I'm currently reading Dance, the Sacred Art. The author suggests writing about how dancing feels. So:
I need to close my eyes and my mouth when I dance. Being in my body still feels mostly sexual for me; I didn't even realize that until I wrote it this minute. And thus it still feels unsafe...my body startles and betrays me by being primarily a tool for mens' use.
I dance small and tight. I don't want to be seen or take up too much room. My dancing is constricted like my life, like my thoughts. I worry about getting the steps done correctly instead of just dancing my truth.
I keep my eyes shut because I do not want to see or be seen. I don't want to connect. I have pockets of terror hidden deep within me. I cannot connect because then you will see my broken places, the places I'm ashamed of, where I've failed or been selfish. And though I know you all forgive me my ruined places, my fractures and wounds, I can't. Not yet. And seeing the love you all extend to me, breaks me down.
I don't know how to move through this relationship with my body. But I know I won't quit, because I believe it's leading my somewhere good.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Cilice
My particular, special pathology is that I can make anything into a weapon to use against myself.
When I take pleasure in working out and caring for my physical body, I am vain.
Selfish for buying clothes for myself.
A trip to a craft store today with my mom reminds me of all the things I didn't do for my kids: I should have decorated more for the holidays, made scrapbooks, did projects with them.
And so, left to my own devices, left alone with myself, the enemy, in a 5-hour car ride, the litany begins.
These are the things that break my heart:
neither of my kids lives with me, or with each other, and their relationship is not strong.
my kids live 5 hours away from me.
the time my son cried, tantrumming in the truck when I wouldn't let him up on the roof with a hammer.
the time I left my daughter overnight in the hospital with she had her tonsils removed, or that bone spur taken off her thumb, I can't even recall.
the abortions.
the divorces.
my ignorance, which seems only to expand exponentially.
I carefully craft a thick hairshirt: these are my wounds. The pain that cleaves my soul. And this is how I choose to define myself.
But if it wasn't these things, it would other things...
Sometimes I'm so tired but I can't quiet the voices in my head that whisper Fail, fail, fail.
When I take pleasure in working out and caring for my physical body, I am vain.
Selfish for buying clothes for myself.
A trip to a craft store today with my mom reminds me of all the things I didn't do for my kids: I should have decorated more for the holidays, made scrapbooks, did projects with them.
And so, left to my own devices, left alone with myself, the enemy, in a 5-hour car ride, the litany begins.
These are the things that break my heart:
neither of my kids lives with me, or with each other, and their relationship is not strong.
my kids live 5 hours away from me.
the time my son cried, tantrumming in the truck when I wouldn't let him up on the roof with a hammer.
the time I left my daughter overnight in the hospital with she had her tonsils removed, or that bone spur taken off her thumb, I can't even recall.
the abortions.
the divorces.
my ignorance, which seems only to expand exponentially.
I carefully craft a thick hairshirt: these are my wounds. The pain that cleaves my soul. And this is how I choose to define myself.
But if it wasn't these things, it would other things...
Sometimes I'm so tired but I can't quiet the voices in my head that whisper Fail, fail, fail.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
The first one
There is paperwork and a questionaire at the gynecologist's office. One of the standard questions is, How many pregnancies have you had?I used to always lie to the people who expected things of me; but rarely on paperwork. I never thought I was accountable to technicians or nurse practitioners.
So, five.
How many live births? Two.
I was always terrified that I was pregnant, beginning about five minutes after every sexual encounter. Please, God, please, God, please. I didn't know what else to pray.
Although I'd had intercourse the first time when I was 14, my first pregnancy didn't happen until I was 22 when my daughter flew down from the heavens to live in my belly for a while before making her grand entrance.
My baby girl was not yet two when she and I moved out of the family home for the first time. She would spend some weekends with her dad and then I would go out drinking with my coworkers and friends. I coudn't bear to be home alone. It was during one such pub crawl that I met Willy: shorter than me with long curly dark hair. He resembled Captain Hook. He was an easy target, so I went home with him.
I liked waking up to his broad back with a white t-shirt stretched across it. I liked that he had his own home and two boys who wanted to be brothers to my baby girl. I cooked meals at that house and we ate dinners together like a family.
