I���ve been really interested in the seminars that we attended lately and I���m looking forward to the Southwest Leather Conference in Phoenix this January to learn more.  Master Skip and Slave rick along with Master Obsidian and slave namaste have really expanded my thinking lately.  Not just on BDSM relationships but on spirituality and philosophy as well.  I���ll start off by letting you know I���m a skeptic and an atheist.  I never believed in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy or the Easter bunny.  I did at one time believe in ghosts and spirits of the afterlife but that faded away into a belief of a collective energy rather than a conscious spirit.  Just to let you know where I���m coming from... not that this is a narrative on my beliefs.

I was heavily into working my way toward being a slave to my Master when I became very disillusioned.  I found that being on the far end of a long distance relationship that I was really the only one committed to it.  I found that it was fun for someone to see how far they could push me but once they had my total obedience they really didn���t know what to do with me.  A relationship is a relationship regardless of the label you put on it.  My current relationship with SG is much more of a successful relationship than a model BDSM relationship.

I don���t bow to him on bended knee each time I see him.  I don���t wear his collar.  He hasn���t asked me to be his slave.  I don���t call him Sir or obey his every wish.  He often asks me what I want to do or if he can do anything for me.  But don���t get me wrong.  SG is a dominant force.  It comes out a little stronger in the bedroom and the dungeon than it does in the living room or the kitchen but it is definitely his personality.  What we have learned so far is that respect is the cornerstone of our relationship.

What I learned from slave rick was that I need to remember, even in times of frustration, the core of my love for SG.  I fell in love with SG because of this huge tree I see in him.  He is a mighty oak tree of love and with sparkling leaves of joy and fun.  He is solidly rooted and reliably with branches that dance high in the clouds and reach far and wide.  I can play on him and tease him and be teased by him.  I can rest in his branches and be protected by him. I can travel to the heavens and far and wide with him.  He is my tree.  I am his monkey.