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The Empty Chair

As 2019 ends and 2020 is about to begin, I reflect on how this year has changed me. I began the year essentially the same as I had spent the past 10 years - with an unbalanced focus on SL vs RL. The difference with 2019 is that I have lost quite a few friends, but especially sadly I have in the past 6 months lost 3 family members (2 just in the past 3 weeks), all while I played with pixels.

 

So, why do I mention this? Because one of those family members who passed away was my father. And, while we weren't especially close, I really wish I had spent more time with him. But instead, I limited my time with him so that I could get back to my computer and play with pixels in a virtual world. And, ya know what? That's just plain wrong.

 

Don’t get me wrong. I do know that there are real people behind the pixels. But I also know that some of you have a real life that you don't particularly like. So, especially if you have family members who either love you or in some way depend on you, you are doing them (and yourself) a real disservice if you dismiss them to play on your computer.

 

Don't wait until they're gone to come to the realization that the Empty Chair was yours.

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Uploaded on December 25, 2019
Taken on December 25, 2019