It took me a month to write this...

This will perhaps be my final entry for this blog. This space has helped me through a major life crisis, and has seen me through some of the darkest moments of my life. It has helped me critically analyze my thoughts, actions and behaviors in a time of desperate isolation. I have tried, over the past two years, to be as honest as I could here, that is, to the extent that I was aware of my own self. I realize now that there was so much more beneath the myriad levels of surfaces that I barely began to scratch in this endeavor. As I see it, this blog was created in an attempt to harbor my secrets from my husband. In a way, I wish I never created this site. I wish that I had just been more forthcoming with him on that trigger-day when I decided that I was attracted to M -- the man from work who started this whole mess so long ago.

And now that it is too late for childish wishing, now that my marriage-in-infancy comes to a close, I find it appropriate to also bring this medium of communication to a close. My life is changing drastically, and I have a tumultuous path ahead. It may be months, years, or maybe never... for me to fully grieve and mourn my loss of losing the man I believed for so long to be the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I know there are those readers out there who truly despise me for what I have done to my husband. I have broken his heart, this is true. But what is less observable is that my husband and I were of one heart, at some point, and so that broken heart is also mine to bear. It is so much easier to label me as perpetrator, as evil-doer, as cold-hearted bitch. And for those of this mindset, I offer nothing but compassion because it is apparent to me that the experience of pain runs so deep that it blinds us all to the true healing power of kindness.

Before I say my farewells however, I shall attempt to explain my current state of mind, state of living, and state of affairs. I have moved out of our home, back in with my parents. H and I have filed a separation agreement. We are sorting through the finances, and we have been living separate lives for almost two months. I suppose you could say we're taking the necessary steps toward divorce. Financially, it's going to be tough, probably for a few years, but manageable. I seem to be fortunate in that I am ably-employed, and so long as I continue to be able to work on my feet, I should be able to maintain my household without being dependent on my husband financially.

I am continuing to see YoungMan, despite all the advice of well-intentioned friends, family members and online self-help articles. I am seeing a therapist on my own to work through many of these relationship issues that I have recently discovered about myself, in light of what has happened with H. I am overcoming a dark & powerful, yet thankfully brief glimpse down that wretched alley of suicidal thoughts. I am battling the difficult judgments of disapproval, shame, and disappointment from my closest loved ones, and attempting to get through it all with some modicum of self-respect.

Throughout my relationship with H, I had been living multiple fractured lives. The "me" that I was with him was different than the "me" I was with friends, and different still from the "me" that I was with family. Sure, we all may show different faces of our selves to various people, but in this case, I don't feel I had an integrity of self that carried on strong from person to person. I merely reflected the roles that I thought others wanted me to perform. I found out too late that the "me" I was with H was someone I didn't want to be. And with all the dishonesty that I had built into all the relationships around me (from the time I was a child) I was able to live for far too long, in a skin that I, in actuality, did not want.

I've learned about certain emotional needs that I have. Needs that I was never aware existed, and so easily ignored. Needs that determined how happy I could be, and how happy I was. H fulfilled many of those needs early on in our relationship, but because I wasn't fully aware of which emotional triggers were most important to me, when a lack began to develop between us, I didn't know how to identify the problem. My lack of understanding then translated to my inability to communicate those needs to my husband. His lack of empathy for my unhappiness also led to a further drifting apart of our closeness -- our bond that should not have been so easily severed. These were seeds that had been sown two years ago, long before I ever let my heart stray into another man's open arms.

