LyricalBookworm

Thank you for the hard work all of you do in maintaining such a beautiful and amazing world for all of us!

I like the fact we can use our own orb as long as it meets the standards and regulations posed by LL. I prefer having a bit of wiggle room for people than having only one option. There are bound to be hiccups on any new venture and patience is always key.

Text all the way since I'm deaf/hoh.

I've always stuck to a budget in sl and rl both. I pay for a premium membership and my rent. That's it. I take advantage of nice freebies, dollarbies, hunts and sales. If I don't have money for something, I figure I don't need it. I don't make the most money and really have to watch finances like a hawk. I don't think I've ever had anyone laugh at me when they realize this fact about me, but I've lost a friendship over it about a year and a half ago. I wasn't able to spend large amounts of linden on a regular basis at shopping events, etc. It stung at the time, but I had to realize it wasn't a real friendship if my budget was such an important thing for them. I would rather live within my means than try to impress imaginary millionaires in a virtual world. I personally think keeping a budget in sl is extremely important because small purchases add up quickly. I may not have a private sim, the biggest house, the most fancy anything, but I'm happy with my sl and that is what counts.

but still the reaper utterly

cats to Cats the musical

or one might find themselves

loudly sing a show tune

and try to steal slurpees

story about the lost treasure

about the historical romance of

served with chocolate ice cream

like him being friends with

of large barnacles and pearls

He kept a diary about

To the OP: I won't claim I know your situation so I can only go by what you type out so please bare with me here. There is such a thing as being too nice. If you're giving linden away, or being someone's constant ear for therapy it can go to an extreme. It all depends on how you're approaching situations. It is setting yourself up to be the selfless and blameless martyr in the relationships you have. That isn't healthy for either person in the friendship. It is harmful because one is wearing themselves thin by constant giving and allowing the other person to constantly take. Friendship is like a scale. Both sides have to give and take for it to actually balance out. You have to make sure you're replenishing yourself of those things you give to others. Otherwise you can become quite bitter towards everyone around you and begin to play the blame game (which it sadly seems is where you have put yourself). I believe in being there for my loved ones. It is important to be there if someone needs you to lend them an ear, to have fun with, to be a source of reassurance. You have to make sure you take time to replenish what has been lost during those encounters though. I've personally learned from experience that I'm a better sister, girlfriend and friend when I have time to myself to regroup. There are always going to be negative people anywhere you go. That is a given in life. I said it before in my last post. Only you can control your own behavior. Only you can control your own outlook. You can allow the negative people you encounter to pull you down to the dark place you seem to be in or you can climb out and get on with things. You're allowing others' behavior to impact your whole existence. From what I've seen here from the replies you've received, no one has claimed to be a saint. One of the most beautiful things I find about humanity is we are all perfectly...imperfect.

Which are great with soup

To the OP: I've been part of SL since 2009. My experiences have been for the greater majority really positive and rewarding. Friendships that were formed in 2009 are still going strong even now. The only difference are those people are family now. I've been very fortunate and I feel truly blessed at the wonderful people I've met along the way. A few have passed on, but I still try to just remember to be grateful because I had the chance to know such beautiful people. The loss hurt tremendously, but I will take that hurt because they made my world all the more incredible for being part of it. Negative experiences have been few and far between thankfully. There is a total of two people on my mute list. There are some unpleasant people out there, but why let that ruin your entire SL? That seems like a rather miserable existence to me. You have no control over someone's behavior other than your own so why not focus on what you can do to make yourself happy? You seem to be in such a dark and bitter place. I've always found that what I put out is what I get in return. The larger majority of people in SL and the forums are a diverse group of people. You're going to get all kinds giving you feedback when you choose to publicly post here. I've read this entire thread and the feedback offered has been trying to help you to see out of the little box you seem to have put yourself into. If you are open enough to take a deeper look at the feedback instead of getting completely worked up about it, it might actually benefit you. I've been reading these forums for years although I've rarely posted. There have been negative moments, but you find those moments anywhere. It is part of life. For the most part though, this community is really helpful. I've gotten so much help here just by reading threads and the residents who post here regularly really do try to give constructive feedback so you can perhaps find a solution instead of pointless pity that only encourages most to wallow even more into the issue they find themselves in. It is entirely up to you of course what your attitude will be. Your SL is seriously what you make of it. If you're determined to be miserable, that is what you will be. If you're actually willing to work on your own happiness and well-being, that will get you out of ruts you encounter in Sl and RL. It is all what we make of it. It is all about your attitude.

food from Yogi Bear's basket

Added you!

Same for me!