Tomorrow’s 2016. 2015 certainly has been interesting. Despite the link below’s prompting, I know, realistically, that I’ll be the same person tomorrow, but, unlike earlier years, I think that’s OK. This won’t be a terribly detailed retrospective, but I do hope it’s a peek into what I’m thinking about and will be thinking about in 2016.

This year has had its ups and a few downs, but, thankfully, the ups were way up, and I think I’ve grown as a result of the downs. Late in the year I decided to be more mindful of all I’ve got to be grateful for, besides the obvious things like family and health.

It may sound strange, but sometimes I feel like good things have slowly started to increase in frequency around me. That might not be right. Maybe I’m just better able to notice what’s going on.

That’s not to say that the world has been all good things and happiness. I’ve just decided that my reaction to events, if any, and even direct actions taken continue as I’m able to sometimes step out of my comfort zone to help. I may not be loud, but I am aware of many things.

I’m thinking that, in the coming year, that I’ll share a bit more of the people and events that I see doing good, in ways I like. Next up is an event I’ve been following and supporting for the past couple years, Awesome Games Done Quick, which is a charity marathon, raising funds for Doctors Without Borders via their Summer event. Doctors Without Borders is a very important organization, especially in these days of conflict in various countries. How the money gets raised is what drew my attention. They play games. Not only that, but they play them as quickly as possible; they’re speedrunners. This takes place at hotel ballroom and is broadcast live, around the clock, online.

There are donation incentives, such as entertainment and even physical goods, given away during the event, and cool things, like commentary during runs,sometimes involving the very developers of the games being run in some cases (as their games break due to the skill of the  runners…)

Some of the runners and commentators are as entertaining as, or even more than the games they run. It begins this Sunday, January 3, which is why I’m mentioning it now. I’ll be watching as much of it as I’m able while it’s live during this coming week, and I’m already following a similar marathon that’s focused on a single universe of games, the Zeldathon Hope, which ends its current event this Saturday.

In case it isn’t clear, I do like to watch gaming streams, whether it’s speed running or not, and if it’s for a good cause, that’s definitely of interest to me. I’ll try to bring attention to the marathons I follow as they approach during the year. That these event can raise pretty hefty funds for their chosen causes is very important to keep in mind. Passionate fans can do good things, and even if a person can’t give, just spreading the word can help.

I do hope to see more of the above types of events, even as I work on my own fan-supported activities; there was a new Star Wars movie unleashed on movie theaters, and already, things are in the planning stages for a fan group I’m in, Saber Guild, that are related to it. We’ll see how that works out once our own active seasons approach, and there’s an upcoming convention in London this summer that I’m sure will be pretty exciting as well.

Last, but certainly not least, let me wrap this up by saying that I’ve met, and spent much time with friends, old and new. Sometimes, it feels like not enough, but every time, I felt lucky to share the company of others, even being an introvert and all. If you’re ever wondering why I’m sometimes quiet, it’s just my time to recharge as best I can. This year, I attended my first Foo Fighters concert (certainly hope it’s not the last), but I was not alone; some excellent luck allowed me to move to a spot near some good friends. Of all the concerts I’ve been to, this one sets a high bar for energy.

This year, I’ll be attending a few more cons, and some which cover more of my interests, such as anime and gaming. Star Wars Celebration, WonderCon, and even San Diego Comic-Con were all fun, but a bit more relaxed for me this year.

Here’s to a good 2015, and to what will surely be a fun 2016 as well!

inspired by A Brand New You, Effective Tomorrow