I know that there is a pattern I have now set -- a pattern of abandonment, where I leave the ones who love me. In every major relationship that I've had, it always ended because I strayed and chose to leave. In fact, in retrospect, I always subconsciously chose to leave first, and then I cheated, in order to leave the relationship for good. It was as if unless I cheated, there would be no good reason to up and leave the amazing person I was with. As if, I had to force myself to do something extreme and Unworthy, to make that other person not be able to stand to remain with me any longer. And if, for some miracle, that person decided that they wanted to stick around, then I still pushed the envelope and said goodbye. I think I'm starting to understand the reasoning behind all of this twisted behavior. I think in the past I've always chosen lovers who I knew would set me on a pedestal. I knew they would cherish me and hold me as if to never let me go. Given my independent nature, this is a surefire way to race down a path that feels constricting and eventually terrifyingly trapped. A coworker once said to me "damn, you're dangerous." Upon asking for clarification, he replied "well, it's like this: men fall in love with you too fucking fast. Right away they're head over heels for you, aren't they?" And as I thought about it, it's true. Or at least, it's true that they think they're falling for me. H -- 2 1/2 weeks and he tells me he's in love with me. FunBuddy -- 3 times of having sex together and he admits to thinking he's falling for me. CoworkerFriend -- slept with him once and he told me he completely understands why someone would want to marry me, in order to wake up next to me everyday. 5 Past Lovers going back 10 years -- all within a few weeks of spending time with me, they're in love, visions of happily ever after, and in fact a relationship always follows. Is it that I am so flattered by this love-at-first-sight mentality that I allow myself to be swept away by the romance of it all? That, despite any reservations I may have, I pursue a relationship because it simply feels so good to be loved? Perhaps it is true. I suppose now I seem to be questioning whether or not that's a stance to accept as a relatively healthy one to have, or to reject it as an unhealthy approach to relationships altogether. I really don't know, but I'm working on it.

The website, Marriage Builders was so helpful to me in understanding why my marriage got to where it is now. Ironically, a website that's supposed to help me fix the broken marriage that I'm in is actually more helpful as a tool for establishing guidelines for a future significant relationship. One of the things I've alluded to in this post that I've taken from this doctor's theories is the idea of "Important Emotional Needs". I urge anyone who even questions the stability of their relationship to read these theories. The writer clearly and succinctly outlines what he perceives as the things we search for in our relationships, that ultimately determine our happiness, feelings of love & loving others, and solutions to typical problems that arise from not having these needs met. The thing that surprised me the most was that throughout the progression of my relationship with H, I became less and less self-aware, as though H's love for me numbed my sense of self-growth and personal progress. When I read the list of emotional needs, I identified mine rather easily, and yet was surprised at what they were. Even more surprising was how accurate they were in the elements that were slipping away in my marriage with H. I can't help but question if I had known these things earlier... if I was more in touch with my innermost feelings, if maybe I would have had a better time communicating with H, and maybe it never would have come to this. However, hindsight is always 20-20, and the reality of the situation is that it has come to this. We are in fact here at this juncture, and I am in reality, a survivor. I hope that at some point my H and I can become friends and sort through what we've been through. I don't know how possible that is, given the intensity of our relationship, but I would like that eventually.

Right now I am focused on regaining my sense of self-control and self-awareness. I'm taking the necessary steps to move forward in my life financially, healthfully, emotionally, and relationally. My new relationship with YM is amazingly fulfilling, and I find great joy in spending time with him. I'm experiencing brand new levels of vulnerability that are challenging for me, and frightening. But I'm aware of it and able to head it off at the start from turning into indifference and emotional distancing. He's able to read me so easily and can sense my every reaction, in ways I've never experienced, or felt so welcomed with another person. I have the feeling that our future is bright, but I'm not going to fall into my typical trap of envisioning perfection at every step. I've learned to accept my need for "imperfect space" -- the ability to say that I've failed, that it's okay, and to learn from those mistakes, rather than aspiring blindly and working hard for ultimate perfection consistently, such that even the tiniest of errors leads to an unbearable pain of disappointment in myself. I'm learning to quiet those disenfranchising voices that are persistently degrading my spirit and my strength. I think that YM has a great deal to do with how far I have come, in feeling accepted, despite my flaws, in feeling loved, because of them. There is something between us that allows us to be incredibly forgiving and open with one other. But I think ultimately it's the level of awareness that permeates our relationship that draws strength into our bond.

All in all, I'm feeling strong, calm, and in-touch. I feel as though my tender sapling is able once more to grow roots in fertile soil, and I am filled with hope that one day I can grow to have the grace, strength and beauty of a firmly planted and generously fruiting gift-tree. Until then, I shall find fulfillment in whatever bounty I can muster.

Thank you once again, to my readers who have been so kind as to drop by with notes and emails. I may end this blog temporarily, or permanently; I have yet to decide. Until I decide, this will probably remain online as is. I'm sure some day I will either change it or end it for good. I hope peace may come to all those in need of it. And I wish you all the best in life. Namaste.

