The Men Who Have Made a Difference in Your Life

[Panteleeva]

My grandfather who bought me nt first PC.My father ,who tried to save me from my mother while he was far away from me, my first SL partner,who was my RL partner for 1,5 years(still remember how we fixed my PC together,lol).And  my second SL dude,who had heavy trouble in his mind, and soon is 1 year since his death.   

[Scylla Rhiadra]

9 hours ago, Pamela Galli said:

It’s a toss up between Adam Schiff and my husband

The politics are strong in this woman!

Thanks for posting, Pamela! There are a great many reasons to value the company of someone else: intellectual stimulation is right up there.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

7 hours ago, Gregorian Chant said:

He had zero experience as a first-time parent when I was born, but he did the best he could with the understanding and awareness he had

I think that the real virtue in becoming or being something important lies in caring enough to want to become better at it. Everyone is a "first-time" whatever once: it's how, or indeed if, you choose to learn that makes the difference.

Your dad sounds cool, and real. And I'm totally on board with the education thing: it's (believe it or not) one reason why I am here.

Thanks for posting. 🙂

[Scylla Rhiadra]

5 hours ago, Panteleeva said:

My grandfather who bought me nt first PC.My father ,who tried to save me from my mother while he was far away from me, my first SL partner,who was my RL partner for 1,5 years(still remember how we fixed my PC together,lol).And  my second SL dude,who had heavy trouble in his mind, and soon is 1 year since his death.   

I am so sorry to hear of your loss! It's a testament to how powerful and important human connection is that we can care so much about the loss of someone we've connected with at a distance, digitally.

Your grandfather bought you your first PC? My grandfather barely knew such things existed! Obviously a cool guy.

[ThorinII]

1 hour ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

My grandfather barely knew such things existed! Obviously a cool guy.

I kid you not: The oldest man (in RL age) I've ever got to know in SL (back then in '10, with my first account) was just over 90! And he was a DJ, specialized in Hardrock and Heavy Metal, of all genres. 😲

The oldest woman I got to know in-world was Mid-80, and happily showed me her house, with a big gallery of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren -- all of them she would mostly see on Skype or in-world, or at certain holidays in RL.

 

When I compare these two to my own mother though - with her 80 years, she has absolutely no interest in doing anything else on her computer than a few card games, or "Moorhuhn". Skype or other internet-related stuff? No way. She doesn't even want to hear any of that.

Edited November 23, 2019 by ThorinII

[Madelaine McMasters]

1 hour ago, ThorinII said:

I kid you not: The oldest man (in RL age) I've ever got to know in SL (back then in '10, with my first account) was just over 90!

Nine years ago, I posted this story in the forums...

I turned 40 this Summer.

It wasn’t something I’d planned to do, like turn 93. It just happened. I don’t think much about getting old. Like arguing in the forum, it’s a waste of precious time. But lately I’ve chatted with some lovely people who’ve said to me, “I’m just an old so-and-so”.

In the winter of 1998, as I was approaching my seventh wedding anniversary, I got the itch to join a chat group populated by lovers of lingerie. This was to be my first foray into chat about sensual things. I was curious about topics I learned were best not discussed in my own bedroom.

I lurked at first, using the presumptuous, automatically supplied name “Guest”. This did not last long, I wanted anything witty I might say to accrue to my own name and reputation. Maddy was born.

This room, like any other... like the forum, had its regular characters. I quickly learned the map of this little world, who’s who, who’s with whom... and who’s alone. In one corner was a wise owl, a quiet gentleman named Grey. Every time he spoke, it was clear he was a gentleman, and alive... and alone.

Now and then he’d drop a reference to something familiar to me, something that reminded me of my Father. I dropped references from my Father’s life and drifted closer.

There were stories to be told, and I wanted to hear them. I was alone too.

This room had something new called “Private Chat”. It took all of a minute after my first appearance as “Guest” for a little tab to blink at the bottom of the window, indicating someone had already found me attractive. I did not respond. But, as Maddy, I felt compelled to at least say hello and, after learning what “ASL?” meant, to graciously decline invitations.

One day that little tab flashed “Grey”. I clicked it. There was this message:

“Hello Dear Maddy, how are you?”.

I was thrilled.

“I’m fine, ty! You?”

