My night out at No Mercy Manor followed by the event at Twisted Boudoir had given me a wonderful ending to my two child-free weeks. I was buoyed up on kink, energised, relaxed! I was also excited to have two full weeks to make memories with my boys. Without school getting in the way of family life I had ideas. But we would have to work it out as we went.
We had a great summer! Normally I wouldn’t share very much about the boys here so I’m definitely off course a little. Why? I was hunting through my pictures to find a header for the post I’m supposed to be writing now, but I was so taken aback by what I found in my folders that I had to change tack.
It’s a noticeable shift in family life, looking back on 2018 with 2022 vision.
My two worlds were collapsing in on each other. For the two weeks that they were home I have found pictures of days out with my boys, accompanied by friends. New friends, met through my kink explorations. There was the day we went crabbing with That Girl. The trip to the circus with Slave Lytton. A beach day with Pink. Not to mention B visiting and us all camping in the back garden, with a bonfire and marshmallows and a night-time walk.
Over the years, as friends have become my wider family, life has become sparkly!
The boys enjoy the company of Loki on Dartmoor, don’t complain about walking when Angel has joined us, had such fun out on the water with the Wrestler. Excitement always comes before one of Dr Lovelace’s visits. The small one even has invited SWL over so he can cook her pancakes! And even with all of these examples, I’ve still barely scratched the surface.
I know I can wax lyrical about how lucky I am to have such incredible friends, perhaps that can get a bit repetitive at times for you as readers. I spent much of my life not knowing the wonder of close friends. When I got rid of P I had very few people in my corner. The result? I became VERY skilled at doing things on my own, managing without support, thriving independently. Before the separation, this meant that I could keep up the illusion of a happy family situation. Once we parted I was well equipped for getting my head down and ploughing on alone.
Over the last eight years I’ve learnt that friendships are important.
More than that, they are safe places to practise upholding or relaxing my boundaries. Summer 2018 seems to have been the time for my strict boundaries to be relaxed. By allowing these gems in closer I could show the boys that sociable is safe, and can actually be fun!
While I met the vast majority of my friends through kink, they have rich and colourful vanilla worlds too. We have the shared interest of our adult pleasures, but we also have things in common beyond that.
I know lots of people have a significant separation between their worlds, and we each have to do what is right for us. For me I don’t have enough hours in the day to cultivate friendships that are exclusive to each separate part of my world. Plus, I like the bright and colourful cast of characters in the movie of my life. To have the contrast between light and shade, a contradiction in lifestyles. One week they might be tying you up or pouring wax all over your feet. The next it’s football at the park, or a walk on Dartmoor.
Had I ever imagined that life with my little family, could be so full of adventure?
Not in a million years. But, as Sir says, “Life is supposed to be marvellous.” And so, I’m intent on making mine the best it can be, for me and the boys. This process started with adding a lockable gate for their dad. It has continued by opening up a lot of doors to healthy, safe friendships. (-And a whole host of new adventures along the way.)
(The links I’ve shared are so you know who I’m talking about. Not what I’ve done with my boys in tow. In case it needs saying, my kinks do not feature in my parenting.)
Having typed up the post, I realised that this is the perfect post to be linked up to the Bingo Call of Family Life in the final Wicked Wednesday prompt. I wonder if I’ll get a line before the link up closes at the end of the year?!
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From the story of how the barefoot sub became the woman she is today, to toy reviews, with a hefty dose of contemplation, a sprinkling of erotica and a LOT of nudity in between, you can be sure to find something to tickle your fancy at A Leap Of Faith.
I love reading about your friends, and how you have built a life for you and your boys. It’s wonderful those friends are not only kink friends 🙂
~ Marie xox
Thank you Marie, the way my world has grown makes the journey to better times all the better. N xx