I met Kristi in the real life at a convention party a few years ago while I was networking my pants off trying to make new friends. Like most people you meet at first she was nice and friendly. Very likeable. However she became one of those people who I actually considered a good friend after getting to know her a little bit more as we met at other conventions and events. There are plenty of people who are looking to climb on ‘famous’ people’s backs, others who want to network in efforts to increase their own brands, and some who downright won’t even take the time to talk to folks if they don’t have a certain amount of subscribers or followers. Yeah, it sounds crazy but I’ve experienced it first hand. Kristi isn’t one of those people, she is one of the rare genuine streamers out there.
Just recently she wrote a blog post about her personal life. It was very open, honest, and I appreciated the heck out of it. So you might be wondering why I’m writing about it here. Because to me it talks about a part of being a healthy gamer that we don’t often see. In the online streaming world it is very hard to balance streaming, networking, hustling for more subs/follows/donations, and having a life. Her post explains one of the largest reasons why I’m no longer in the “Twitch hustle”. Once upon a time I may have had hundreds of subscribers and I was aiming to be one of those top streamers that everyone knows, but it was affecting my personal life and I had to make a choice. I choose to be a father to my daughter and to continue my work in charity with both this website and OSD. That meant I was not able to continue devoting time and effort into being successful on Twitch. However I was able to start being a much better dad almost instantly. I was lucky to randomly meet my now girlfriend who supports me in the many ways that I need. Living with my PTSD and dealing with my failing health, I honestly didn’t ever think I was going to find someone who would deal with my shit. Somedays it is hard enough to love myself, right?
Anyways I wanted to share her story with you folks. I wanted to say that I understand waiting to be with someone for more. I understand how you’ve made your choices and from what I understand it sounds like you’re good with them. Looks fade, but someone who is intelligent, funny, and ambitious all sound very sexy to me. Someday you’ll stumble into someone that just fits. Ying and Yang and all of that shit. Until that time don’t worry about people wondering why you’re still single. It doesn’t matter. But at least now you can just give them a link and tell them to read up instead of repeating it over and over, right?
This is the link to her blog post: Crash into Me
This is her Twitter: @Unholy Temptress
Check her out on Twitch sometime! UnholyTemptress on Twitch!
Oh and tonight on the stream? The good luck part is about continuing to navigate life. Like the boat out in open waters, I wish you luck as you continue on your journey of life. Wherever it may take you.