Even More is Changing

I have gone to see an individual therapist, to help sort through all the confusion that I have been living. When I was sitting there explaining the situation to her, I was shocked and appalled at what picture I was painting. But that picture is the very thing I have been avoiding, and the very truth I have not wanted to admit for a very long time. Much of it I held back in couples' counseling, and even held back from myself.

When H and I first began our journey together, it was almost as though I was a blank slate. I was a young adult just coming into the world, with few attachments and tons of dreams. The world was at my fingertips, and my passion for life was inspiring and contagious. H reflected my passion back to me, and was experienced, full of knowledge and had a wisdom of his own. He allowed me to be free in all of my creative endeavors. For the first time in my life, I felt fully celebrated and cherished. I thought "this is a good man -- a man I want to have in my life". Only, there were two things that bothered me and I let them sit aside. One thing, I believed to be unnecessary, really a fool's hope, and the other, I thought would go away. The first thing I have never admitted anywhere... that our first kiss, and subsequently most every kiss thereafter, lacked the spark, the zing, the passion that I had hoped for. But the sex was good. So I thought "perhaps he just doesn't like kissing". I didn't think that passionate kissing could be so important. Perhaps it was just a romantic image of puppy love, and I thought that a mature and honest relationship meant letting go of such images. The second thing, which has been the entire issue at hand, was his immediate closing off to the idea of polyamory and an open relationship. These two aspects were the only "cons" in deciding whether or not I wanted to pursue a relationship with him, and the "pros" significantly outweighed them. Now, as we are facing a real separation, I am floundering to remember what all those "pros" were, and in fact I am questioning the entire process by which I came to such a decision.

I realize now that each one of us has personality traits that exhibit themselves in both beneficial and harmful manners. There is no real list of "pros" that remain in that column for good. In fact, we oscillate our heads and tails constantly, and it's through these various interactions that we navigate the best path. We each attempt to seek a balance in life that allows for more benefit than harm, but sometimes lines get blurred and crossed. I wonder if maybe I decided to marry for wrong reasons. If my sight was blurred by the prospect of perfection. I really thought that H was perfect for me. Why couldn't I see that notion as problematic? Why couldn't I allow imperfection into the early stages of our relationship so that we would know how to deal with real problems as they arise. Instead, we both operated under such an extreme sense of delicate beauty that now real trouble has no stable base from which to evolve. Instead, I am finding myself running away, emotionally vacant for any sort of reconciliation.

I have been reading more about divorce and the whole process of it, emotionally, financially, etc. I've discovered even more about what truths I don't want to admit... It feels like I don't have the patience to "work through" our marriage troubles. I, as the "Leaver" in this relationship, have been experiencing an emotional detachment from my husband for well over a year. I have hindered good communication with him by deliberately avoiding various subjects. I have hidden an entire chunk of my sexuality from him (not just hiding my desires to experience other people, but even the waning of sexual satisfaction between us), simply to avoid the emotional messiness involved. I don't blame H at all for any of my detachments, but I do mourn the loss of our path together. I also feel extremely responsible for bringing this situation to reality. However, I am finished with feeling responsible for his emotional state. This is something I have to come to terms with; for entirely too long, I have taken his emotional health in my own hands -- the ups, the downs, everything in my eyes was dependant upon my actions and my behaviors. But his world can not revolve around me. He made me the source of all his happiness, and I allowed that to continue on. And in return, I led him to believe the same... that he was the only source of my happiness. It was an ego boost for both of us, but one that ultimately lacked a true depth of honesty and integrity. I don't see how a relationship based on this sort of foundation can just heal and move forward. It seems to me that the whole thing must be razed and rebuilt from scratch. And in all honesty, if I am going to start from scratch, I'd like to do it in full consideration of the aims and goals I'd like to see happen in the future, from financial & business goals to emotional, sexual, relationship and family visions. This means an entire remodeling of my life. I'd like to say I still have hopes that this future has room for my H, that I would like him there, but everything he is telling me now says otherwise. He and I don't share similar goals, financially, sexually, or in terms of family. I had believed that all of our "life-changing" decisions were based on teamwork and true concensus, but it's becoming clear to me that in fact we made too many important decisions based on wanting to please the other and not facing our selves honestly. Not healthy.

