Why come back?

You act like leaving is a divorce or a break up.

To me, I have never left, it seems like most of the folks who have left around here and came back just needed a little ‘time apart’.

Totally different and perfectly acceptable.

One may leave because of circumstances outside fluther.

One may leav because one is fed up with certain jellies and return because one misses certain others.

One may be able to live with nor without us.

I came back because it’s fun and informative.

My participation here has waxed and waned over the years; sometimes I had too much other stuff going on, sometimes the activity here did not keep my attention. I never disabled my account or left in a huff, though.

I have witnessed such behavior in various online communities. There are people who expect too much from others – especially virtually anonymous people – and then take it personally when they do not live up to those expectations.

I was in a very close-knit social network community that I joined about the same time as Fluther when the iPhone came out, and I did make an emotional investment and became attached to the community and I was disappointed and hurt several times until I learned to take these interactions objectively, as essentially random chit-chat with strangers over a common topic. I let it flow around me like a river. If someone and I really ‘click’ then a friendship can be pursued in private.

A break can have nothing to do with the site at all, real life events take precedence, that’s exactly how it should be, it’s only a little old website after all.

I’d never even consider leaving or taking a moment’s break because of another user or any circumstance directly relating to this place.
I don’t care enough & would consider that extremely weak, horses for courses though.

Fluther & jellies both evolve & change. Thing’s that irritate today may amuse you two days from now.

Same answer as @dxs‘s

I dropped out for a year or so but came back ‘cause I missed the environment and my few PM “relationships.”

I’ve never left, and when I do leave situations I never return. I’m either in or out, no middle ground for me. Almost 4 years of Fluthering for me now and no plan of leaving.

For stability in my life. Fluther is always their/there.

there:-)

In that case, why stay? :p

Depends on the reason why a jelly left, and why they then want to come back. You can’t chalk it all up to one deifnite answer, and anyways who gives a shit lol.

Some people leave because their lives get too busy for a while. Then, when their situation changes again, they have more time to come back and participate.

^^^ Right, this has been my reason on occasions, too busy but not forgotten.

I became a little disillusioned with the place after the big changes to the site but then I also started an engineering degree so it was mostly just not having enough time to spend hours here like I used to. I never really left though and probably never will. I’m just active again right now because it’s holidays and I’m procrastinating from packing and moving.

Time, energy, health and a multitude of life circumstances, shape the choices we make. I have never “left” and actually do check in everyday to see if I have any “questions for you”.
Like @hearkat says My participation here has waxed and waned over the years.

I do not have the time, energy or health to spend a lot of time here right now, but I like this place and at this point, I don’t intend to leave.

I’ll be back!

Perhaps hoping that cooler heads prevail?

It is, overall, an interesting site with a variety of viewpoints that, if you are like me, you do not get normally. I seem to hang around in the physical universe with others who think/act the way I do with little variation. Here I can get opposing, sometimes interesting, viewpoints and learn things I didn’t even know enough to ask about.

Right now I’m going through the same situation described by @downtide. My brother’s marriage is on March and I am busy with the arrangements, so for a couple of months I will be busy, but again after that I will be back as usual.

^ That isn’t actually leaving, it is more akin to taking a hiatus. You plan to return, which is different to someone leaving with the thought of being totally done with Fluther, but changing their mind and returning.