impose on spawn’s enjoyment of the game. So I decided to start up a new game, that only I know about, and I only play after he’s gone to bed.
I’m taking advantage of the fact I can swap between characters in the game, but it’s the perfect solution. Spawn and I can share the game on one level, and on another level, I can escape my whole entire life for an hour or so.
It - like reading - helps to remind me that I’m a person in and of myself, if that even makes any kind of sense. I can call up my sanctuaries, or wait until I won’t be interrupted and dive into my sanctuaries, and it’s there - in the middle of a book, or in the midst of the Emerald Graves in Inquisition, that I re-find myself as a whole person.
What about you? What do you dive into?
I feel the same about reading. Though I tend to think of books as nourishment. For my soul. Though that sounds kinda wanky I realise. They make me feel better. About everything. Even if they're about psychopathic serial killers!
ReplyDeleteDeborah: Heh, I know what you mean, though. There's something about it that kind of fills out the corners of your insides. :)
ReplyDeleteReading is definitely one for me. A big one for me is this ritual I do most Fridays, where I clear my schedule and make myself cheese fries and watch Netflix. It's so peaceful, and having it scheduled into my weekly calendar gives me this little lacuna of peace and quiet to look forward to every week.
ReplyDeleteJenny: yes, exactly. Your Netflix and fries ritual (which sounds amazing) is exactly what I'm talking about. :)
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