This is the week of Thanksgiving in the US, and it seemed like an appropriate time to write a bit about gratitude. I try very hard to focus on the positive and to be conscious and thankful for all the good stuff in my life, and I’m not saying it’s always easy, but then so little of anything worth doing is easy. Since this is my SL blog, I’m going to focus on things related to SL for which I’m thankful even though I honestly haven’t been around nearly as much since the World of Warcraft expansion was released.

1. Friends! This one is obvious really. Friends are the reason why many of us keep coming back to SL. From the friends who are more like family now to the people I barely know but am getting to know better, I’m so grateful for all of you.

2. Flickr and Plurk. This is related to friends, and truly everything on this list could fall under that big heading of friends, but these two communities in particular have filled in the gaps when I’m not around SL as much. They’ve encouraged me to share more and to get to know more people who make SL such a fun place.

3. Shine. From the original encouragement from Kavar to even start Shine to all the support from people who buy from Shine, it has been such a gift to me. It’s opened me up to all kinds of possibilities and has served almost like a gateway drug for me to always be working on new tricks for making the eyes and to try creating a wide range of other things too. It’s been so amazing for my creativity and just my general confidence.

4. Ivy Falls. I’m a homebody in so many ways, and I guess that’s part of the reason why having a home in SL means so much to me. I have a place in SL where I feel like I’ll always belong, and that’s a gift beyond words. It’s that place where I can hang my hat and enjoy some pretty furniture and photos, and beyond my own castle, I get to take advantage of all the great things brought to the sim by others who live and work there. My closest friends live next door, and my favorite shop is across the river, and there’s always an event of some sort. Right now, I’m just in love with the snow everywhere and looking forward to decorating for Christmas.

5. Kavar. He falls under that friends item of course, but he deserves his own spot too. I spend so much of my SL time either hanging out in his workshop or exploring places with him, and even when I’m not in SL, if we’re both online, then we’re usually chatting in one place or another. He’s gone from my favorite SL hair designer to my SL bff to a friend I can’t imagine any life without.

Sometimes SL makes me want to pull out my hair with all of its lag, missing inventory, asset server issues, bugs, and general drama, but at the same time, it’s enriched my life in so many small and big ways.