So began a friendship that, for the next few months, would see us exchange the stories of our lives. I hadn’t yet had much of a life, so I borrowed heavily from Dad’s. Grey remembered the Blitzkrieg. Dad endured Pearl Harbor. Grey jumped into a four-poster hotel bed with his new bride on their honeymoon night, collapsing it on top of them and requiring the staff to set them free. Dad watched his uniform and best undies turn to soup in a windmill powered washing machine in which he’d placed them just before a typhoon ravaged Guam.

I learned that Grey was a Dom and had outlived three wives. One of them had been abused by a previous husband and never fully recovered. He loved her gently and kept her safe for the few short years until she passed away. Dad sent money every year to the girlfriend he’d left behind in Hawaii in 1947, and who later sent him letters describing the abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband.

But it was not all Dad and Grey. I had my story of a date with my ex when, late one chilly spring night, I coaxed him into removing my panties on a bluff in a public park overlooking Lake Michigan. We didn’t see the leafless tree in front of us, with its branches reaching out eagerly to accept the gift he gleefully tossed. When the police officer turned into the parking lot with his searchlight (once used to spot German bombers, I’m sure) my panties waved like a surrender flag.

“Yes officer, we’re enjoying the view as much as you are.”

And so it went, exchanging stories with a lovely, lively gentleman who wore a tweed jacket, cardigan and bow-tie for text chat. He was always gracious, and oh so curious. We discussed our careers, our marriages, our sexualities and our places in the world. He had sage advice when I needed it and his gentle flirtation was the perfect thing to brighten a girl's day. Somewhere along the way, he declared me Domme. I chalked it up to the late hour and the glass of wine he’d been nursing all evening, like Jacob Bronowski in BBC’s “Ascent of Man”.

That rainy Spring day when he did not arrive at his usual hour, I occupied myself with the others discussing the day’s pressing matters. Are silk stockings more slippery than nylons? How many body piercings are enough? Which is better, cricket or baseball?

The next day, we discussed other weighty issues and wondered if Grey had eloped with a hottie.

On the third day came the news... Grey had died peacefully in his sleep, at the age of 93.

So, if you think you’re just an “old so-and-so”, I ask you to reconsider. If a 93 year old gentleman can hold the attention of a 28 year old woman, I think there’s hope for all of you...and for me, who now plans to someday be...

93.

[BelindaN]

1 hour ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

 

Probably the greatest and most touching Maddy story ever told.

[Madelaine McMasters]

54 minutes ago, BelindaN said:

Probably the greatest and most touching Maddy story ever told.

Someone once took offense over it, suggesting that I was arrogant to be surprised that an old man could interest a young woman. Never mind that I expressed hope over reciprocating when I'm 93.

Edited November 23, 2019 by Madelaine McMasters

[Charles Blackwood]

@madelainemcmaster

This is one of the most real and beautiful things I have read on the forum. How lucky we are to be able to live in an age when strangers are able to touch each other’s hearts at such vast distances, unobstructed by small mindedness. 
 

You are a beautiful writer. Thanks for reposting this. I did not have a chance to read this years ago as I only arrived recently. 

Edited November 23, 2019 by Marut72

[BelindaN]

Thread drift warning.....

I don't open up very often. But I do have certain beliefs. We are all spirits inhabiting a corporeal body. Here in SL we are all equal.  Age is of no consequence. It was on Deep Space Nine that the shape shifter sometimes immersed himself in the liquid soup of his race, and just maybe that's what the spirit world is like.

Why do I think this? Over my life I have experienced occasional paranormal occurrences. A premonition. A ghost on the drive in daylight of a Victorian woman. Footsteps and knocks on the door after a bereavement. Intense smells following me round the house at moments of almost unbearable stress. Objects coming off shelves for no reason.  I believe that something is going on beyond normal comprehension. It would be arrogant to suppose that I'm being watched over, but my life experiences defy logical explanation.

So your physical age really is of no consequence, and as spirits without bodies here, we can chose to interact without barriers.

Ok by now you probably think I'm  a nut case. ......... well, some of what I've experienced has been unimaginably weird.  Spine chilling, and hairs on the back of your neck weird.

Just sharing that after two glasses of wine.

 

[Scylla Rhiadra]

2 minutes ago, BelindaN said:

Just sharing that after two glasses of wine.

Have a third and get back to us. I want to hear where this is going!

