The Forum for Limitless Joy

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JOY - A source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something exceptionally festive or satisfying.  [Joy week begins here. Click for this week's Bliss Initiatives.] 

(Note: all images in today's post came from Google images)

So I was hopping around the internet, as I do most  mornings, and I cam across this site called "The Forum for Limitless Joy." The link will take you to the exact page I landed on. The forum in the title refers to something called Instant Messaging Role Playing (IM RP) and the participants were debating the merits of the practice. It turns out there are several kinds of RP and sites to support your fancy. Medieval and Science fiction styles appear to be most popular. I played a little (I was a magic using half-elf) Dungeons and Dragons when I was a kid and this immediately reminded me of this.

My quest over here at Everyday Bliss has been primarily concerned with the real flesh and blood world but I can see how this type of Forum could be a lot of Fun. Take on a completely different persona, try out ways of being that you would never do in real life. Totally entertaining! 

So as I was contemplating this completely made up world my daughter's door opens, uncharacteristically early and she trots into my room and shuts my door. "I need to keep the monsters out." She then does a walk around scan of my room and apparently decided it was monster free. She climbs on my bed next to me and immediately falls back to sleep. (She is next to me as I type this.) Ha! Sweets was in the middle of her own dreaming role play! The second she came into the room she had me completely enrolled. "Nope, No Monsters here! I think you'll be safe on the bed!" As in RP forums, she had created an engaging back story (Must keep the monsters out.) and pulled me right along for the ride.

In this case she was doing all this in her sleep but she is doing it all day long! Just yesterday I was a "Mommy Chicky, Mommy Princess. Baby Kitty, Friend Elephant, Wolf, Piggy and Mommy Caterpillar. In mommy land we refer to this as "Imaginative Play" and it is a good sign of a child's development if they are engaged in this type of activity for several hours a day. In our house it rarely ever stops. 

As adults however, we generally completely give this up! My artist friends have transferred some of this imaginative play into their art work, it could be said I have done so with my blog but it is rare for me to actually participate in some of my own made up scenarios. One time, when my Sweetie and I were dating we pretended we were undercover spies and we played a game to meet as if we were still strangers at this little French Bistro. It was a total blast and we even dressed in "spy clothing" (Lots of black! LOL) for the occasion. It was so much fun! I really can't remember how we came up with the idea but it was innately JOYful to be playing with each other in this way.

I shared yesterday that my girl is my outrageous joy and in this case she can also be my teacher. I have been willing to join in her games, where red riding hood brings cookies for both the wolf and grandma,  Daddy Princesses wear paper bag crowns and baby caterpillars drink banana shakes while in their trees but not in any of my own. I think it may be time to get my spy wear out of the closet!

How about you? Any role playing fun in your past or future? 

Next Post: The Practice of Joy

My 13 bliss virtues are 

joy, order, creativity, passion, whimsy, serenity, inquiry, community, 

romance, gratitude, moxie, humility, and surprise.



This week we are exploring Joy. 

Next week is all about Order.