Why do we Relay in SL?

Some of the discussion I love talking about, well besides why they Relay, and why Relay in Second Life, is why Second Life in the first place? Why do we love this world?

I've been here in various forms since the spring of '07, and at the time I was 46, single, and living in small summer tourist town, so the winters were long and boring with all the weather. So falling upon Second Life was a blessing for me. Since those days, I've explored this world, and I admired the creativeness of this place. All the way from the sims and clothing, I loved the way you can express yourself in your avatar shape and species.

And I admired the community builders of this world, the people that bring people together. From about '08 I've always hosted at clubs, I just love creating fun.

Just under 3 years ago I found this small semi private club and I fell in love with, all because of the owner. She built this with a foundation of providing a safe place for it members, whom were all child avatars, whom all understood the Term of Service for Second Life.

Along the way, in the beginning I didn't realized I was also explored myself. When I first landed in Second Life, I quickly made my way though all the perverse places and found that rather shallow and self serving and role playing just wasn't my thing.

But I did met a few interesting souls that set my course in new directions, and I have never looked back. My course were those places were helping people was part of their philosophy. That's when I was hooked on Second Life. And that's when I began exploring me.

Was about this time, I met someone that was a male in a female avatar and openly admitted it, and that really peeked my interest. After many amazing discussion I set on and new exploration. I've been a little boy, a little girl, when through the teen years, when to high school even.

Having gone though a second child hood in both sexes, Then I grew up, again, and began exploring my sexuality. I'll be honest, sometimes I did tell my partners, sometimes I did. And yes, in all forms, straight, bi and crossed. Human and non human too just for good measure but it was always me and going on in my life within context of who my avatar was at the time.

2009 I got laid off from my career as a mechanical designer, designing automation equipment for the automotive industry and returned to school for a quick upgrade on my IT skills I developed as a designer. But I wasn't having a good time of it and knew I needed a change.

SO I dove into the one place I knew I could find the answer, Second Life

In the fall of 2010 I created a female avatar, but was pretty much done with my sexual exploration and began my exploration of what really was my passion of life which bring me to the club I've been hosting these last 3 years.

It had several factor I already knew I loved about myself. I was a place that first provided a safe environment. A place that I could plan, create and organize, which are other skills I enjoy using. And the membership were all long term 2nd lifers who knew who they were, and that was important to me. So openly shared their real life with each other, some never left their character, and we all respect that in each other. So were child, some teens, and even a few adults, but we all respected the our collective moral and ethical values. The other major love of the club was it was half Euro people and half Americans and that was awesome. I just LOVE the international aspect of Second Life!!!

My very first friend I met with this avatar was in her last days of Inflammatory Breast Cancer and was the most amazing death I ever witnessed. She planned it all out in both worlds, arranged to have her young daughter come in world, for her life's celebrations to her friends in Second Life were she wrote the most amazing / profound piece I ever hear from such a young soul. That change me forever. (reaches for tissue again)

In the month before her final days, I ask my members of my club, to send her their prayers and well wishes to my friend, and was approached my approached by a club member and told me she is a 21 year old Leukemia Survivor and is still in the trenches today. She's amazing. I love her like my own daughter. That's one thing I never expected to find here. When my friend died, I took up her cause and began spreading the word about Inflammatory Breast Cancer and in so doing found more places doing the same for they cause and I was truly reborn in both 1st and 2nd lives.

And that when I found Relay in Second Life,
and through Relay I found who I am,
and what I really like to do
and I am working on both sides of the keyboard doing that very thing.
and Bain was born,
and born to Relay.

But I'll get more into that in another post. For now I would like to conclude this with, in my exploration of life with 2nd lifers, I discovered that these are some of the common reason many people of Second Life love this place I think.

It gives people with limitations of life, be it because they live in place where they have of extend community who think like they do. Or people that are on the moved. Or people that just have that creative need. I could go on, but you wrap that with peoples want to Relay, and I think there you have one of the common reason RFLofSL is so well loved as well, because no matter where you are, you CAN RELAY!

I hope you enjoyed my little journey back to my past and back again.

Bain Finch