Captains Log No.22 _ Master Rez Day 11
Yesterday was my rez day, 11 years on the grid. I don’t think I need to go into detail about how much SL has changed... Just the population of young, black creatives on SL has gone way over what was accessible back in the day. . . I am extremely grateful for this, thought it can be bittersweet to witness at times how the community chooses to represent themselves in these spaces. I think we have a great opportunity in SL for tolerance and acceptance and also to gain greater understanding of our inner emotional landscape safely. There are so many things to explore about how you think and move in certain situations that many wouldnt have the chance to process the way you can in virtual worlds. There is a kind of forgiving essence to it. One thing we all have to remember to put our experience in SL in perspective is that many of us come on here to escape in some ways and also to expand. Upon thinking, upon the imposed limitations of the mundane world... We have a chance to really dream freely.Its something I am so very grateful for. Being in SL as a teen, I spent most of my time with old hippies. I learned so much about life and the world through listening to their stories and experiences. That is one thing I hope will return, just being able to hang out and talk and disagree without disrespecting each other. Simple enough but I’ve noticed lately hard to find...
My return to SL really was prompted and became 10x better because of this man next to me Wav, who also made sure to spend this first rez day I ever celebrated in 11 years, with me. We have a relationship beyond SL and it is long distance, SL provides us a way to feel like we are together as we prepare for coming together in RL. It is really a great platform for that! Anyone in a long distance relationship who wants to do more to experience living and being with your loved one tap in! There is a lot to navigate with all the various personality and plain disrespectful people that you might encounter, for us it has made our communication better and relationship stronger. Exploring SL alone is so much fun, but exploring SL with a friend or loved one is really another level!
So he took me to this beautiful African Restaurant after we had spent the afternoon really tapping into and talking about the importance and beauty of African renaissance and how it is coming into the zeitgeist of the world at this time. We watched a documentary which I posted in my blog prior to this, so good! This restaurant actually had some of my favorite meals from back home! Okra soup with fufu and Lamb! I was in heaven!
“This okra stew is good but n o t h i n g like my ma’s!” XD He bought me some beautiful jewelry that I had been drooling over for a minute now, always knows what I like and he takes time to show he cares. We ended the night at Benji’s place for a low key grown and sexy night out. I didn’t make a big deal about my rez day this year.
Thing is.. a lot of my old friends from back in the day are dead and gone from SL. I was amongst old hippies that lived traveling and following the grateful dead in their youth... The sim that I grew up in is now closed to the public sadly, but it was a historic site where you could learn all about the band and feel like you were living in the times... I cherish those moments and my life at the commune. I lived in a little bubble in my past SL life and through that safe sheltered space I learned of many different perspectives... I was in poetry clubs and hosted parties, DJ’d orgies and naked weekend parties haha.. The most open minded and loving people of the world I found on this... I will hold it so close to my heart forever and ever. Now I am experiencing a whole different life on SL, being a bigger black community available, instagram is a thing that we didnt have back then to connect and share... now I am building a whole family with a zooby baby! I never would have imagined this in the past. I am excited to make new friends and have even more fulfilling experiences building with MY PEOPLE, BLACK PEOPLE, AFRICANS, INDIGENOUS!!! Its a whole other level to what we can achieve for connecting the diaspora together now that people are locked in.
Foxey was wild as they came now as a true Pisces shes surfin Wav and makin waves too. P.S. Shoutout and thanks to Wav for making that day extra special! XOXO