But he was short, and he owned a house in a bad neighborhood, and he talked all the time about a band of singers that had died. And he had those sons, that I would somehow become my responsibility. And I was only twenty-three. And I wasn't even divorced yet from my first husband.
We had sex one night at the house I was sharing with a coworker. I had a single bed and my daughter was asleep in the next room.
"Can I come in you?" Willy whispered.
"Yes."
I went every week to get my nails done, because I wanted to be pretty like the other girls who dated Willy's friends. I went to a woman's white house and sat in her white tiled kitchen and watched her manipulate my hands and fingers and I couldn't even speak. I wanted to close my eyes forever.
"You seem different today," she said.
I never went back.
And then I was startlingly exhausted all the time. And hungry. And I knew what had happened.
The lease on the house I was sharing was ending, and I'd worked hard to save money from my $7/hour job so that I could afford an apartment for me and my daughter. I didn't want to live with Willy and his sons in that scary, dirty neighborhood. I'd found an adorable apartment with a long hallway and a living room and a kitchen with a window, upstairs from a deli, and had made a deposit on it.
But now there was this and it would require all of my savings.
I don't remember telling Willy that I was pregnant. I must have told him I couldn't have another baby then and I didn't want to live with him. I do remember the card he left for me at his house with his half of the cost: a Valentine's card that said, I feel like my heart's been ripped out.
I didn't want to be responsible for that.
I sat in a waiting room by myself. There were other girls there too. First there was a pregnancy test and then a counselling session and then the procedure. During the "counselling," a nurse talked about what choices I could make besides termination, and what methods of contraception I could use in the future.
Another choice was awake or asleep for the termination. They didn't call it an abortion. No one stood outside with signs or placards that day.
I chose awake. Awake meant a faster recovery but that wasn't why I chose it. I clung to the idea of not escaping any of it. I had made this mistake, I had to do this awful thing now, and I wanted to feel every inch and minute of the pain involved.
It did hurt. I laid on an examining table with my feet in silver stirrups and stared at a picture of flowers thumbtacked into the ceiling tiles and took big breaths as I'd been instructed until they warned me of hyperventilating. The pain, as my insides were scraped empty, was as big as my shame.
Afterwards I was sent to a recovery room with other girls. I sat on the floor and bent over my crossed legs: I'd read it would ease the pain of menstrual cramps and so it made sense to me that it would help in this situation as well.
I alarmed some of the nurses.
"What are you doing?"
"This helps with the cramping."
I was supposed to have a friend available to drive me home. I lied and told the staff my friend was waiting out in the car. But there was no friend. I picked up my daughter from her daycare and drove us both back to the shared rental house, where I made her ravioli for dinner.
So, five.
How many live births? Two.
I was always terrified that I was pregnant, beginning about five minutes after every sexual encounter. Please, God, please, God, please. I didn't know what else to pray.
Although I'd had intercourse the first time when I was 14, my first pregnancy didn't happen until I was 22 when my daughter flew down from the heavens to live in my belly for a while before making her grand entrance.
My baby girl was not yet two when she and I moved out of the family home for the first time. She would spend some weekends with her dad and then I would go out drinking with my coworkers and friends. I coudn't bear to be home alone. It was during one such pub crawl that I met Willy: shorter than me with long curly dark hair. He resembled Captain Hook. He was an easy target, so I went home with him.
I liked waking up to his broad back with a white t-shirt stretched across it. I liked that he had his own home and two boys who wanted to be brothers to my baby girl. I cooked meals at that house and we ate dinners together like a family.
But he was short, and he owned a house in a bad neighborhood, and he talked all the time about a band of singers that had died. And he had those sons, that I would somehow become my responsibility. And I was only twenty-three. And I wasn't even divorced yet from my first husband.
We had sex one night at the house I was sharing with a coworker. I had a single bed and my daughter was asleep in the next room.
"Can I come in you?" Willy whispered.
"Yes."
I went every week to get my nails done, because I wanted to be pretty like the other girls who dated Willy's friends. I went to a woman's white house and sat in her white tiled kitchen and watched her manipulate my hands and fingers and I couldn't even speak. I wanted to close my eyes forever.
"You seem different today," she said.
I never went back.
And then I was startlingly exhausted all the time. And hungry. And I knew what had happened.
