Animal Crossing.

Animal Crossing is my small wins. This game helped me get through when my son got hospitalized back in October 2020. Late night at the hospital, along with the beeping sound of IV machine (that usually goes, “beep beep BEEPBEEPBEEP BEEEEEEEEPPPPP” every 2 hours), midnight visits from the nurses (can somebody enlighten me why paracetamol needed at 2 AM in the morning?), and the whole ordeal of not knowing what we are facing during that time.

“Look, I dig a fossil!”, “look! I catch a fish!”, “look! I catch a bug!”

The fall leaves, the snow, the aurora. All the things I never experience in real life.

It’s a game. A mere game.

Yet it helps. It gives me confidence and assurance that I can do something. I able to catch a freaking coelacanth in-game, so I definitely can do something in real life, right?

Or helping a wisp to collect its spirit pieces. Helping others can be done across dimensions.

It doesn’t have to be Animal Crossing. It can be your favorite game or your hobby. You can even get small wins from Minesweeper if you are really really good at it (don’t look at me. The mines always exploded on my third step.)

You wake up every morning and brush your teeth. Small win.

You tidy up your bed. Small win.

You woke up, feeling like an utter living turd, yet you soldier on with your life. I’m hyping here for you. Yaaaaaaaas, show ‘em what you got.

Even when you don’t feel like it, when you feel the need to stop and take a break. Take a deep breath and exhale. We are here with you.