Brushing myself off

I left SL six months ago.

I left because it had lost meaning for me. I’d lost friends, lost my purpose, lost any sense of fun.

This was, and is, a reflection of my feelings RL now – how could it be otherwise? – the pressures of daily life, of frustration with work, and needing to find new direction in my life.

For me, SL was, and is, a distraction, a time sink.

At its best, it’s a time sink that can enrich you and help you find companionship when you most need it. At its worst, it’s the most diabolical tool for lost productivity ever devised.

I came back three weeks ago, because Bethy asked me to, and because I missed her very much. Since then, it’s been a flurry of bonding, shopping, dressing up and contacting old friends. It’s made me want to write again in here, even if no one’s really listening. Being back feels like being with an old friend again. And this blog is such a boon, having the opportunity to touch my self as I was two, three years ago, and to feel that joy that I felt every day when I logged in to get my fix.

It’s still a terrible time sink. I’m still in a not-so-good place in RL, and I need to keep SL in check before it becomes a crutch and distraction from dealing with the things I need to.

But SL still gives me something that I deserve to have as part of my life, and I don’t want to burn out again, and I want my experience here to be positive and fulfilling, just as it used to be. I need a purpose here, so that it’s not just hanging out, and that I know that this too has a path to follow.

~ by Aenea on October 12, 2009.