I’ve accepted the fact that I’m only going to accomplish 3 of my 5 goals I set for this year (actually, 4 of 6 when you include My Quest to Blog Every Day in 2015). I’ve already read 26 books and played 10 new board games, so I’m assuming that I’ll do two things: write 30 more reviews to bring my Yelp review total to 100 and post 45 more blogs to achieve my daily blogging goal.

I won’t break 100 on the golf course this year or finish the AFI 100 Greatest American films list, but I’m okay with them being lifelong goals for me.

It’s the board games goal that took me by surprise. Back in January I was bit by the board games bug. Hard. It’s like my love of gaming had laid dormant for so long when it was suddenly awakened on the day I received my copy of Pandemic.

From that day on, I’ve been buying games, playing games, talking games, and enjoying the heck out of my new hobby. My wife and I have hosted a few family game nights and whenever our daughter is home from college we’re playing games on at least one of the nights that she’s back.

One of my favorite gaming-related things I’ve done this year, though, was joining a weekly gaming group. Over the past two months I’ve played dozens of games with cool people I never would have met otherwise. It’s been a fun experience and I’ve learned that gaming has come a long way since I bought my first 20-sided die in middle school.

There seems to be something for all kinds of gamers these days. Whether it’s killing zombies or ruling a dystopian world, using cards or dice, or playing a 10-minute “filler” game or an hours-long session, there’s almost no reason not to game. Even if you’re gaming on a budget or have tons of disposable income, the many price points offer plenty of opportunities to experience something new.

As I’m reminded each week with my gaming buddies, I’ve been fortunate this year to have embraced such a fulfilling hobby.