You hear a lot about how the internet is making the world smaller, yet we don't know our own neighbors. How internet games destroy marriages and ruin lives. How it's this vice, etc, etc, etc.
But I used to play one online game four or more hours a day. Being stuck at home, it was my window into the world. I met lots of nice people, including a married couple who played this game, just like my hubby and I. I'll call them by their character names, since that's how I met them. Muriel and Dig were living in Oklahoma, which is where I was born. Muriel was pregnant at the time and home on bed rest. So the game was her window into the world as well. We were in the same guild, and struck up a friendship.
When her daughter was born, we started talking on the phone. I learned a lot about infants just by listening to her over the phone, and asking questions. We talked about a lot of other things as well, and the friendship only grew.
When her daughter was almost a year old, Muriel and Dig planned on moving out to Kansas with one of her high school friends. They were going to split rent, and household chores, and she was supposed to get help with her daughter, so she could have some free time, possibly a job as well. I was excited for her, and we continued to talk after the move. It didn't take long to see that the grass wasn't greener on the other side of the fence. I listened to her frustrations as Dig and her both looked for jobs, finding nothing, and desperately trying to keep up with bills and feed their daughter. I was just as nervous as she was every month, fearing things would end badly. Of course, my hubby heard all this second hand from me as the days turned to weeks, and months.
5 months after they moved to Kansas, we were talking about them moving in with us. Now, we bought a house, and are still paying on it. It's 2400 sq ft. Three bedrooms. I had one as a sewing room which was never used, and one as a guest room which was used twice. So I could see turning one into their room and one for the baby. We'd share a bathroom or two (given one has a tub and the other just a shower). And since I am home anyway, I could help take care of the baby, now 16 months, and she could get a job.
We knew it wasn't going to be easy. Realize, while we've talked for 2 years, we've never met. There's a lot of trust bringing strangers into your house. Especially with a toddler. But we talked it over, and kept everything realistic. Both my hubby and I knew the job market sucks right now, and it might take a while to get them both jobs. But as July hit, it was clear they would not be able to make rent, and would end up on the street if something didn't happen.
End of July, we drove to Kansas and packed out van with their stuff. They followed with their car, a UHaul and Dig's parents' truck.
Now, it's been a little less than a month, and we're still adjusting. The cat seems to have bonded to the baby, and Muriel and I are still friends. I think my hubby is the only one still not certain about all this. But, things are working out well. Dig got a job already, though it starts the end of September. Muriel is still looking, but she -can- look, which is something she hasn't been able to do with the baby, until now. I'm learning to be a nanny. And when it's all said and done, I think we're all happier. Dig is working on the back yard, and Muriel is a fantastic cook, so I'm actually eating better than I have in a long time.
So, now you know. An online game changed my life, and my hubby's. And probably Muriel and Dig's, and their daughter's. Sometimes, it's all in how you play the game. What your priorities are. If you're only out for yourself, that's about all you're going to get out of it. If you play a game to make friends, you might just find some.
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