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Hey guys, here's my latest article found on my blog at:
http://thehonestlifeblog.wordpress.com/2012/08/23/live-healthier-inside-and-out/
If you like it, please come to the site, like/follow/comment, and share it with your friends. Thanks!
A while back I went to go see the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 2 with my sister and a really good friend of mine. While we were there we met an extremely nerdy man in his mid-40s that started telling us about Dungeons and Dragons and how great of a game it was and still is. Long story short, I decided to do some research and found a group of guys that played every Wednesday at our local games shop.
Me and my friend went the first week of the Fall semester and met some of the most genuinely happy and well-rounded people I’ve met to this day. There was a male nurse that played as a mage, a cable worker who was our healer, a computer engineer that played as a ranger, and of course the Dungeon Master, Scott.
The first couple of weeks that we started playing I didn’t tell a soul what I was doing every Wednesday night; not my friends, and definitely not my girlfriend. I was afraid that the people that I loved wouldn’t accept the fact that I was THIS nerdy. I would leave the house in secret every week at 6:30, and hastily return at 10pm after the 3-hour gaming session.
After a month or so of playing, I started to get really close to my companions in the tabletop game. We added each other on Facebook, e-mailed, and even had a Dungeons and Dragons themed halloween party. The more I got to know them the more I learned; especially with my DM, Scott.
In the world of D&D, the Dungeon Master is the leader of the game. He doesn’t necessarily partake with a character or a spreadsheet, but he guides the games ebb and flow in hopes of making the play experience fun and exciting.
Scott was not only an excellent DM, he was an ideal life coach. To this day, I don’t think he knows how much he affected my life. He taught me (through constant example) that in order to be truly happy in life, you need to do what makes you truly happy and show people your true self; and that in doing so, you’ll find people that will care about you for who you are and love to be around you no matter what your hobbies or lifestyle may be.
I’m not a necessarily outwardly nerdy person. If you look at me at first glance, “nerd” is probably one of the last things that would come to your mind. I used to classify myself as a “closet nerd” to my closest friends and I would never tell anyone I played games other than Battlefield 3, or that I liked anime, or that I raided in World of Warcraft on a hardcore level for years. I would never speak of any of that in public. And the truth of the matter is that I was HIDING. I was hiding my TRUE self away from the world and allowing people to love me for someone that I was pretending to be.
My name is Jack Harrison. I love playing Starcraft II, roleplaying Dungeons and Dragons with my friends, sitting on the couch and watching anime for 8-hours when I can, and talking about life and it’s struggles over the internet with complete strangers that I hope will become true friends with time. This is who I am, and this is who I’ve always been.
So stop hiding your TRUE self from the world. Wear the clothes you want. Watch the movies you want. And be honest with people about what you REALLY love, and you will not only find people that will shower you with love and healthy relationships, but you’ll be living a truly HONEST LIFE!
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Who are you? What do you love to do when no one is watching? Share it with the world and let it be known that this is who YOU are, and you’re not going to change for anyone.
With ALL of my love,
Jack
http://thehonestlifeblog.wordpress.com
 
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Nice read. How long have you been playing for?
EDIT
Just saw the questions you left at the end...
I play LoL when no one is watching. I used to raid in WoW at a hardcore level as well, though my friends all knew about that and made fun of me dearly for it :p. I also used to be a huge anime nerd (borderline otaku status). I didn't have any real life friends to talk about BW or SC2 with until very recently, either.
I never really hid any of that stuff I did from my friends, though. They all always knew about it. I never really felt ashamed to be any of it, but I did also grow up with the first generation of the whole it's-cool-to-be-a-nerd thing, I guess.
My friends would give me shit for it, but in good fun.
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I miss playing D&D, it's one of the many downs of living far from my old-time friends. I played for the first time in 94, on a summer vacation to my cousin's. Some months later a friend bought the game, after hearing so much about it from me, and we started playing, for a couple of years. Then it was my time to get the game myself and become a DM, playing almost every week with a group of friends who lived in the same building as me. Then school was getting too much time consuming and college started, and we dropped it.
Then I found a group from my CS class who were playing it weekly, on the campus. I joined and we never stopped playing. Even after graduating, there was always Friday night to get together and play until the early Saturday morning. Also played some other RPGs eventually, great times.
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Great blog 
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My heart skipped a beat when I read your name. My DM is named Jack Harris. he also plays WoW, and watches anime.
strange coincidence, for me anyways.
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On August 24 2012 16:36 PH wrote:
Nice read. How long have you been playing for?
EDIT
Just saw the questions you left at the end...
I play LoL when no one is watching. I used to raid in WoW at a hardcore level as well, though my friends all knew about that and made fun of me dearly for it :p. I also used to be a huge anime nerd (borderline otaku status). I didn't have any real life friends to talk about BW or SC2 with until very recently, either.
I never really hid any of that stuff I did from my friends, though. They all always knew about it. I never really felt ashamed to be any of it, but I did also grow up with the first generation of the whole it's-cool-to-be-a-nerd thing, I guess.
My friends would give me shit for it, but in good fun.
I've been playing for a little over a year now. And that's great that your friends accept you for who you truly are!
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On August 24 2012 18:33 Azera wrote:Great blog
Thanks, Azera! I'm glad you liked it. There's a lot more over at my site http://thehonestlifeblog.wordpress.com/. Please come over and have a conversation with me! Share it with your friend : )
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I really need to find a D&D group where I live. Me and my friends play, but only over the summer when we are all away from school and back in town. Glad to hear the positive effects its had for you and it really is an excellent game!
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Great blog! Nice to get to read about people playing D&D. I literally grew up with it, my brother and uncle used to play tons of it (and MTG, and a few other games...nerds galore). I've never had problem mentioning to others I was a geek (or nerd, but I prefer geek). When I started high school, I didn't really mention it to anyone. 'Till BW got big in my school, and everyone was playing it. Then I was just known to play video games, but I never went into too many details. It wasn't till I got in college, actually, where most of my friends now were as geek or even more as I am now, and we just share our hobbies. I even found a group of friends who loveto roleplay and we occasionally play D&D and other games as well
But you asked a question and it's only fair if I answer:
I'm the guy who loves playing a few hours every day (not many nowadays, ha!) of videogames, be it rpg, rts or turn-strategy. I used to do hardcore raiding in WoW, and it was a reason why I hardly slept in high school. I love Starcraft II, although I've been mostly watching it lately, and dedicating myself to Dota 2, and partly addicted to Civ V. I love boardgames, roleplaying games, MTG. I also like anime and manga, although maybe I wouldn't consider myself an otaku.
And my friends are cool with all of this, most of them do some of this stuff too. Except Dota 2, they want me to switch to LoL with them, haha. I do play with them from time to time though =)
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EPT
