Hello, everyone. Hopefully everyone is having a good day.

Today marks the two year anniversary of the passing of Silky, the first cat I ever had. Losing him was hard. Our family had dealt with the loss of another cat of a cat who had feline leukemia, but Silky had been a part of the household for nearly fifteen years.

Shortly before the cat died, I went to see Alice Through the Looking Glass in theaters, and its message about being grateful for what you’re given while you have it proved to be quite timely for me. Alice initially sees Time (who in the film is a living being) as a villain, especially since she has lost a beloved father at a young age. But by the end of the movie, she sees Time as a friend, someone who gives before he takes. In a broad sense, I was going through the same thing with my cat. I was upset I was losing him (and I still get very sad about it), but I was thankful that I was able to have him for as long as I did.

If you’ve never been here until now, this is a place for “serious” discussions. And they don’t have to be “sad” things either. Sexuality, masturbation, concern of relatives and friends, other issues–all are fair game here.

So, without further ado, here are the (current) guidelines:

1. Be respectful. That goes without saying.

2. Keep discussions “serious.” We have plenty of other places to joke around around here, but sometimes people are in a place when they’re in a need for a hug instead of a yuk.

3. Try your best not to make anyone feel worse. In other words, if someone says “I’m worried Trump is going to start a war overseas,” don’t respond by saying, “Yeah, he’s definitely going to.”

4. If politics and/or religion are brought up, do not try to turn the conversation into an argument. We have other threads for that. This is a safe space and should please be treated as such.

5. I’m not a leader bean, so tend to the mods if there are any issues, but I’m pretty confident that everyone will be nice here.

6. If you bring up something controversial and don’t wish to have it turn into a debate, please say “I’m not looking for a debate here.” If someone says this in their post, everyone please respect that.

Well, that’s it. Have a good night, everyone!

Choose kind.