Hi there,

In my first post, I left you with a question. The funny thing about living to work is, it becomes who you are, what you are. You start to find distractions, things to make you feel like you're still alive, a person, independent from the job. But what do you do when it is so ingrained in you that it's a part of what you do outside of the job?

Well let's go into that shall we? I hope you thought a little about that for yourself, it's something I always think back on. My usernames for things like social media are food related. Made sense being a chef and all, and I only did them to promote the business. But then I started doing what most people do these days, I played games on my phone and what do those games link to? Your social media profiles. So next thing you know, I'm a chef playing games. I dabbled with games here and there but then at possibly the lowest point in my life, I found a game that was more about community than the game itself. I had no idea what it was, I was playing cause it had two of my favorite words in it, Star Trek. Obviously looking back, it's Star Trek, of course it would be about the human experience, the community. There I was, a Cook in space. THE Cook in space. My humble nickname was Cook.

In this game though, I became so much more than a cook, more even than a chef. In the span of a few months, I went from a novice who barely understood the game, to leading an alliance, doing diplomacy and war mongering. Recruiting and managing, and showing off this leadership side that inspired greatness in those following me. I loved it, the high I got from the smiles I made from those in my alliance and my allies. That high though turned into what every high does, an addiction. I wasn't interested in doing my job beyond the bare minimum. I wasn't writing my book or doing much of anything on my days off except for that game and dealing with the community. My family knew it made me happy and didn't want to stop me, but I could tell after a while that it was causing issues and tried to limit myself.

This addiction went on for almost three and a half years until some drama happened and I felt that high go away. I was lost once more and knew it was time to move on. As I write this it's been nearly a year and I have no regrets say for not maintaining my closest relationships in the game, say for a few.
Addiction can't always be stopped cold turkey especially without any withdrawals. I still talk to people about the game and even semi keep up with the update videos posted, it's only now in the past couple months gotten to where I don't bother looking at those videos either. This does though beg another question. I love writing, I love reading, I love going outside. All of those are good for the soul and good for the body and good for the mind. So why don't I do them enough? Our world is full of distraction. I was thinking about this long and hard last night. I sat down to dinner and watched a show for 3 hours and didn't even think about my phone let alone look at it. It was a show I watched over ten years ago I was rewatching and captivated like I was watching it for the first time all over again. Yet in the morning I get distracted by my phone and youtube and surfing the web. Heck I'm here writing this now. But I like writing. Not used to writing about myself almost like a journal entry though. Am I boring you or annoying you going into different tangents?

I'll bring it all together now for you. I just finished a book about distractions. I know irony, listening to a book about distractions IS A distraction. But not if you learn something from it or keep thinking about it to every time you start to slide into that distraction.

That game I played, the little things I'm always doing, that's all been distractions, some good, some bad. If I hadn't played that game, I wouldn't have published my book. The friends I made helped me, encouraged me, and pushed me to get it done. They supported and still support me to write the next one and to stay on the bath to improving my life even if I'm not as strong a presence in their lives anymore.

What do I do when it's all so ingrained? Well my job then is over. My restaurant was another victim of the economy and employment issues plaguing society right now and I was tired of killing myself to hold onto every day of a life that was killing me. I only cook at home now, I'm not THE cook now in life. I'm a spirits guy. I can still be Cook to them and be Josh irl. Josh the spirits guy, Josh the author, Josh the person.

Life is about growing, books help us to grow and think outside of ourselves. Enhance our perspectives and improve on our imaginations and outlooks. I'll keep writing my second book, and I'll be writing here. I'll be improving my outlook as I explore something new to me, a place I have never been in. I am here, exploring a new world, a new life for myself. I'm gonna fall down, but I'll get back up.

I'll be reading you ;)

That book I read :You're a Miracle by Mike McHargue