Where does my relationship with YoungMan lie in all of this? H thinks that my decision to keep seeing him is not a good one; that, not only is it continuing to break H's heart, but he thinks I'm mistaken to believe that this other relationship could be at all beneficial to me. It may be true that statistically, relationships that begin with deceit (ie. from an adulterous affair) end eventually. And it may be true that what might develop between me and YoungMan is tainted with this separation from my H. Tainted with psychological shit -- unresolved crap that might arise again between us. I can't foresee the future any more than the next person, so I really don't know what will happen. However, I do know that on a personal, individual level, I am committed to bringing out the skeletons of my closet, and dealing with them as honestly as I can. And as long as YoungMan is open to being honest with me, as best as he knows how, then all we can do is take it one day at a time. I know that I am still dealing with my relationship with H. I haven't signed him or us off completely. I know that it will probably continue for a long time, and may never come to full resolution. But given the results of this phase of my mental clarity, I do think this separation is the best decision at this point. So I will be moving out over the next week. Just in time for the holidays...

Finally, some clarity...

...even if it is just a tiny bit of it.

This evening my H and I had the closest to what I would call a real "heart-to-heart". A discussion where we weren't always just reacting to each other's tones, tempers and slight of words. Where, if any of those things did pop up, we'd recognize them, and immediately remedy them. For the first time in a while, I can say, this really does feel like progress. Over the past two weeks I've had the ability to open up to people, others, friends, family members, in ways I've never imagined, and I've really felt comfortable in what I can say, and how to say it. As though, yes, this is ME talking. And look, I don't have to hide behind any thick mask either!

This weekend was probably the most difficult test of faith and strength for both me and H. I came pretty close to running away from everything, taking the whole mess with me and not allowing him another step toward reparations, not allowing him any more participation in my emotional life. Whether that meant physically removing myself from our home, or emotionally demolishing our bond through self-destructive sabotage, I was just about ready to pluck the life out of this failing marriage. But I knew that my desire to run away was a knee-jerk reaction and that any decisions I made on my own, without his acknowlegment or acceptance would be a clean and final blow to our relationship.

Yesterday, I began being honest with H about my deepest dissatisfactions in our relationship, and about where I am right now. All the things I said to him were so obviously painful and hurtful, that I hated myself for causing him such pain. I realized today that all these things that added up to my unhappiness were the very result of my own insecurities, my tendencies to hide annoyances, to hide dissatisfactions, to hide minor desires, because of the fear of conflict and the fear of disappointment/disapproval. The very desire to please others (namely H) is the root cause of my own stifling of Self. This is a battle over Self that I have been knee-deep in for all 5 years of our relationship. And it slowly built up enough steam that I began acting out in ways I never imagined. In fact, in the midst of it all, I couldn't get a grip over my behavior, and I just couldn't understand where the fuck I was coming from. What has come over me? Why am I so driven to behave in such a rebellious manner? Am I just having fun? There's just so much confusion over what I want, and that's what needs to get sorted out before anything else can move forward.

Today, H and I talked and this time the honesty was good -- still painful -- but good. It wasn't coming from a place of rebellion. It wasn't camoflauged in niceties. It was honesty on a level that is secure and true to my own individual person connecting with H's own individual person. For the first time since all of this began, I actually feel safe. What's ironic is that the decisions we've made leave many questions unanswered. Yet, we were still able to talk about specific points of action (or inaction in our case) clearly and frankly with one another. I felt good for the first time in a long while about giving anything to my H; that is, giving slack, giving leeway, compromising. I've generally always been somewhat reluctant in compromising with him and didn't quite like that fact about myself. But tonight, I gave something freely, and that felt remarkable.

Basically, he agreed that I need a "time-out", from lots of things, but mainly from him. It's not exactly feasible for me to move out of our house quite yet, so we talked about what this extra space entails, and how we can achieve that while living under the same roof. We also talked about what he needs from me in order to give me this space. (More on this in another post, probably.) This buffer-cushion is a temporary zone of individual development, in order for me to work through what I need to work through -- whatever that includes. Primary in my mind is deciding once and for all if having an open marriage is something that I can not live without. And the flip-side of that is deciding if I'm willing to sacrifice H for this unknown lifestyle. Also issues of importance: personal behavioral patterns that are harmful to my core, through repetitive action; interpersonal behavior that gets in the way of true intimacy with others; establishment of boundaries; finding the courage and strength to demand personal time for individual growth and development. There's a lot of shit here to work on. I hope that the time apart from each other will allow me the opportunity to really establish what it is I really want. I'm just a bit emotionally exhausted right now in the midst of it all.