[Charles Blackwood]

11 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Have a third and get back to us. I want to hear where this is going!

Yes. Third glass please but not because you need it but because it is so refreshing to read. I remember my grandmother telling me when I was a little boy that when you walk the street and you hear your name you’ll often turn around and see no one. She told me that those are angels trying to distract us for a split second so that we may after and avoid something in our life. 
 

im on my first glass, so I have some work to do as do you Scylla

[Scylla Rhiadra]

1 minute ago, Marut72 said:

im on my first glass, so I have some work to do as do you Scylla

How dare you accuse me of being sober!

I like that your grandmother seems to have understood the butterfly effect!

(We need a thread on Grandmothers Who Have Made a Difference, maybe!)

[Charles Blackwood]

29 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

(We need a thread on Grandmothers Who Have Made a Difference, maybe!)

You might be on to something.

- thanks for making me laugh -

My grandmothers name was Victoria. And she was allowed to sit with the men at the holiday table, instead of with the ladies because she could keep up with the shots of vodka. 

[Madelaine McMasters]

53 minutes ago, BelindaN said:

Ok by now you probably think I'm  a nut case. ....

You've given me plenty of reasons to suspect this already.

[Garnet Psaltery]

1 hour ago, BelindaN said:

Thread drift warning.....

I don't open up very often. But I do have certain beliefs. We are all spirits inhabiting a corporeal body. Here in SL we are all equal.  Age is of no consequence. It was on Deep Space Nine that the shape shifter sometimes immersed himself in the liquid soup of his race, and just maybe that's what the spirit world is like.

Why do I think this? Over my life I have experienced occasional paranormal occurrences. A premonition. A ghost on the drive in daylight of a Victorian woman. Footsteps and knocks on the door after a bereavement. Intense smells following me round the house at moments of almost unbearable stress. Objects coming off shelves for no reason.  I believe that something is going on beyond normal comprehension. It would be arrogant to suppose that I'm being watched over, but my life experiences defy logical explanation.

So your physical age really is of no consequence, and as spirits without bodies here, we can chose to interact without barriers.

Ok by now you probably think I'm  a nut case. ......... well, some of what I've experienced has been unimaginably weird.  Spine chilling, and hairs on the back of your neck weird.

Just sharing that after two glasses of wine.

 

This merits a whole new thread of its own.  I'd certainly add to it and would enjoy reading of others' experiences.

[Selene Gregoire]

1 hour ago, BelindaN said:

Thread drift warning.....

I don't open up very often. But I do have certain beliefs. We are all spirits inhabiting a corporeal body. Here in SL we are all equal.  Age is of no consequence. It was on Deep Space Nine that the shape shifter sometimes immersed himself in the liquid soup of his race, and just maybe that's what the spirit world is like.

Why do I think this? Over my life I have experienced occasional paranormal occurrences. A premonition. A ghost on the drive in daylight of a Victorian woman. Footsteps and knocks on the door after a bereavement. Intense smells following me round the house at moments of almost unbearable stress. Objects coming off shelves for no reason.  I believe that something is going on beyond normal comprehension. It would be arrogant to suppose that I'm being watched over, but my life experiences defy logical explanation.

So your physical age really is of no consequence, and as spirits without bodies here, we can chose to interact without barriers.

Ok by now you probably think I'm  a nut case. ......... well, some of what I've experienced has been unimaginably weird.  Spine chilling, and hairs on the back of your neck weird.

Just sharing that after two glasses of wine.

 

Not so weird as standing in the kitchen and watching two black shadows pass through your mother at the same instant she felt cold chills and seeing her shiver. I asked her why she shivered, she told me. I told her about the shadows I'd seen. All we could do was look at each other.

Not the strangest encounter I've had or the only shared encounter. But we both agreed it was creepy.

[Gregorian Chant]

2 hours ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

(We need a thread on Grandmothers Who Have Made a Difference, maybe!)

That would make a nice topic for Mothers Day or some such.  I would enjoy reading about other's stories.

I could write a proverbial novel on my grandmother. Heck, it just might meet the NaNoWriMo goal. 

[Luna Bliss]

16 hours ago, Garnet Psaltery said:

This merits a whole new thread of its own.  I'd certainly add to it and would enjoy reading of others' experiences.

Start one!   

Something similar going on @ the Inworld Employment section, in the Psychic Reader ad, but not sure we should invade her advertisement.