The lease on the house I was sharing was ending, and I'd worked hard to save money from my $7/hour job so that I could afford an apartment for me and my daughter. I didn't want to live with Willy and his sons in that scary, dirty neighborhood. I'd found an adorable apartment with a long hallway and a living room and a kitchen with a window, upstairs from a deli, and had made a deposit on it.
But now there was this and it would require all of my savings.
I don't remember telling Willy that I was pregnant. I must have told him I couldn't have another baby then and I didn't want to live with him. I do remember the card he left for me at his house with his half of the cost: a Valentine's card that said, I feel like my heart's been ripped out.
I didn't want to be responsible for that.
I sat in a waiting room by myself. There were other girls there too. First there was a pregnancy test and then a counselling session and then the procedure. During the "counselling," a nurse talked about what choices I could make besides termination, and what methods of contraception I could use in the future.
Another choice was awake or asleep for the termination. They didn't call it an abortion. No one stood outside with signs or placards that day.
I chose awake. Awake meant a faster recovery but that wasn't why I chose it. I clung to the idea of not escaping any of it. I had made this mistake, I had to do this awful thing now, and I wanted to feel every inch and minute of the pain involved.
It did hurt. I laid on an examining table with my feet in silver stirrups and stared at a picture of flowers thumbtacked into the ceiling tiles and took big breaths as I'd been instructed until they warned me of hyperventilating. The pain, as my insides were scraped empty, was as big as my shame.
Afterwards I was sent to a recovery room with other girls. I sat on the floor and bent over my crossed legs: I'd read it would ease the pain of menstrual cramps and so it made sense to me that it would help in this situation as well.
I alarmed some of the nurses.
"What are you doing?"
"This helps with the cramping."
I was supposed to have a friend available to drive me home. I lied and told the staff my friend was waiting out in the car. But there was no friend. I picked up my daughter from her daycare and drove us both back to the shared rental house, where I made her ravioli for dinner.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
when i'm exercising alone, for instance running or using the elliptical, i tend to get lost in my own brain. last night at the gym i used the elliptical for 45 mins while waiting for yoga class...and began to remember what it is i don't enjoy about being smaller.
i don't like the vulnerability. there always suddenly feels like not much between me and the world. there's nothing to protect me, no shield of invisibility. truly, on a deep level, being looked at and acknowledged makes me squirm. i do it because i'm socialized that way and i must, but deep down it's the opposite of fun.
there's also no protection from myself. if the fat is dealt with, then what? doubtless i will have to face all the heartache i work so hard to avoid.
there's no fix, you know. it's waves...of sadness, and then normalcy, and then sadness again. this is not a plea for help--just an explanation. when i see that tidal wave of sorrow bearing down, i want to run. i am, quite naturally, afraid...but then i double my work. there is both fear and grief to turn and face.
and there is so, so much to grieve.
i don't like the vulnerability. there always suddenly feels like not much between me and the world. there's nothing to protect me, no shield of invisibility. truly, on a deep level, being looked at and acknowledged makes me squirm. i do it because i'm socialized that way and i must, but deep down it's the opposite of fun.
there's also no protection from myself. if the fat is dealt with, then what? doubtless i will have to face all the heartache i work so hard to avoid.
there's no fix, you know. it's waves...of sadness, and then normalcy, and then sadness again. this is not a plea for help--just an explanation. when i see that tidal wave of sorrow bearing down, i want to run. i am, quite naturally, afraid...but then i double my work. there is both fear and grief to turn and face.
and there is so, so much to grieve.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
the *heart* of a slave
One of my favorite books, and movies, is Ethan Fromme. The scene where Ethan purchases the ribbon for Mattie is particularly rending: that such a small thing can be so fraught with meaning.
Subtlety is a lost art.
i recently described my "first" experience with a Master to a friend of mine. Of course, i didn't bother to talk about the very, very first, when i was perhaps 19 and briefly dated a boy, a man, who suggested a D/s arrangement to me. He may have seen my potential even then? but i wasn't ready yet.
but briefly: i was married, and escorting, and in between lovers. this was a time in my life when i did not have the understanding i do now, so i was always baffled by my own extreme sexual and perhaps deviant drives. i was an avid runner then and my black dog, luna, ran with me every day. it was during a run that i realized, or decided, that i didn't even know how to love properly. love, for me, had all kinds of strings and conditions and expectations. my romantic crushes devolved into messes. it occurred to me that modelling my dog's behavior might be closer to the truth of "love." i made a decision to try loving unselfishly, without any expectation of reciprocation.
the next lover i had was more than happy with this arrangement: he could use me as he liked, was never questioned, and was free to see other women. i was learning to expand the boundaries of what i could handle. A. had never been a Master or a Dom but he tried.
needless to say, it ended badly when He lied to me, because that was *all* i had asked of him.