Thank you to my commentors for your honest feelings and regards. Thank you particularly, HankMoody for your very in-depth note. All of your responses have helped me think about what it is I need to do, and where I need to go. I hope that where we all end up is, at the very least, a better place than where we started.

is it time?

YoungMan and H are both saying the same thing to me: "what do you want?" For someone who has been so sure for so long about what she wants out of life, why am I finding it so difficult to take this next step? My wants, my needs, my physical and emotional desires... they are all at odds with one another. And the "shoulds" are speaking so loudly, shouting, and they are so strong, but I know I can not be led by "shoulds" alone. H and I could never have a fulfilling marriage if it is only obligation that keeps us together.

What *do* I want??

. a fresh start with YoungMan
. stability with H
. a place of my own
. a long and happy life with H
. the time and capacity to "date"
. to be "single" and still have H in my life
. more time to spend with YoungMan, guilt-free
. a shared life with H, where we can each wander in and out of it
. fulfilling sex, and lots of it
. for H to be less insecure

--------------------------------------------

I used to be proud to say that I am relatively "low-maintenance" as a romantic partner. I generally don't demand very much, I don't need constant affirmation, I don't nag, I don't need to be treated like a princess to be happy, I don't need lots of gifts and material objects. In fact, it's the very simple pleasures that elicit the most deeply profound joys... but it seems the few desires that I do choose to voice are simply too much for most men to handle. I fucking like sex -- keep me satisfied and I will coo and curl up in your arms and adore you. If you find you can't keep me occupied, then let me find other avenues. Is that so much of a challenge to a man's sense of machismo?

My H's insecurities are something I need to respect. I understand that certain things make him feel very vulnerable. The fact that he is aware of these things and trusts me enough to expose himself in this way is wonderful and says a lot about where he places me in his scheme of things. The fact that it has taken me 5 years to expose my deep vulnerabilities with him says something about me and where I stand in our relationship. This whole time that I've been "protecting" him from feeling the pain of my truths means I haven't trusted him, and I haven't trusted our relationship to withstand my weaknesses. It seems apparent that my instincts were right... that neither he nor our relationship can take the abuse of my darkest desires.

I think I want to take a time-out. I need to re-group, and find my center again. There's too much confusion. Love is everywhere. Love is all around. And yet it's not about love. It's about knowing yourself, knowing your own needs, and choosing to live in such a way that you get them fulfilled, without hurting the people around you. And in this situation, I'm just not sure if that's possible. I'm not sure if H can have his needs met by me without creating a situation that will ultimately hurt me, and I'm not sure if I can have my needs met by him. I'm even less sure of what YoungMan and I can give to one another, and I don't want to use that blossoming relationship as a crutch either. Whatever happens between us, I want to happen spontaneously, freely, and from a place within -- not as the result of a rebound, or the whole host of external factors.

H and I are "talked-out" right now. Every conversation we have is loaded with painful emotions, and heavy meaning. We're both seeking distraction right now, to avoid the situation between us. When we talk again, maybe I'll have the courage to ask for that time-out.

Digging Deeper

"According to a recent national survey, one quarter of all adults experience painful loneliness at least every few weeks..." (source) One quarter! That's a significant chunk of the population.

At last week's session, the therapist focused a lot on me, once more. We talked a lot about loneliness, alienation, estrangement, and other emotions that are believed to be rooted in childhood experiences. I've always known that episodes of feeling blue have always come over me at regular intervals. I've generally accepted it as passing fields of energy, spiritually-cleansing phases, and regular, routine check-ups -- like a systems diagnostic. These moments might last 1-2 days, and would pass with no residual heaviness. But at that previous session, I was challenged by the therapist's (and my H's) probing, feeling as though perhaps that continual sense of disconnected separation was in fact symptomatic of something larger. I'm not convinced that's necessarily the case, and I'm not convinced that psychology has the solutions for me or for any of my "problems". I'm just not convinced. However, I am committed to working on it, for my husband and for our relationship.