 

[Lindal Kidd]

Wait, I wanna hear more about Selene's black shadows.  What happened next!?

[Selene Gregoire]

5 minutes ago, Lindal Kidd said:

Wait, I wanna hear more about Selene's black shadows.  What happened next!?

Other than the two of us freaking out? Not much other than talking about other "events" that have occurred in that house.

There were other odd things to happen in that house (grandfather built it) to other members of the family. Oldest brother said my grandmother (who had passed several years before) was standing at the foot of his bed, talking to him one night. I saw the family dog in the backyard several times after he had passed. I got blamed for my cat walking on the piano keyboard and waking us up in the middle of the night but the keyboard was closed and I'm the only one that played other than my grandmother. Little oddities like that. They didn't happen very often and we never felt threatened so it never really bothered us.

[Mother Mystic]

~a bit late to the thread, as usual. :3

 

Since I have no grandfather and no father and never had, I will give thanks to the many men mom brought home and who turned out to be my only real family and that raised me up.

Couldn't have asked for a better childhood to be honest. Sometimes the people you meet along the road are your true family.

 

I'm also thankful for my two ex husbands that, although didn't necessarily give me the best of memories, granted me the opportunity to enjoy them, as a wife.

I give thanks for my lovers along the way that allowed me to heal them and show them that there's more to life than meets the eye.

And last but definitely not least, I am immensely grateful that I had the opportunity of meeting the actual man of my dreams, the one who rearranged my spirit and realigned my atoms, quite literally, and that revolutionized my world like no other man ever before him. I wish every woman the chance of meeting such a wonderful and otherwordly man. 

Love you 3000, my hiraeth, my dearly beloved B. ❤️ 

 

Edited December 2, 2019 by ErukaVonD

[Scylla Rhiadra]

On 12/2/2019 at 11:04 AM, ErukaVonD said:

~a bit late to the thread, as usual. :3

 

Since I have no grandfather and no father and never had, I will give thanks to the many men mom brought home and who turned out to be my only real family and that raised me up.

Couldn't have asked for a better childhood to be honest. Sometimes the people you meet along the road are your true family.

 

I'm also thankful for my two ex husbands that, although didn't necessarily give me the best of memories, granted me the opportunity to enjoy them, as a wife.

I give thanks for my lovers along the way that allowed me to heal them and show them that there's more to life than meets the eye.

And last but definitely not least, I am immensely grateful that I had the opportunity of meeting the actual man of my dreams, the one who rearranged my spirit and realigned my atoms, quite literally, and that revolutionized my world like no other man ever before him. I wish every woman the chance of meeting such a wonderful and otherwordly man. 

Love you 3000, my hiraeth, my dearly beloved B. ❤️ 

 

It sounds as though your experiences of men have been somewhat mixed -- which is, after all, hardly surprising: people are people, regardless of gender, and they are seldom purely wonderful or awful. I do love that you found something positive to take out of all of these experiences though, which maybe does underline the degree to which a willingness to look and embrace the positive can at least help get us through parts of our lives that might otherwise be purely unpleasant.

And I'm delighted that you've found someone whom you can embrace and treasure in every respect.

Thank you for sharing this.

[Tolya Ugajin]

My father, who taught me that a real man shoulders his responsibilities and tries to make the most of what life/God has dealt him, is friendly to strangers but ready to defend himself and those he cares for if need be, and does most of his complaining while drinking.  Oh yes, he also taught me to curse like a pirate and appreciate really awful jokes.

Mr. Piddington, one of my high school teachers, who taught me that being smart is cool, that intelligent people inevitably have more fun than stupid people, and that the opinions of cretins who resent smart people are not worth fretting over.  Oh yes, and who helped me get my SAT score high enough that I could choose any college I wanted.

My good friend Craig from when I was a boy, from whom I learned that bad life choices start early, that once you've made them you cannot unmake them, and that it's better to stay off drugs and stop vandalizing other people's property before you get caught, than after.  Oh, and that while manufacturing LSD and growing pot may be easy and profitable, it brings far more trouble than it's worth in the long run.

My recently retired boss of 20 years, who taught me to appreciate wine and cigars, and how to best manipulate and exploit underlings with empty promises but fat expense accounts, as well as the fine art of CYA.

Edited December 6, 2019 by Tolya Ugajin