(I’ve been trying a new writing style lately, not sure how it’s going to work, but it’s been interesting!)

Something big occurred to me last night. This was one of those realizations that can change paradigms. I realized that we, just like Sims, get really sad and tense and frustrated when we don’t get to do the things we enjoy doing.

When we don’t get to follow our interests and indulge our (harmless) desires.

In fact, everything can be going perfectly well — great finances, great job, great house, great relationship — but if my bookworm Sim hasn’t read a book recently or my loner Sim has to be around people for very long or my outdoorsy Sim has been inside for more than about a day — they get absolutely inconsolable and impossible to work with.

So then you figure out how to get them that need. Gotta buy a bookshelf or a musical instrument, gotta go fishing, the need to be alone… must be fulfilled. Or the Sim is miserable and a royal pain to deal with.

And, let me tell you, it is sometimes absolutely excruciating to get Sims that needful/necessary time (doing those things they love). They have jobs and families and houses that break and food to make and showers to take. They don’t have all that much time or energy when all is said and done.

It’s kind of like the book How to be Idle says — it’s SO important for us to spend time being chill and relaxed and doing things we love. If our lives aren’t built around what we love to do then maybe something should change. That’s one of the reasons we bought a fairly sizeable house recently. Because this house should support us in doing the things we love to do.

This house should support is in getting done the things that we want to get done.

(We can have a lovely space that works for us. I know we can build this. I want it to be clean, tidy, functional, useful/beautiful/joyful (at least one of the three).)

Doing the things we love to do, however, is not a big priority in our society.

Just like with everything else good and happy in the world

(unschooling, barefooting, allowing us to Autistic Autistically in peace, etc…)

everything seems to be acting constantly in opposition to our enjoyment.

No wonder people in our society are so damned stressed out.

I knew this at one point, that Hurried Child book talked about it.

How slowing down and chilling out were more like what our systems can handle.

Autistic systems especially.

(I want to live at the end of a lane, in a mysterious house, with strange plants and potions all in my windows, books all over my house, weird talismans about, crystals, statues… And live Autistically, authentically! Or authentically Autistically. Always Autistic Authentically Autistically — them’s the rules.)

I want us to be happy, the way Sims who love working out get happy when they have a home gym (that’s me!). It’s how thrilled a bookworm Sim gets when they have a functional library with comfortable, pleasant seating, and enough desks/computers for everyone to research online (that’s me again!).

That’s how thrilled I want to be with this house.

The Sims taught me everything I need to know about the importance and self-care aspects of strong interests, really. Make sure you take care of your needs, take care of your relationships, and follow your interests/whimsical whims whenever possible because it leads to happiness, contentment, and relaxation.

Just DO what you love and BE who you are ❤

Sims don’t take on other people’s interests, they keep their own. Their own are the ones that keep them contented. Not other people’s, even if they can converse with others about other Sims’ interests fairly coherently (in Simmish, of course).

What matters is that they get that time.

Back in the real world, of course, not enough of us have the time or support to follow our interests comfortably and I think it’s a horrible shame.