Therapy does have a way of forcing you to face extremely fearful things about yourself. And at the same time allowing unresolved issues -- issues that no one wants to change, but everyone needs to change -- the room to develop into something else. For me and my husband, there were quite a few things left under the table that we both allowed to go unmentioned. There still are. I suppose everything that has happened, everything I've allowed to happen, everything I've made happen, has occurred because I actively needed a change, for whatever reasons. Therapy has helped us both to figure out what those circumstances were, why they've been that way, and how to approach even the possibility of changing how things are currently.

For me, there are at least a few things I've wanted/desired/needed in our marriage that I wasn't actually getting. And I didn't own up to them for fear of losing H, for fear of being rejected, and ultimately, for fear of my own choice in possibly leaving him.

We've come up with some actions and agreements that are designed to help us mitigate this unfocused path we're treading -- specific practices and exercises to see what we can do to get where we both want to be. They're baby-steps, but steps nonetheless in the right direction.

I've realized two major needs that I've ignored, and not had the courage to ask for from my H: 1) more personal "free time" -- time that is completely my own, that I don't have to answer to anyone but my self, time that isn't shared with him, time that I choose whatever it is I want to do, with no demand on his part to partake in my endeavors. Sex in my mind does fall within this category, but we've both agreed to temporarily prohibit that. His insecurities are too overwhelming to cope with even the idea of me having sex with other people, let alone face the truth of it. The second need I've ignored: Different faces of sex between us. Over the course of our relationship, our mutual love has grown, and the sex has developed into "love-making" only. I have extremely varied desires in all aspects of sex, and by falling into this rut with H, I've allowed a gaping hole to develop between us. I've made assumptions about what he's "comfortable" with concerning sex, and I've actively avoided pushing those boundaries. Instead, I've chosen to fulfill those needs in other ways, through fantasy, and through other men. Our therapist believes that it is possible for married couples to push those comfort boundaries, with a lot of work and with a lot of trust. It never occurred to me that it's easier to trust a stranger with your desires than it is to trust a loved one, especially one who is so cherished. And yet, that is exactly the case.

I don't know what the future holds, with my H, with YoungMan, or with myself. I know that I need to trust myself more and really believe that my desires are as important as those I choose to love, and be willing to share them. This is a surprisingly difficult task with H, but I am working on it. And with each day that continues, life goes on.

and the pendulum swings again

H and I have been talking about limits, trying to navigate our way through the thicket. Understanding what each of our limits are, seeing where we'd like our limits to go, and wondering out loud if one can ultimately withstand the others' limits. My husband has expressed time and again that he absolutely can not deal with me falling in love with someone else. This is the area of pain that resurfaces and triggers the most violent suffering on his part. This is what makes him the most insecure, of all my actions.

As time moves on, things with H are becoming a bit easier and somewhat smoother. That's not to say that our issues don't flare up often, just in a seemingly more controlled fashion. We're continuing to actively resolve our problems, and I think that's really what I wanted out of all this. It seems I was feeling stifled by the level of perfection we were experiencing, and to some extent, I can see that perhaps I sabotaged what we had, in order to pop my own bubble of what I thought we had.

And now it is YoungMan I worry for. I've seen him twice since we were supposed to say our goodbyes, and we had sex both times. We have yet to talk about the love issue, though we've been keeping in touch mostly via text messaging, occasional emails and a phone call here and there. I am definitely getting the feeling that he is approaching *his* limits in not being able to see me as much as we'd like, and basically being the "other man". I feel like there was this explosion that happened, that threw all three of us out into the sky and we were all flying in a way. We each experienced the launching of our bodies with different responses, different sensations -- some good, some excitement, some anxiety, some fear, and now it's like we're starting to float back down, and where each of us lands is partly by choice, partly directional steering, and partly by chance. As we're settling back down we're discovering what each of our limits actually is, and we're each faced with real hard choices. Can H and I move forward if he ends up in the lake, while I am climbing mountains? Will the jungles of YoungMan's landing keep him from finding me? These are the questions that deal with the future and I really hate making such types of commitments. And yet I'm drawn to them, drawn to people who really need these types of commitments from me.

