Every once in a while, just when you think things are running smoothly or at least as less chaotic as possible in all your lives, both real and virtual, something out-of-the-blue happens to turn all your worlds upside down.  Life gives you a big, unexpected wakeup call to the important things you might be neglecting in your your daily rush to be the perfect boss, employee, spouse, parent, friend, Second Life resident, etc.

This past week, just after hearing the news of sweet HollyJean's brain aneurysm surgery, I was admitted to the hospital for my own health concerns -- a sudden respiratory illness that produced asthma-like attacks of which I had no history and that were quite scary and debilitating.  Leaving my real-life five-year old daughter in the hands of my husband a week before she was scheduled to start Kindergarten and RezLibris in the hands of our webmaster Eirene right before the September issue was due out, I had to trust that my duties could be done without me while I concentrated on the job of getting better, not an easy task for one who has a hard time relaxing in either of her lives but one that had become immediately necessary.

I learned some valuable lessons from this experience, the hard way, you would say.  I learned that nothing is more important than your health, your family, and your friends.  While I still worried about my daughter while I was away and how the September issue would be finished, I knew that there were people who were there to help and ease my worry so that I could concentrate on getting better.

In Second Life, just like in real life, things happen that aren't planned.  When we are given a reality check, it's time to count our blessings and thank those who make both our real and virtual lives special.  I know I will return the favor to these people when they need me down the line, but, for now, I want them to know that it meant a lot that they were there when I needed them.

Virtual reality checks aren't fun, but they are necessary to make you realize what your true priorities are in the worlds and lives where "sweating the small stuff" too often get in the way.  So big deal that my iphone was stolen from my bedside on the fourth night of my hospital stay to add to my ordeal.  Although it really hurt to think people can strike you when you're down that low and that it only helped a little that I now have a better model, the main thing is that I'm home, feeling better, although not recovered completely, and able to tell the story.  It also gladdens my heart to take a quick glance, (could I even consider not peeking?) at the September issue this month, and seeing what a fantastic job my staff is doing.  I guess I've trained them well but not too well that they won't need me again when I'm better.  Just checking.  No sweat. I feel better already.  HollyJean and I have to put on our dancing shoes and celebrate big time when we're both back.