The Home Invasion

“Just a spoonful of sugar
helps the medicine go down
in the most delightful way.”

I recently watched Disney’s timeless classic, Mary Poppins, from which the song “Spoonful of Sugar” hails. As a child, I thought the tune was very catchy and I liked the idea of medicine tasting like strawberry. As I’ve grown older, I understand the importance of finding fun in daily life, in things that, on the surface, seem to be no fun at all.

In today’s world, we work and go to school longer hours than ever. We live farther from our daily activities, and consequently, have longer commutes. When we actually do get home, we then have to clean, cook and run errands. And once we finish all of this, is it time to rest and recreate? Often, no. Due to technology, we can be reached anywhere at any time, so if something breaks at work, a client needs something ASAP or a last minute editorial clarification is required, cell phones, email and instant messenger are ready to “save the day.”

With all of these pulls on our time, it is very hard to find time for fun with family, friends or even alone. Is it any wonder that games are beginning to show up in the strangest of places, like on our cell phones or advertisements? Or coming from a different angle, that people are beginning to have entire social networks through games, rather than “real life”? Is it a surprise at all that we are still looking for our spoonful of sugar 41 years later?

This week’s issue of The Escapist, “The Home Invasion,” addresses this phenomenon in our lives in two ways. First, we are introducing some sweet expansions into the universe of The Escapist. Check back this Friday for the first of our additions, and a chance for us to get to know each other better. Second, our writers this week expand the idea, from Allen Varney’s introduction of a new currency for our harried lifestyle, to Mark Wallace’s discussion of the new leisure class. Enjoy this week’s issue of The Escapist and then maybe “let’s go fly a kite…”

Cheers,

Julianne Greer