Merry Christmas

This holiday has been busy and hectic and went by faster than any I can remember. So, today after a unusually crazy day, I decided to really try to focus on the sights and sounds of the holiday season. The  music, the lights and even the horribly over crowded stores.

It is interesting how being purposely conscious of something gives you a whole new perspective. For the first time all month, I actually noticed and even enjoyed all the madness that is the holidays. I hope everyone takes even a little bit of time to really soak it in. After all, Christmas 2014 will never come again.

Merry Christmas to all!

A great night

I must say that Sir and I had a really great  evening tonight. I always enjoy being with him but I especially enjoyed it tonight.  I feel like we really were able to communicate effectively.

We talked about what is going on in our lives as well as our situation. It comes down to that we are both doing what we feel like we need to be. I As usual, he was candid and matter of fact. I know he doesn't like disappointing or causing me pain but knows he can be honest with me or at least I hope he does. I wouldn't want it any other way.

We talked about why we are who we are and why we are ok with that despite it not being the normal or easy. It also realizef that we are a lot more alike than I  thought yet also oddly complementary.

While things have been difficult, I told him that it doesn't change anything for me. I still want to do the things I commited to. I will continue to do them because I want to and it's important to me. It's my choice and it feels right to me at this moment in time. 

I understand that life can ebb and flow and I get so much satisfaction knowing that I can rise to the challenge of whatever may come, good or bad. 

Right now, at this very moment, I am happy and feel good about how things are. It's just another twist in our unique journey.

. 

 

Finding Peace

I am not a religious person, especially when it comes to organized religion but I go through phases of being somewhat spiritual. Recently, I've been trying to get back to that.

The last 6 months were tough being fraught with death, loss and unwanted change. Unhappiness, suspicion and irritability became my go to emotions. I wasn't always a very nice person and could even be downright mean. Sir, who has been dealing with struggles of his own, was getting exasperated with me and I seriously feared my intense need to control would drive him away. I got caught up in trauma and petty arguments. This was not normal for me and I didn't want it to be! I was pretty miserable. 

I guess I just got tired of being angry, resentful and worrying about things I had no control over. Something had to change. I started to read everything I could about finding a happier life for myself and learning how to let go of the outcome. It would be hard but living how I had been would be way worse.

As I started my quest for contentment one word kept coming into my mind. Peace. If I could figure "peace" out maybe I could be the happier, kinder, gentler person I want to be.

Peace is what? What is Peace? What Peace Is..

1. Peace is actively accepting what is happening. No comparing. No judging. No fixing. No living for the future or grasping for a different reality in a way that brings undue or unwise strain to your person…Because you are not any of these things.

2. Peace is an act of solidarity with oneself and with all beings and matter. I am not my thoughts or my circumstances, but I am part of all that is. Space and things and thoughts, all of these relate to each other as distinct realities but not separate ones. When I breathe air from the space around me and take it in, something is shared with me and I share something with it. WE are a collective harmony that sometimes is experienced as disharmony, and sometimes not, but we are a true tapestry. It is great gift to intentionally submit to this unity and mutuality, to be aware of it and to embrace it consciously. There is wisdom that flows from this intentionality and its fruit is peace.

3. Peace is more than acceptance and solidarity though. Peace is loving kindness for all beings and for all things FOR their distinctness and FOR their togetherness. True humanity is innately loving and can be found in this level of consciousness and skill alone. Until I can love all things for their freedom to be unique and for their ‘lack of freedom’ in their connectedness, I am always reacting out of something other than my true, highest nature, which is loving kindness. 

All that is not peace in me comes from living down to a lower impulse and it is this lower impulse-fear, hate, anxiety, too much of a good thing- that promotes fracturedness and uneasiness. Loving kindness brings me into harmony with my true self, with who I am and peace is the sign that love has made its home in me where it is destined to flower and grow. Where there is love, I am being my true, distinct self as part of the larger connectedness I share with all beings and all things. 

I'm not sure how much of that makes sense but it made sense to me as I was writing it. I would love to say that I've become this totally zen being who always sees the glass as half full but that wouldn't be true. I still struggle every day. Despite that, I'm starting to learn to chill out a bit. To think before I overreact or become defensive. I'm learning to forgive my mistakes and shortcomings. While I regret any pain they caused anyone else, I don't regret the pain they caused me. All of it made me who I am and led me to where I am today.  

And at for this exact moment in time, where I am is not a bad place to be. 

 

The Joys of Self Exploration

Self-Play, or masturbation as it is also commonly called, is an avenue for self-discovery, self-pleasuring, experimentation, learning, and even acting out fantasies for your partner. It is the safest form of sex. It is also the least expensive (you don’t necessarily have to take yourself out on a “date” beforehand).  This is true even if you do buy yourself a nice, fancy toy to play with once in a while! It's all about you :)

Fantasies drive self-play. Watching porn or reading erotica can be the source of your fantasies or they can be from your own mind (especially if you have a vivid imagination like I do!) Even writing-out your own fantasies as stories can be very stimulating. Some people find that self-play is a great time to map out strange or unusual fantasies they have. I personally love to do this.

 

If you are interested in having a sex toy collection, that can be an endless source of erotic fun. There are so many different things out there. You just have to start researching and trying them out. Whatever it is that you decide on, it is important to keep them good and clean at all times. Silicone toys are by far made out of the best material for sex toys. They are non-porous and made of a completely bacteriologically inert material. They can be boiled up to 500-degrees Fahrenheit and any cleaner or disinfectant can be used on toys made of silicone, be it alcohol, bleach, or anything else. Because of their expense, buy silicone toys only after you’ve experimented with non-silicone, less-expensive versions of similar toys and know exactly what you like. The silicone versions you purchase later on will last you years, if not for many years to come!

Mild sensation-play additions such as nipple or clitoral clamps for mild S&M can be a lovely addition to your session of self love. For me, these touches add to the general atmosphere and excitement of self-play!  

Now you don't just have to use sex toys. I have found many everyday objects like kitchen utensils, small bottles, celery sticks, cucumbers or even lit candles have brought me amazing pleasure! The kinds of things you can come up with for inspiration are endless! 

 

Keep in mind that many objects or toys that are new to you may have a “learning curve” before you discover their full potential. Many purchasers of kegal or Ben-Wa balls for instance, report not really “getting it” until a few attempts. So, keep at something a few times, and really sensitize yourself to what other ways you can move/flex/position that toy to produce a different effect till you get that “aha” moment!

Sensual self-exploration and discovery is part of the rich potential that is inherent in self-play. Just keep trying different things that you suspect may be expressions of your fantasies, sensations that you haven’t fully explored, or new kinds of objects or toys – all should become members of your arsenal for bountiful adventuring!

 

To summarize, self-play is more than simply pleasurable, it is part of your exciting sexual journey. Take your sweet time. Set aside lots of time to really explore yourself and your body’s possibilities. You have millions of erogenous zones! Take time to visit several of them and good luck making it last!

Well, when you have permission of course :)