It’s Never too Late to Find your Inner Nerd
It can be intimidating to get into D&D as an adult…or really at any age. When you look up D&D-related channels on YouTube, you’ll find a lot of people who have been playing for at least a decade, or all the way back to the 80’s. For many of you, longer than you’ve literally been alive!
D&D nerds have existed for a long time. Some are more friendly to beginners than others. I feel like it’s my job to say it’s ok to be a beginner, and provide you with as many resources as I can to break through some barriers to entry. (Geez, I’m such a marketer. That is such unnecessary marketing jargon.)
Here’s the thing, D&D wasn’t my mid-life crisis. It was my mid-life awakening.
Playing D&D never even crossed my mind until we were well into the pandemic in 2020. I was 40 years old. I had just been through a late-2019 divorce and I was doing a lot of work to be in a better place to rely on myself for my own happiness, and not anyone else around me. I went through an amazing coaching program that taught me the skills I needed to rethink a lot of unhealthy self-talk (mostly anxiety), and despite the overwhelming disadvantages with social distancing, I was trying to find ways to improve my social life.
Divorce also gave me a chance to take a good hard look at what I really love, not just what I’d entertained myself with for the previous 12 years. What makes me happy? What brings me joy?
I’ve always loved fantasy, magic, other worlds, and adventure. The Narnia books, Lord of the Rings, King Arthur stories, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones are huge on my list. I also go nuts for TV shows like The Magicians, Outlander, Merlin, and Once Upon a Time. And don’t get me started with the MCU and superheros in general.
While my love for those things never stopped, it was somewhat suppressed for many years. I also started writing and journaling again. It had been a long time since I allowed myself to really self-reflect. I even took an abstract art painting course to bring my creativity back to the surface.
All of that being said, it was a perfect storm for me to find something that fit my love for those things and need for a social life. D&D seemed like it fit the bill, so I found a podcast and started to listen to other people playing. I watched YouTube videos explaining how the game worked, and I bought my own Players Handbook to start learning.
And when I finally decided this was something I really wanted to be part of my life, I apparently manifested the perfect partner to go on this new journey with. And life has been a dream ever since.
