My comfort zone

There’s nothing in the box, and while there are many like it, this one is mine.

I’ve been trying my best and staying strong for what feels like ages. No matter the pain, trouble, challenges, or problems that crop up, I attempt to brace for impact and then push against the headwind. Fatigue inevitably sets in, mental, emotional, and physical. Sometimes I snap, especially when it comes to emotions, and erupt unvarnished opinion from my perspective on all those within screaming distance. The pressure vents, and I try to pick up the pieces. When mental and physical stress pile too high, I retreat to my comfort zone.

It could be playing a game I’m familiar with and don’t need to invest much mental energy into in order to achieve success, but honestly that’s fairly rare for me. Far more often I end up watching something, turning my brain on passive and letting the images wash over me. Could be one of any number of genres that I dive into and forget the world with, and for years I didn’t critically assess what I was watching or how it was making me feel. Of late, I’ve had the opportunity to be more physically than mentally drained, so the critical faculties are still firing while I’m trying to relax.

I’m sure most of us have guilty pleasures and indulgences we’d rather not have the world be aware of, because it might come back to harm us in some way. Well, I’m going to drop my guard here and now and be real for a second. Being a storyteller and author, my perception of character/world development, plot arcs, plausibility within a given fictional framework, and probable paths within a narrative are more advanced than my family and some of my friends. I’m not trying to sound egotistical. Some of my friends are far more advanced readers than I’ll ever be, and I defer to them in their many areas of expertise. Because of experience, I flinch and make commentary when the media I’m consuming crashes and burns, or even just faults – if I’m being critical.

Weak or non-existent plots, poorly formed characters, imbalanced scales of power in favor of the protagonist, obvious fan service, and other typical red flags whip by without raising alarm when I’m in my comfort zone. Action, romance, comedy, or whatever has me amused is doing its job so well that I forgive everything else. We don’t need to be serious or strong all the time. Love what you love, flaws and all.