Changes

Y’know, I was just doing my daily read through my favourite SL blogs when a thought suddenly came out of nowhere and hit me smack bang inbetween the eyes. Nothing is the same anymore.

Well, perhaps that’s being melodramatic. I still have friendships in Second Life that I’ve always had over the last two and a half years. But in some respects even those have changed as life in both SL and RL have took their courses. Some friendships have drifted considerably into limbo, while others have become so much stronger than they ever were for me.

But in terms of what I was doing and what I was used to in Second Life only three-four months ago has completely gone. Friends and aquaintances have left, or otherwise found new people to share their lives with. People I once knew and spoke to and laughed with at my favourite hang out have disappeared, and new ones have took their place. The more talented of my friends have continued to persue their SL careers, becoming more and more well-known and established in other areas of SL whilst keeping their heads firmly buried in Photoshop at the same time. Heck, even the DJ rota at my hang out has changed.

I suppose a lot of this is down to me. I left Second Life earlier this year, gave myself a month or two of breathing space and then returned, more than likely expecting that not much had changed. But just like the real world, Second Life, my friends and favourite places continued to move without me and so it was obvious that nothing was going to be the same.

The question I ask myself is wheather I’m *happy* with these changes at all. The main answer would probably be ‘indifferent’. I don’t believe I’m in the metaverse long enough throughout a week now to keep up with these changes and change with them, and so I’ve accepted that things are always going to change and that I probably won’t be around when it happens due to a very busy RL and other priorities.

In some respects this makes me really sad. Those of my clostest and oldest friends in-world are some of the best I have, and that’s including out of my friends in RL too! I will always be in contact with them most days, mostly over MSN or Facebook. But it makes me feel sad that we won’t be hanging out in the same old way anymore, making silly banter and taking funny photographs in Second Life. Y’know, making more fond *memories*. Well, I guess there is more of that to come – but it feels sad that we’ve all moved on with our lives and we won’t have the opportunity to make as many memories as we have in the past.

In another respect I get a sense of warmth and comfort knowing that my friends are happy, despite these changes and realisations. It’s perfectly healthy to meet new people and gain new experiences, and I wish them all the happiness and good luck in both their second lives and real lives.

I just hope that one day soon we can manage to come together again for some more fun times.