I've left much out of this post, as I was limited in time. There really is a whole shitload of stuff to sort through...

What is the status?

I am beginning to come to terms with the truths we all share, and the lies we all hide behind. Recognizing these elements has given me exactly the freedom I have been yearning, the freedom without a name, the freedom without a face. My husband and our therapist have been asking me extremely difficult questions, questions I've been avoiding for so long. Questions I've feared, questions I've tried to get around without truly asking myself. H has been doing amazingly well, given the extent of the hurt and the wounds that have opened between us. He is recognizing things that I've longed to communicate to him, all on his own, without my initiative. He is stronger than he thinks he is, and I am more compassionate than I've ever thought I could be. The status of where we are is... Unsteady. H has brought up the idea that perhaps a separation might be a solution. I keep fighting against that. His insecurities and wounded pride flare up over things that would never have triggered such emotions in the past. Hair in the sink, my 'true' whereabouts, days at work, things that make his mind wander to alternate possibilities. I understand these fears. I've experienced them myself, with him, with others. Insecurities that breed jealousy and fear. Insecurities that make your imagination go wild. Early in our relationship, H had beautiful connections with friends from his past. He and I were so new at the time, and I had no clue where I fell, with respect to those other relationships. I was very insecure. I read his emails in secret. I listened in on his phone calls. I pretended to be asleep when in actuality I was awake, so that I could overhear their deeply intense, drug & alcohol induced late-night conversations. I know how disgusting that feels to be there, and I know how small that type of insecurity makes you feel. I would never wish that upon my H, or upon anyone. Those feelings I think are natural to feel, and they are not only acceptable, but necessary. These are the points in life that are accentuated by the decisions we make -- they are truly crossroads, where we must be emphatic in whatever choices we make. These are the times for the most important examinations that will impact the rest of our lives. My life. H's life. He has his own decisions to make, his own choices, his own paths to investigate. I personally think that it's in both of our best interests to continue allowing for our paths to remain near each other. Perhaps not on top of, identically, but definitely Near.

There are so many details... and they are floating all around me in snippets, in images, in sounds. I can not fully articulate them all here, but as they come, I shall try. The issues between me and H have been brewing for so long, and my superior ability to ignore them and overlook them have put us in this corner, struggling against an invisible monster -- it attacks us when we least expect it, at times when we're most vulnerable and disappears when we're most ready to fight it. And so we're left confused, dazed, and yet we're still standing. Life keeps swirling on around us, and brief moments of clarity step forth to keep us going.

I am still talking to YoungMan -- it is something that I have actively chosen. I have not made this clear to H, and so it may be that I am bringing a fog over us. But that is my choice. WDKY and Anonymous have both criticized my actions as lacking in responsibility, filled with cowardice and unfulfilling, as appropriate action. I don't deny any of those claims. I am not going to defend any of my actions here in this arena, as this is not that place to do so. This blog is my space, to write as I see fit, and I will not allow my safe-haven to be poisoned. That being said, I always welcome challenging inquiries, as I am aware that varying perspectives do ignite analysis and examination in ways not otherwise possible. I only request that they be presented as such, and not cloaked in judgment, hatred, and pure emotional violence. It does no good for anyone here.

YoungMan and I share a connection that is, best put, In the Momentary. We experience the act of living exactly as it occurs. Our thoughts, our actions, our present states bounce off each other and we are simply beings that enjoy each others' company. Present states change into newer present states, and with that comes radical shifting of emotional expressions between one another. The whole range of feelings flow through unoccupied channels between us. It's an incredible experience, really. There is no real justifiable way to compare what I have with YoungMan to what I have with H. They are completely separate states of being. Different parts of my mind, spirit and heart are touched and engaged with these two, and I'm okay with that. Is it true that I am not considering their outcomes, that I am just power-hungry and taking taking taking whatever I can from each of them? That's a judgment call that every onlooker can decide for themselves (or already has). The only judgments I am concerned with are those of my self, my H, and of YoungMan's. All others fall to the side, and eventually dissipate into the ether.

I am still hopeful for coming into our own, self-identified acceptance. Acceptance of ourselves, of one another, of the circumstances, of the lives we each choose. Through all of this, I am still hopeful.