The Secret to My Happy Life

Felt introspective, might delete later

Just Chris/kitoypoy here, no dry Instructor or funny orc sergeant this time. Here's the truth of my world.

I've been living in Wizard's Peak since I was 12 years old and no matter where life has brought me, I've always returned to it. It changes as I change. My life has been pretty chaotic, but has recently gotten disturbingly stable. The same has happened in the World of Wizard's Peak.

For me, the Concordance I've been writing about is really me getting my shit together. Taking the disparate parts of myself and locking them around the chaos of my personal Kirinal Pit.

Me & D&D

As I said, I've been working on this world since I was a kid in the 80's during the full on "Satanic Panic" years. My grandmother and mom HATED it. They hated all the stuff I liked, comics, fantasy sci-fis, RPGs. They didn't see the point in it and wanted me to become a doctor or a nurse or any of the officially approved Asian-American jobs. I ended up becoming... nothing. I was good at everything, a horrific procrastinator frozen by "maybes", and incredible at putting in a last-minute panic rush to get it done.

So I bounced around from job to job. I was "good" at everything except life and relationships. I had no idea how to focus on anything. I watched everyone around me settle down into "the pattern": college, partner, job, kids, success. I didn't understand how they did it.

But I was good at making things up. I could write (when I could focus). I could (and was willing to) run a game of D&D. So I always bought the books. I always did my little bit of worldbuilding in journals and on half-assed websites. But it was there for me and it's still here for me.

My Life Story, So Far

So I got married, had a kid, lost my job, and got divorced. I had a kid, got married, got a job, had a kid, started my own business, and got divorced. I stopped having kids.

Here's the important bit. I figured out that I've had undiagnosed ADHD. I figured out how to manage my personal brain chemistry. I got counseling.

Life is complicated, but I got a job and kept it. I got a relationship, got it stable, and got married.

It took me longer than it "should have", but it finally happened. My life got better. I got better. (You can get better too!)

And Here's the Last Bit

The most important thing that I figured out is that my ADHD makes it so that if I can't see it, it doesn't exist. That includes friends, family, things. I keep social media so that I can "see" my friends and family. I got rid of drawers and replaced them with shelves so I can see my things. My life is so much better.

I got World Anvil so that I can see my world! And it's never been better! Go grab YOUR hammer, and go world build!

Chris with Dragon Magazine #71 in the same spot in 1983 and 2023 by Chris L