Simple Joys

What is it that happens to adults that we find it harder and harder to find joy in our lives? Sure, we have the burdens of finding food, clothing and shelter for ourselves and those we care for but surely the burden is not so onerous that we cannot find simple joy in things?

I've been watching my son with interest over the last few months and I am constantly delighted and surprised at just what he can find joy and happiness in. Pulling a silly face at him can make him laugh himself silly. A few nights ago I was lying on the floor when my wife came over and I asked her to help pull me up. Alex squealed with delight and "helped" push me up. I then collapsed back down so he could do it again and for the next ten minutes I was pushed and pulled into a sitting position by my son and wife while he laughed himself to the point of tears. He has also taken to dragging around a tunnel that we have for him. He drags it from one room to another, laughing and smiling all the while.

The simplest things are an absolute joy to him and I love watching him enjoy it and as a result I find myself finding joy in these things, too. This causes me to ponder my initial question: what is it that happens to adults that we find it harder and harder to find joy in our lives? Is it the burden of responsibility? Is it the influence of the modern media and marketing? Or have we simply taken for granted the world around us and can no longer see the simple pleasures it has to offer us?

I know there will come a time when nothing I say will be right and I will be the very definition of un-cool but right now I am one of the most important things in his world and I am going to enjoy it for all its worth. Knowing I can make my boy laugh with just a silly face or playing peek-a-boo is possibly the most wonderful thing in this world. I thank my lucky stars for my beautiful son. Through him I have re-discovered a beauty and joy in the world that I had previously lost.

Activate interlocks! Dyna-therms connected! Infra-cells up!

Form Voltron! "And I'll form...the head!". Ah, Voltron. Yet another icon of mis-spent afternoons in front of that irradiating device we call television. I remember watching Voltron as a young boy and marvelling at the way five robot lions or 15 different vehicles combined to form a giant battle robot that could smite all before it. I preferred the Vehicle Force Voltron over the Lion Force team due mainly to the fact that the Vehicle Force team had planes, helicopters and trucks (the naval force portion were lame). Hell, the robot's feet were a pair of cars! He could skate along on those things (an important consideration in the early '80's). But still, even the Lion Force Voltron was pretty cool.

And now my favourite miniatures company, Privateer Press, have fed my childhood fantasies once more by releasing a Voltron Miniatures game! Based on their Monsterpocalypse system, Voltron: Defender of the Universe pits Voltron and a force of Galactic Garrison cruisers against the evil Prince Lotor's Lo-tron and their force of Skull Ships. The two forces battle it out over one of two maps representing either a supernova remnant or a comet flying through space. Medway and I got to play some games last night and it was fun. They've done a great job with the game and it does play like battle-scene from Voltron. Voltron consists of the 5 Lions in their "Alpha" form and can form up into Voltron while the evil forces have four Ro-beasts and Lotor's Command Ship that can form up into Lo-tron. The Cruisers and Skull Ships can be used to secure resources on the map such as power crystals or satellites or you can throw caution into the wind and have them try and blast the enemy robots or ships.

I lost both of the games I played last night as both Voltron and Lo-tron but it was still great fun. The dice just didn't like me and no matter what I did, I just couldn't hit anything that had a target number of 5. What the hell is it with 5? I also demanded we have a store rule that if whom ever is playing Voltron doesn't call "And I'll form...the head!" when they move into robot-mode they owe everyone in the store a drink. You still owe us all a drink, Medway! But I'll settle for one just for me...

Heh. Lots of fun. Form Blazing Sword!