Fear, while a natural part of the human experience, should not dictate the course of our lives or the depth of our connections.
Ethical vs Consensual Non-Monogamy
Semantics and labels can be vital and useful. They are shorthand, a code that lets us simplify and communicate complex ideas. I think there is so much good to be found in debating the nuances. Of course, labels can also be limiting, and debates around semantics can be weaponized, but this is not that.
Polyamory and New Relationship Energy
People often talk about NRE as though it is some kind of gold-standard of relationship joy. Our cultural mythology tells us that those feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, obsession — those butterflies of excitement and fear are the indicators of real “love”. Comfort, contentment, and ease within a relationship — particularly in popular media — are often devalued. We seem to mistake contentment for boredom.
Polyamory - When Challenges are a Catalyst for Growth
My Time with the Tiger King: Doc Antle
When I finally left, part of me knew how ugly and wrong that place was. I had seen too many things. I was also unable to fully cut ties. I never spoke up against Doc. I even went back there a decade or so ago. I smiled and was friendly, and swallowed bile, because I wanted so badly to see the animals, and his children. I had run away, saved myself, and left them all to fend for themselves. I knew it was a horrible, damaging, dangerous place, but I also missed it terribly. My memories of that time are full of intense cognitive dissonance.
Post-Pandemic Polyamory
As vaccine rates rise, and we tiptoe towards herd immunity, the tensions we have held in our hearts begin to shift. For most people, polyamorous and monogamous alike, dating hasn’t been a safe or responsible thing for over a year. Now, though, people are beginning to gather. Of course, we still have to be careful. We are not past the need for masks and distancing, but we’re getting there. The world has possibility again.