Filthy Casual for Life

Life is fickle. One day, it gives you a friend and the next you’re left standing there wondering what the hell happened.

Context. I have been playing an OLD online game called EverQuest. When I say old, I mean I originally played it back in the early 2000s. I met a person in the guild I joined. They were nice and welcoming and helped me out quite a bit. I went out of my way to befriend this person.

Then it started.

The incessant complaining about other guild members. The paranoia that people were talking behind their back. The jealousy of other players and their popularity. The accusations of gatekeeping, conspiracy, and favoritism.

I did not see any of these things, nor did I believe they were happening. Despite it all, I tried hard to see past this person’s negativity. After all, it’s just a game.

It was becoming harder and harder to find common ground. Then, one day, another gaming buddy in the same guild was promoted to officer. That same day, they quit. I don’t want to get into the nitty gritty other than to say I got a message telling me to take care and that they were quitting.

Fast forward a few weeks later, and someone found a Reddit post on a throw away account bashing the server with the SAME, almost identical, gripes. I immediately knew who it was. My husband knew who it was. My best friend knew who it was. Other guild members knew who it was.

All this to say — disappointment.

This is the second time, in my adult life, a friend turned into a stranger. I’m not saying that is a bad thing. Not every person that you cross paths with are meant to be a friend for life.

I have learned that there are still adults in this world that act like children. This is a great example. Instead of enjoying the GAME (emphasis added), they focused on creating drama. Life is too short to harbor such negative feelings over something that is supposed to be fun.

So, I end with this. I know they might come across this post someday, and if they do, I want to wish them peace. I wish you peace so that you may move on and find happiness in something that doesn’t cause you to lose enjoyment.