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Showing posts with the label Community

In Tatters

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I knelt at His feet in the utter mess I’d made. My struggle to succeed was stark. No one had ever seen me so disheveled…in such embarrassing circumstances. As He cleaned me up for the second time two minutes, I looked up to meet His steady gaze and tried to gauge his reaction. Disgust at another disastrous, completely unimpressive act of service? Frustrated at my inability to get it together? Sadistically amused at another ridiculous unglamorous predicament I’d once again found myself in? I knew he was taking in every fucking minute detail of the wreck before Him and squirreling it away in the vault of His mind, but what did He feel? His stoic expression offered me no hint. Without comment He stood firm in front of me. Fuckin unwavering. He hadn’t walked away. He hadn’t stepped back. I swear He may have even leaned in. As soon as I’d semi-collected myself, I began my third attempt even as I tried in vain to push the remaining proof of my ineptitude out of view, hoping it would simply
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Reflection & a New Path

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SPLF 23 represented a abrupt shift in my journey.  I wasn't prepared to be seen, to be acknowledged in the sea of humanity, to be wrapped in tight hugs. let alone be fiercely protected and held firmly side-by-side.  I was both deeply humbled and profoundly honored.  Many times. Those five days in Dallas moved me and pushed me on another new path of transformation. After years of pandemic coping that focused only on areas in my life I could evolve, I remembered I had a heart. And...After years of watching how individuals moved/did not move, stood/did not stand, built/attempted to destroy, were 100% authentic/fakers of funk, driven by idealistic goals/greedy self-promotion, I realized I needed fucking space to breathe. Since the Spring, I've been reevaluating how I move, what I give, when I should engage, where I need to be, and who I directly or indirectly offer my co-signature.  I've taken many healthy steps to create a more positive environment for myself and connected in
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Writer's Tears & a Bronx Fire Escape

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2am.  Top space has me tightly in its fist.  Sisterhood bonded.  Energy shared.  Knowledge imparted.  Friendship built.  The truths we reveal sippin Writer's Tears in the cool breeze on a Bronx fire escape and over platefuls of piping hot empanadas leave us nowhere to hide. Leather Living explained...the sex...the pain.  A different level of it all.  Messy.  Hot and sweaty.  Piss.  Even shit.  Real.  Raw passion ripped from flesh and spirit without filter.  Tears licked.  We leatherfolk wallow in the grit and purity of our religion because there...we find our truest selves. The floor...fuck yes that mother fuckin floor.  Where there is no pride or ego.  Where we let go.  Where we are stripped bare of everything... Except our fucking surrender.  To the Universe.  To one another.  To ourselves.  To the One who in that moment holds our pain, our minds, our hearts, our bodies, our very fucking souls. The floor is where serenity and peace finally find us. Amazing fucking night.   ~Domin
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Adventures in Online Dating | Post #1: The Art of Peopling

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After spending years (pandemic) getting seriously reacquainted with my Introvert and enabling my Service Whore to over-extend herself beyond fucking reason, I'm trying to reconnect to the mysterious art of peopling.   I had no choice but to face up to the reality that my peopling skills are rusty as fuck when at SPLF I was stunned into confused silence from a basic personal question during a first in-person intro.  If they had asked about any number of service projects or classes, I could have easily rattled off dialog.  But a simple, polite "You fascinate me.  Tell me about yourself," slammed my thought processes from Fourth into Reverse, grinding gears and causing significant damage to my mental transmission.  Later reflection...I need to practice more personal engagements. It's time to transition fully outta Pandemic Mode and feed other pieces of me besides my Introvert and Service Whore.  Note:  Introvert resents and rebels against this effort with almost every st
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An Update | Resignation from LSC

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If I've learned anything the last year, it's how some folks will choose to run their mouth without a lick of common sense or truth, so I prefer to embrace as much transparency as appropriate in an effort to minimize any self-service spin/narrative others may attempt.  However, I do recognize that they're gonna talk shit regardless.  LOL I had hoped Spring would simply allow me the opportunity to decrease my hours in service to the community a bit, but unfortunately matters have taken a different turn.  Despite my FIERCE belief in the mission and efforts of The Leather Solidarity Collective (LSC) and the incredible success LSC had at our historic collaboration with South Plains LeatherFest, it is with profound sadness that I discontinued my service and resigned yesterday (04.07.23) from LSC due to a conflict of interest not of my making. This has been a difficult and painful decision.  Loyalty, commitment, and advocating for the BIPOC Community are a few of my core values an
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CLASS WRITE-UP | Con Hospitality: Creating a Welcoming Experiences | Pre-Conference Event Staff Training

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  Title  |  Con Hospitality: Creating a Welcoming Experiences | Pre-Conference Event Staff Training Format  | Lecture-Based Presentation with Slide Deck & Interactive Team Activities - Menti Polling & JamBoard Duration  | ~ 60m Target Audience  | Beginner-Intermediate-Advanced  Event Board Members & Leadership | Producers, Co-Producers Conference Committees | Chairs, Co-Chairs Event Organizers/Staff Can also be offered to Volunteer Teams Description  | Conference teams a month before the event are a hive of activity: gathering the last of the equipment and supplies, the final coordination with the fleet of volunteers or speakers, and the last run through of the various checklists. As we juggle ALL the details, it’s easy to lose sight of our primary objective—a seamless event that leaves everyone feeling like they come home to their chosen family. Let’s take an hour to pause and refocus as a team on the basics and nuances needed to create that one-of-a-kind welcome home fe
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