Life is a game 🤓

Photo by Minh Pham on Unsplash

Today, my girlfriend and I decided to go for a walk along the river a short distance from where we live.

But we couldn’t agree on how to GET to the river.

The walk on the way there isn’t particularly enjoyable, since you need to walk alongside a highway to get there.

So I wanted to take an Uber, but my girlfriend said it wasn’t worth it, and she wanted to walk there.

Alas, we were at an impasse.

And I had to think of a solution.

So I rolled up my sleeves and put my thinking cap on…

And the perfect solution came to me, like a lightbulb switching on in my mind…

“Let’s just rent some electric scooters.” 😎

My girlfriend, down for an adventure, agreed.

So we left the house and set out to find some scooters.

I had never rented a scooter before, so I wasn’t sure exactly how to do it…

Basically, there are a large number of rentable scooters scattered throughout the city.

And to rent one, you just open the Uber app, press the “scooter” button, and it shows you a map with the location of all the available scooters around the city.

Once you’ve found one, you simply walk up to it, scan the QR code, and voila! You’re ready to rock and roll.

So we found a couple of scooters, unlocked them with our phones, and began riding…

…And it was freaking AWESOME.

And as we were breezing through the streets, with the wind blowing through our hair…

I had the distinct impression that I was in a video game lol.

I felt like I was playing Grand Theft Auto or a similar “open world” game… where you can just walk up to a random electric scooter on the street and instantly “unlock” it, and go wherever you want with it.

And it made me realize…

Life IS a video game.

And it’s the most incredible video game of all.

And you’re a character in this video game.

And outside of the laws of physics, nothing is impossible.

Real-life is basically your “open world” video game where you can go wherever you want, and do whatever you want, and live however you want…

(Within the laws of physics, and within ethical and legal boundaries obviously.)

Of course, it requires in-game credits (aka money) to do certain things. And your character only has a finite amount of time, and a limited energy bar.

Those are the rules of the game, and they exist for a good reason. It’d be boring to play in “god mode” all the time and not have challenges to overcome. Because games that are too easy aren’t fun.

But there are plenty of ways to overcome those challenges, earn credits, level up your character, and win at the game.

And everything we do is basically a mini-game within the larger game of life.

Your job? Just a mini-game you play to earn credits.

Your hobbies? Those are mini-games that don’t give you credits, but that you play anyway because they’re fun.

Your relationships? Multiplayer mini-games requiring teamwork and collaboration to win.

Your health? A series of mini-games you play (exercise, sleep, and nutrition being the three main ones) that don’t earn you credits, but make your character stronger and increase the capacity of your energy bar.

And so on and so forth.

“Cool, cool. But what’s your point?” I hear you ask…

Well I don’t know about you, Finneus, but I find it oddly therapeutic to look at life as a game.

It takes some of the pressure off.

It helps you stress less and not take yourself too seriously.

And it helps you realize that you have a lot more control than you might think…

If you hate playing a particular mini-game, stop playing it and find another one that you enjoy.

And if you can’t play a different one for some reason, then embrace the fact that it’s just a mini-game in the larger game of life. And try to have fun at it. Games are supposed to be fun, after all.

So have fun.

And if you aren’t having fun, either change the mini-game you’re playing, or change your attitude toward it until you find a way to enjoy it.

(It’s like Stoicism for nerds huehue 🤓)

Anyway…

Not sure how much this will resonate with you. Take what you will from it.

But for me…

It’s oddly therapeutic.

And something I’m gonna keep reminding myself whenever I’m feeling curmudgeonly.

Life’s a game, and games are meant to be fun. So lighten up, play it to the fullest, and try to enjoy and appreciate it more.

-Beau D. Schultz

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