Still, though, the basics of the arrangement ring true to me. my situation at the time was untenable but being the slave i am, i couldn't bear to make a decision myself. A. had agreed to guide me in my decisions and i believed he had my best interests at heart, because he wanted to preserve me as a good slave. {hmmm, so clearly there was still some expectation on my part.}
i've tried almost everything in my life to discover, deny, and change who and what i am. my pathologies span the spectrum from excessive indulgence in food, alcohol, sex, and drugs, to self-harm, bulimia, and various implusive, complusive behaviors.
my family of origin was one of chaos and dysfunction & trauma. i observed a variety of ways to live but never received any guidance; i believed therefore that i had to figure out everything on my own. my mother's example of an independent single mother was the one i had the most exposure to, so that informed my choices as well. i developed into a resilient, autonomous woman.
guess what kind of men i attracted.
men who were not as strong, who admired my strength, who were probably subs themselves.
when i realized that i was, in fact, a submissive, the problems with my marriage clicked into sharp relief. no wonder we were floundering: we were both subs and neither of us was steering the ship.
there are other factors that determined my desire to be a slave. The chaos i always experienced made me long for safety and protection. i tried to provide that for myself over and over but it's just not the *same* as being able to put that kind of trust in someone you know is stronger than you.
a Master has a better, clearer vision for his slave as well as an understanding of who she really is. i happen to be really skilled at aiming low, at expecting too little of myself, of putting my money on the safe bet. A true Master can and will guide his slaves to pursue their highest potential, because it also serves Him well. it seems obvious to me: who wants to own something that's cheap, or ill-made, or of little value?
i truly enjoy serving, and being owned. it may be a choice but once the choice is made, it can't be undone...at least not to my way of thinking. i appreciate being driven to be pleasing. i get a deep satisfaction from being found satisfying. i practice patience and deference. i must accept that i am not the *only* slave; that is a wound that burns but the more often it happens, the less it hurts, and i get to practice that unselfish loving that i believe in. and if a Master does "buy me a ribbon," it's such an appreciated gift, full of meaning...this, to me, is the crux of serving: to be able to do it well, and fully. it's not something that can be pretended.
Subtlety is a lost art.
i recently described my "first" experience with a Master to a friend of mine. Of course, i didn't bother to talk about the very, very first, when i was perhaps 19 and briefly dated a boy, a man, who suggested a D/s arrangement to me. He may have seen my potential even then? but i wasn't ready yet.
but briefly: i was married, and escorting, and in between lovers. this was a time in my life when i did not have the understanding i do now, so i was always baffled by my own extreme sexual and perhaps deviant drives. i was an avid runner then and my black dog, luna, ran with me every day. it was during a run that i realized, or decided, that i didn't even know how to love properly. love, for me, had all kinds of strings and conditions and expectations. my romantic crushes devolved into messes. it occurred to me that modelling my dog's behavior might be closer to the truth of "love." i made a decision to try loving unselfishly, without any expectation of reciprocation.
the next lover i had was more than happy with this arrangement: he could use me as he liked, was never questioned, and was free to see other women. i was learning to expand the boundaries of what i could handle. A. had never been a Master or a Dom but he tried.
needless to say, it ended badly when He lied to me, because that was *all* i had asked of him.
