NPC

I walk the same trail nearly every day that I walk.

It never gets old—tall trees, as many as 6 different fruits to pick up along the way and munch on, a magical creek, and I can just walk there from my home, no driving required at all. It's at least 3 miles and 20 floors of elevation, so it's a perfect exercise block too.

This past weekend I was sitting in a tree net someone has rigged up over the creek, and realized I knew the girl sitting under the net by the water. We got to talking about her relationship, and I reflected some key aspects of her wisdom back to her.

I saw her a few days later on the trail and she said "I told my partner 'god sent me a messenger in a tree net!'" And we laughed, but it's true.

The day after the tree-net, a man complimented my hair and then began my walk with me, and I led him off the trail to a secret place, and that's when I got to thinking—I might be an NPC.

I never did really resonate with the Main Character Energy thing. And I've hated hearing "ascended spiritual conscious" people referring humans who haven't been to expensive workshops as "NPC's" (non-player characters), noting their inferiority and asleepness to "the truth."

But I read a lot of Lao Tzu, and I think if he was here today, he would say "the wise consider themselves NPCs."

What is more of the Way than getting out of the way? What is more of the Way than merging with the Way until the Way is all that's in you?

I often say that those who work with me do so for the way in which I am not a self.

It's rare that anyone gets to talk to no one.

When they're alone, they talk to themselves.

When they talk to someone else, that person is a whole person with ideas and opinions.

When they talk to me, they get to talk to nobody, and that's when they can really hear themselves.

Post-healing, post-transformation, I am a pulsing, living organism with priorities along the lines of all mammals, and not much else going on. I am not striving. I am not trying to be right. I am not on a journey or seeking treasure. I am enjoying this here and now existence.

I am hanging out on the same trail, and I'm programmed for a few simple interactions, designed to send players on side-quests, designed to get them exploring more of the map.

Who wants the burden of Main Character Energy?

I'll settle in here as an NPC.