Recuperation and Inspiration

In all walks of my life the past month, D&D pursuits paused. I halted my weekly game, put my monthly, family game on hold, and stopped writing articles and making videos. With a child on the way, oh so close to this world, as well as a whirlwind of high-stress work, my free time has involved trying to ease my mind by playing mindless games or sitting around with my wife waiting for our baby to arrive.

Have you ever experienced something like this? I would prefer to think so.

Taking Breaks

We all need breaks from our passions, time to recuperate and allow our inspiration to mount inside our souls. Quietly churning in the background this past month I would hear the voices of my many NPCs and plots whispering away. They were patient and continue to be, and for that I'm grateful. Soon, after my daughter is born, we'll leap back into the epic stories of the player characters these NPCs inhabit, and continue to construct the vast worlds they live in.

I've grappled with this internally for awhile, multiple times, in fact. Should I feel guilty for taking a break? Should I be shameful? I think this mind nibbling occurs in all of us, no matter how long we step back from active D&D-play or worldbuilding. This particular break has been about a month for me, but others of us, like my father who took a break for years and years, it's much longer.

Regardless of the time away, should we be ashamed or upset? No, no we shouldn't.

Here to Stay

D&D and worldbuilding isn't a fad. It isn't something with a daily system like many popular video games. It's not something you need to stay up to date on to continue to enjoy. That is why D&D and many other tabletop games are timeless. It's why no matter how many breaks you or I take, it'll always be there when we return, whether the break is a month like mine or years like my father's.

Even better, oftentimes when I take a break, brief or extended, it's akin to a long rest. Though I'm not 100% cognizant of it, the time allows me to recuperate and blesses me with inspiration. Some of my best ideas occur during these breaks. They help me return all the stronger! Is it the case with you? Experiences like this in life are rare, or so I've found: places, people, and things that don't lessen in greatness as you and they age. If anything, D&D to me has been like a a fine wine, growing stronger and better as we've both aged.

Return to D&D

Don't feel bad when you take a break from D&D. Turn your negative thoughts into positive ones and return all the stronger, whether you're a DM or player. Breaks need not be seen as a terrible part of the game. As is proven by many of the posts across the internet, people are hesitant to return to D&D...but many of the end of doing so anyway, especially with the rise of online D&D. 

This is because no matter how thin life spreads us, someday near or far, we'll find a way to return to D&D, and we should do so joyously.