Still, though, the basics of the arrangement ring true to me. my situation at the time was untenable but being the slave i am, i couldn't bear to make a decision myself. A. had agreed to guide me in my decisions and i believed he had my best interests at heart, because he wanted to preserve me as a good slave. {hmmm, so clearly there was still some expectation on my part.}
i've tried almost everything in my life to discover, deny, and change who and what i am. my pathologies span the spectrum from excessive indulgence in food, alcohol, sex, and drugs, to self-harm, bulimia, and various implusive, complusive behaviors.
my family of origin was one of chaos and dysfunction & trauma. i observed a variety of ways to live but never received any guidance; i believed therefore that i had to figure out everything on my own. my mother's example of an independent single mother was the one i had the most exposure to, so that informed my choices as well. i developed into a resilient, autonomous woman.
guess what kind of men i attracted.
men who were not as strong, who admired my strength, who were probably subs themselves.
when i realized that i was, in fact, a submissive, the problems with my marriage clicked into sharp relief. no wonder we were floundering: we were both subs and neither of us was steering the ship.
there are other factors that determined my desire to be a slave. The chaos i always experienced made me long for safety and protection. i tried to provide that for myself over and over but it's just not the *same* as being able to put that kind of trust in someone you know is stronger than you.
a Master has a better, clearer vision for his slave as well as an understanding of who she really is. i happen to be really skilled at aiming low, at expecting too little of myself, of putting my money on the safe bet. A true Master can and will guide his slaves to pursue their highest potential, because it also serves Him well. it seems obvious to me: who wants to own something that's cheap, or ill-made, or of little value?
i truly enjoy serving, and being owned. it may be a choice but once the choice is made, it can't be undone...at least not to my way of thinking. i appreciate being driven to be pleasing. i get a deep satisfaction from being found satisfying. i practice patience and deference. i must accept that i am not the *only* slave; that is a wound that burns but the more often it happens, the less it hurts, and i get to practice that unselfish loving that i believe in. and if a Master does "buy me a ribbon," it's such an appreciated gift, full of meaning...this, to me, is the crux of serving: to be able to do it well, and fully. it's not something that can be pretended.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
what to wear?
When I was younger, kids' fashion was nothing like it is now. When I was very young, my mom *made* most of my clothing, and I had items I loved like a Winnie-the-Pooh jumper and flowered pinafores. I had a pair of black and white saddle shoes.
As a teen, "fashion" was scaled-down version of adult clothes. Tight "designer" jeans and capezio flats.
I was, of course, never comfortable.
I wanted clothes that reflected my personality--but a) nothing like that existed and b) even if it had, I wouldn't have had the courage to wear it.
Today I went shopping at the thrift store: this has been a favorite activity of mine for over 20 years. I found 2 pair of lined slacks that I can wear to the office.
I have certain brands that I like: Eileen Fisher, Habitat, Flax, Sigrid Olsen; but I also look for texture and color.
Just because everyone else is all dressed down doesn't mean I can't dress up, if that brings me pleasure.
A Geiger wrap. Geiger is an Austrian company specializing in boiled wool coats and sweaters, etc.
I found a cream-colored wrap with grommets in the sleeves (hmmm, a specialized straitjacket?) for $7. Clearly I paid way below retail for that.
I also found a very sweet hand-crocheted sweater in a canteloupe color. It's a very serene item, for my grown-up days.
a blue lyric jumpsuit by BB Dakota. I totally recommend going through eBates if you want one. But leave one for me.
and Trixie pants from meSheeky.
I am getting more serious about buying a home. I'm leaning towards a condo, because I don't want to worry about who's going to cut the grass, etc. I want a 2-bedroom place so I can make the second bedroom into a own walk-in closet. My friend Alison did this and I'm so jealous.
I have a lot of fun shopping these days. I'm in the middle of two rough couple of weeks so it was lovely to go today and do something I always enjoy.
As a teen, "fashion" was scaled-down version of adult clothes. Tight "designer" jeans and capezio flats.
I was, of course, never comfortable.
I wanted clothes that reflected my personality--but a) nothing like that existed and b) even if it had, I wouldn't have had the courage to wear it.
Today I went shopping at the thrift store: this has been a favorite activity of mine for over 20 years. I found 2 pair of lined slacks that I can wear to the office.
I have certain brands that I like: Eileen Fisher, Habitat, Flax, Sigrid Olsen; but I also look for texture and color.
Just because everyone else is all dressed down doesn't mean I can't dress up, if that brings me pleasure.
A Geiger wrap. Geiger is an Austrian company specializing in boiled wool coats and sweaters, etc.
I found a cream-colored wrap with grommets in the sleeves (hmmm, a specialized straitjacket?) for $7. Clearly I paid way below retail for that.
