It occurred to me after a recent conversation with a few select family members that contrary to last year or even a few months past, as of late I've hardly communed online, neglecting my relationships as well as my writing in this absence.
Originally this could be attributed to the euphoric stupor which I plunged myself into upon receiving a bevy of fresh RPGs right around my unannounced hiatus (Tales of Legendia and Persona 4 among them), but even then I must be honest and confess that I did not surrender the entirety of my free time to the pursuit of rescuing the princess or cleansing high school students of their inner demons.
There was, in fact, a great deal of time set aside seemingly to dwell on the fact that this had been the only 'highlight' of my holiday break. Certainly there were times when I enjoyed the company of friends and family in some small regards, but even these moments were all-too fleeting to wipe away the fact that the bulk of my reprieve from school was spent listlessly gazing into a television and pressing buttons.
I thought on this unintentionally, and it in fact occurred to me only when I finally made some feeble attempt at my writing once again that I had retreated so far away from any and all traces of beauty and inspiration that I simply had nothing worthwhile to write about. This was more than a simple case of writer's block, unfortunately; I had reached the point where my muse would not return to me unless I first sought her out.
With that epiphany duly noted, then, it is my intention and my resolution to live this year, not as a tangent, but as a genuine person whose scope and experiences extend beyond the flicker of the screen. This is not to say that I am abandoning gaming entirely, as I also must confess that there is still a great deal to be said and done of these virtual worlds that cannot be explored and understood anywhere else.
But I intend to expand my horizons beyond them as well. Perhaps I'll learn to play a musical instrument; perhaps I'll venture into a club for the first time. Already I'll be writing a play sometime this year, as well as attending a charity project for Spring Break.
I intend to test my limitations, and to move outside of my comfort zone, even if it's only a step at a time. And that said, I intend to return to my writing as soon as I've rediscovered my reasons to write.