‘Come gather ’round people

Wherever you roam

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown

And accept it that soon

You’ll be drenched to the bone

If your time to you

Is worth savin’

Then you better start swimmin’

Or you’ll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin’.

Yeah, not a blogpost about a destination I explored, nor about some art. But a personal note. Times are a-changing, as Bob Dylan sang (a tad before my time) and he is still right.

As with all things, life itself doesn’t really change but the way you deal with it. Previous goals need adjusting, expectations either were met or not, and it is not really in my nature – or character if you will – to just sit about and keep holding on to ‘the good ol’ times when all was better and easier’.

Surely, I have my reservations and doubts on ‘new-fashioned stuff’ and I may not be the typical early adopter of many trends, but I am always willing to try them out and do my best to keep an open mind. This goes, of course, for real life and Second Life.

For me, and I am not alone in this, a lot of changes happened in my comfortable real life. Losing my job, after almost 19 years of being a loyal employee, was one of the biggest and scariest. That by now is turning into all kinds of exciting opportunities, so no worries. But there is more, of course. Like..aging. Getting older. Getting reading glasses, spotting more and more silver hairs in my dark hair, being tired as hell on Friday-night…and so on.

I sometimes think I age in SL too of some sort. Not in terms of looks and all, heh…Caity just got a mesh body and looks like new, well and she is, so thats not the issue. The issue, well, not even really an issue but more of an observation; Caity – me – has grown up. Developed into a character with some sort of life of her own. Her routine, the things she likes and does. And she went with the flow. Not always jumping on each new trend, some trends went over her head and some just took some time to adapt, but she did. I think that is why she is still around. And alive and kicking, after over 7 years. It may also cause me to use my blog for some more personal, self-reflective posts as well – rather than just exploring. A blog..changes too!

Recently, coincidentally a few old friends returned to SL. People from Caity’s past, as in: they left SL years ago and now they suddenly surfaced. They left before mesh got introduced, they know nothing about windlights, phototools, the merge with teen grid, the Zindra content and mostly: mesh.

First, I admit, I was thrilled to see them returning! My good old friends, I missed them so much! YAY!

But now, a few weeks later. I don’t know. I still love them, they are good people and lovely to talk to, but….I found out Caity has obviously moved on in SL while they were away. I developed my life, my habits, I changed my ways of living SL and for the people returning…I am not the Caity I was when they left me in 2009 -2011. They log in, being all from that time. I tried to help, guide, explain and for the technical stuff (mesh, pathfinder etc) I can, but the emotional changes Caity has gone through and the change of my way of living and enjoying SL, it seems impossible to explain.

I have, by now, let go of 2 of them ‘oldies’ and fear I am about to lose the last one too. Because we just do not..connect anymore. They will find new friends, new people with interests they like. I sometimes feel bad my SL changed so much, during their years long absence it seems they do not fit in anymore, but….isn’t that how it goes in RL as well?

I am thorned between the happiness of that awesome feeling of lost friends returning, and then realising…our paths are too far away from each other now, and reconnecting seems impossible. I may need to let go and wish them well. I hope they wish me well too. Times they are a-changing.