I also found a very sweet hand-crocheted sweater in a canteloupe color. It's a very serene item, for my grown-up days.
a blue lyric jumpsuit by BB Dakota. I totally recommend going through eBates if you want one. But leave one for me.
I have a lot of fun shopping these days. I'm in the middle of two rough couple of weeks so it was lovely to go today and do something I always enjoy.
Monday, January 21, 2013
public struggles
Recently, I joined Twitter as per my mentor's instructions.
I had no idea what I was setting myself up for, and true to form, I just jumped in without looking or thinking.
At first it seemed pretty inane...and I didn't really see the point. Very short thought bites, lots of jokes. Lots of sexual innuendo.
I immediately sought to establish myself sexually. Who here might be attracted to me? Who would validate me?
This drive coincided with my monthly temper tantrum about my sexually disinterested husband.
I see a therapist who tells me I overemphasize the importance of sex, and that he believes I am a sex addict.
The DSM doesn't recognize "sex addict" as a disorder.
I talked with a few people, men and women, on twitter, about sex. Perhaps it was flirting.
I didn't feel good about it. I worked really, really hard to not be that girl, the girl who cheats. I appreciate all the other ways my husband and I connect. But on occasion, it pains me that the man I desire more than anyone else has so little interest in me.
It's hard, as a woman, not to internalize that.
I also remembered what I'd been missing. I awakened that crave in myself, the goosebumps and the rushing blood and the excitement and the longing for touch.
My desire seemed HUGE. Disproportionate.
Like a binge.
So I didn't feel good about that, either:I thought I'd beaten that animal drive.
And concurrently, I published a couple of articles describing my very bad behavior.
Critical mass, baby.
I made an appointment with my psychiatrist. She increased my meds when I described the crying jags and the sleeping.
Guess what?
*that* was a fail, too.
It began to seem to me that not only was I about to crash and burn, falling back into the familiar degradation that I so habitually use against myself, but I was going to do it in front of an audience.
I've run away and started over lots of times in my life. I'm the queen of reinvention.
But once you begin to establish a public personality, that's not so easy to do.
And no one warned me not to use my real name on Twitter.
So, today I'm shaking off the grit.
Back at it, fighting the good fight. I am bigger than this, better than this. Like an alcoholic who won't let a bottle of beer run his life, I refuse to allow my vagina to dictate my actions.
I had no idea what I was setting myself up for, and true to form, I just jumped in without looking or thinking.
At first it seemed pretty inane...and I didn't really see the point. Very short thought bites, lots of jokes. Lots of sexual innuendo.
I immediately sought to establish myself sexually. Who here might be attracted to me? Who would validate me?
This drive coincided with my monthly temper tantrum about my sexually disinterested husband.
I see a therapist who tells me I overemphasize the importance of sex, and that he believes I am a sex addict.
The DSM doesn't recognize "sex addict" as a disorder.
I talked with a few people, men and women, on twitter, about sex. Perhaps it was flirting.
I didn't feel good about it. I worked really, really hard to not be that girl, the girl who cheats. I appreciate all the other ways my husband and I connect. But on occasion, it pains me that the man I desire more than anyone else has so little interest in me.
It's hard, as a woman, not to internalize that.
I also remembered what I'd been missing. I awakened that crave in myself, the goosebumps and the rushing blood and the excitement and the longing for touch.
My desire seemed HUGE. Disproportionate.
Like a binge.
So I didn't feel good about that, either:I thought I'd beaten that animal drive.
And concurrently, I published a couple of articles describing my very bad behavior.
Critical mass, baby.
I made an appointment with my psychiatrist. She increased my meds when I described the crying jags and the sleeping.
Guess what?
*that* was a fail, too.
It began to seem to me that not only was I about to crash and burn, falling back into the familiar degradation that I so habitually use against myself, but I was going to do it in front of an audience.
I've run away and started over lots of times in my life. I'm the queen of reinvention.
But once you begin to establish a public personality, that's not so easy to do.
And no one warned me not to use my real name on Twitter.
So, today I'm shaking off the grit.
Back at it, fighting the good fight. I am bigger than this, better than this. Like an alcoholic who won't let a bottle of beer run his life, I refuse to allow my vagina to dictate my actions.
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