Coping with the Loss of Flight

After the ‘accident’, though, it wasn’t just my wounds that caused me pain. I could hardly believe that I couldn’t just take to the air anymore, and that put me into a big depression for a long time. Nobody around me thought I would ever be happy again, until somebody I met in a Krawk Island tavern told me it wasn’t so bad...

He gave me 5 things to do or not do to help cope with my new life:

1. Don’t try to forget

The harder you try, the harder you make it. Instead of pretending to be freakishly happy, accept that what’s done is done. It may feel bad, but it’s only a tiny fraction of what covering it up feels like. So don’t – just ease yourself back to normality (or happiness, at least).

Also, make sure you don’t throw away or abandon anything that relates to or reminds you of flying, such as a winged petpet, flight-goggles, or simply a place where you used to go to soar around. I own a Dragoyle (a winged, Meridellian petpet) whom I adore, even though I’m still jealous of him. Even though I can’t use them anymore, I still wear my flight-goggles – and they’ve sort of become part of my character. And, even though the remote peaks I used to soar up to in minutes takes half a day to reach by foot, I still go there from time to time.

2. Don’t shut yourself away!

Locking yourself in your room and refusing comfort from family and friends is about the worse thing you can do. Family and friends probably want to help you, and you’ll only upset them by shirking away. Maybe it’s better sometimes to have some time to yourself, but make sure you make it crystal-clear to everyone if they’re making you feel worse. If they understand that and truly care about you, then they’ll leave you alone. Just don’t lock yourself away, don’t become obsessed, because that could make you insane (trust me, I’ve seen it happen before).

3. Your happiness doesn’t depend on your flight

We like flying because it gives us the feeling of freedom. When you’re down in the dumps, an exhilarating flight over the hills (or wherever you live) soothes the pain a little. If you are, by any chance, attacked by a monster while walking in the woods, just fluttering out of the way could save you from lots of pain. When you’re asked to go and get some milk or whatever, you can just jump out of the window, stop by at the shop, and return within minutes, making the ability of flight extremely helpful too. But when you think about it, do we absolutely need wings? No. It’s an awesome thing to have, but our happiness depends on it as much as a bike to ride on, the ability to run very fast, or a shop just across the street.

After listening to the mysterious guy I met in the tavern, I took up racing and swimming, and joined a campaign against petpet cruelty. I won’t forget about flying – sometimes I still dream about it – but I remind myself it isn’t so bad after all.

4. Don’t nag your owners to change you back

If you had asked to be transformed into a neopet without wings and changed your mind later, all asking for another new look will do is upset your owner. Sure, if he or she has a healthy bank account, they may not mind changing you back, but this isn’t usually the case. Potions and paintbrushes generally cost a fortune, and – what’s more – extra neopoints spent on you is unfair to your siblings (if you have any, anyway). If your owner is worried that the loss of flight is affecting you too badly, they’ll probably guilty or harassed. It’s a good idea to put aside your own troubles for now, and tell him/her that they don’t have to repaint or remorph you.

On the other hand, if you didn’t exactly want to be changed in the first place, your owner should seriously consider buying a green Uni morphing potion, or something like that, for you. Still, if you’re very selfless or like your owner lots, you will tell them that they don’t have to.

5. Let out your feelings

Don’t bottle up your emotions – let them out, whether it’s onto paper, through your voice, or even by just punching your pillow. If you’re a good writer, you can consider writing a novel, poem or short story based on what happened to you, or an article like I have. If you’re more of the artistic type, you can paint a picture or sculpt something about it. If you like charity work, perhaps raise some neopoints for pets or petpets in need… and so on. Just do whatever you’re good at or like. ^_^ Not only will you feel better, but you’ll have something to be proud of too.

And I guess that’s it. I hope this article helped you rethink your thoughts, or, if you’ve not actually lost your wings (or had any in the first place) I hope it’s made you understand a little of what it all feels like. See ya then! Remember to neomail my owner about anything!

Note to the mysterious guy from the tavern: I really hope you don’t mind me publishing this, especially under my owner’s name, because by the time you see this, it’ll probably be too late. I also want to say a big thank you for talking to me in the first place. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be depressed and sulky… maybe even insane.