I may be stating the obvious here, but we all want and need time away. It’s why we look forward to that precious time off from work. We write songs about it, dedicate commercials to ways of making it better, and there’s an entire industry dedicated to making that time off the absolute best that it can be. But, you know, we also do this in little ways. We don’t have to pack up the Vista Cruiser and head to Wally World nor do we need to head to the Golden Arches to have a break. We have everything we need between our ears. 

Being geeks, we are either readers, gamers or both, I believe. In each instance, provided that what we’re into is presented well enough, are the seeds to immersing ourselves in an alternate reality that can allow us to forget the insanity of this world and get lost in the awesomeness of our chosen one. For readers, this can be that current book or graphic novel we’re reading. Now gamers come in different varieties. Video gamers can get lost in the lush environment brought to them through their console or computer, while the tabletop player or RPGer can do this through their own gaming experience. Actually, in my opinion, the RPG experience is closest to that of the reader. In both cases you’re living as a character and the experience of reading and playing both rely largely on the imagination. Being an avid reader and enjoying the occasional RPG, I can say, from experience, that this is a true statement – for me, anyway. As much as I love video games, the experience is closer to watching a movie than actually living the adventure as you do as a reader or player character.

In each of these cases we see the little ways that we allow ourselves to escape the mundane, or insane, of this life. So remember that as you are playing, reading or rolling that new character – open yourself up a little more to give yourself the mini mental vacation the you don’t only deserve, but need.