I've been on a sabbatical . . .

To the tune of I've Been Working on the Railroad:

I've been taking a sabbatical
from the game of WoW
Haven't played in o'er a month
you guys should be so proud!

Well actually, I played today. With Jason. First time in . . . ages. We played for two hours, and I remembered how much I love this game, how much fun it is, and . . . how addictive it can be.

See, in the last month I've really been in touch with what we call "rl". "RL" stands for "real life" and is usually boo-hooed in our chat as a hindrance to game play (always as a joke, of course . . . we're not THAT crazy).

I'm not the hard-core gamer I was before Washington, friends. Actually, my little sabbatical started before WA. About two weeks before we left, I just stopped playing. No raiding. No questing. No nuthin'.

Shocking, I know. I'm sure a few of you doubted I had that kind of resolve. =)

I blame Jesus, actually. I think He pulled me away from it, encouraged me to "take a step back" and look at life. Our trip to Washington helped. No WoW for a week. You know what? I didn't even miss it. So when we came home, I just stayed off. Oh, I logged in once or twice to empty my mailboxes and say hi to a few guildies. But the desire to play just wasn't there.

And you know what? RL isn't so bad. In fact, it's quite amazing. Instead of raiding 2-3 nights a week, I now teach 3 nights a week. I spend nap times reading, writing, or sleeping myself. I'm researching digital scrapbooking. I'm sending query letters out to literary agencies. I'm reconnecting with old friends via email and Facebook.

I know this will come as no shock to most of you, but I guess I just didn't realize how much time I spent playing that game. How much time it sucked from other worthy pursuits.

Now, to be fair, World of Warcraft didn't invade my home and hold me hostage. I could easily blame Blizzard (the company who produces WoW) for creating a game so addictive I was simply overpowered. Isn't that the human way? Blame our choices on outside influences?

It may be the human way, but I'm learning it's not God's. I chose to play, and I chose how often and for how long. The more I said yes to WoW, the more I said no to other hobbies, pasttimes, and opportunities.

Well, that's changing friends. Over the last month, I've discovered life outside the virtual fantasy wonderland and I like it!

So now the only thing left for me to decide is what I will do with Imara, Ilyssa, Ijandra, and Ireena. I've prayed about canceling my account entirely. I am still praying. I do not believe the game itself is evil; rather, "moderation in all things." But I'm taking great pains that I don't allow myself to be sucked in again. Can this happy, vibrant "RL" I've discovered peacefully coexist with a little bit of WoW thrown in here and there?

I guess we shall see.