Sensual, I’m finally writing it.


Do you ever wonder what keeps you coming to Prince.org??...

I was asked this a few months ago, after first posting my website and sending the link to those here I had grown close to. SensualMelody, after reading my writings on my site, suggested I write something about the entire Prince.org experience...I’ve been thinking about that lately, especially over the weekend. Just seriously, and realistically, thinking about what exactly keeps me coming here.

To say it’s the feeling of community would almost be too simplistic...after all, I live in a community, so there’s no reason to come here to experience that feeling...so why do I bother? Why do any of us bother, really...

For me...it’s because of the names...the member names which give a somewhat surreal nature to normal interaction with others...the names most of us choose here often speak more truthfully to who we are than our “real” names do...”Moonbeam” seems more appropriate to Ian’s spirit than “Ian” does, at least to me...

It’s because of the avatars...they become more than just decoration, they help illustrate our true selves...they can give an indirectly deeper meaning to the words they appear next to...they help give insight into the human being sitting on the other side of the monitor...rarely in “real” life do so many we come in contact with offer us a visual glimpse into what’s residing inside their beings...many avatars here do that for me.

It’s because of so many profound experiences...I’ve had longtime friendships with people I’ve never met or talked to...I’ve had short friendships occur instantly and beautifully where I’d least expect it...Prince.org is where, between a phone call, orgNotes and Messenger, I can spend 7 hours straight talking to someone I barely know...and love every second of it. ...it’s where I can plan a week-long vacation halfway around the world...and know that a friend will be waiting there, wanting to sit and share a beer with me when I arrive. ...It’s where a casual note of appreciation, can lead to a deep and profoundly loving experience and connection unlike anything I’ve ever felt before...and maybe ever will.

It’s where I watch people who dislike each other suddenly become best of friends with amazing ease...far more often than I could ever hope to see in “real” life...it’s where I watch charity, sympathy and empathy become reality with little or no effort or forethought, simply because someone expressed doubt or sadness in a post...it’s where I can “hear” people tell me such amazingly warm and sincere words, and actually find myself believing them when I do:

”I hope I never lose your friendship..”...
”You are loved by many”...
”You will never be alone...” ...

It’s where I can send a book to a dear friend to help her with a stressful time in her life...and actually see the beautiful results of that act. *smile*...it’s where I can send off a new copy of a Prince CD to a friend who had theirs broken during an argument...and love that I can. ...it’s where I can receive a box full of Christmas gifts from my “Secret Santa”, who in reality was no secret at all...

It’s where I can receive a burned CD for my birthday which lifts my spirits...and it’s where I can drive and hour an a half to have lunch with dozens of friends one afternoon...or drive 5 hours simply to give a comforting hug to someone I love after they've had an emotionally stressful day.

It’s goofy stupidity shared by willing participants...it’s thoughtful discussion which lifts the spirit and soul......it’s healthy debate about anything and everything...it’s an exercise in skin thickening, humility and control...it’s shared beliefs, shared lives...it’s beautiful communication in all ways and on all levels.

A long time ago, I only saw Prince.org as an escape, a diversion...a place to be sarcastic and analytical and logical to the extreme in service of cutting down blowhards with horrendously flawed logic...I never really saw it, though, as a place to be “myself”..at least not totally myself. Crossing that last bridge, has made coming to Prince.org more rewarding for me...I’ve reintroduced myself, in a way...which makes me think of one other thing that brings me back to this site: it’s where I’ve experienced acceptance...and forgiveness.

Prince.org doesn’t hold the same importance to me that it once did...or rather, it doesn’t hold the same need. But it, and everyone I’ve been lucky and blessed enough to grow close to, still effect me in positive ways...and I still love their presence in my life.

Just so you truly know...this is me. (L)

How cute are those photos!

Byron said:

<--- farting alien

did u ever know that you're my hero?

rdhull said:

Thanks!

Oh...you mean Byron don't you?

althom said:

yes dirty hands

althom said:

no... I think he was talking about Bette Midler

Awww...

nice thread there wellbeyond...


its funny, you used to bugger me to death as wellbeyond...but, ive noticed a softer and gentler bryon...i've actually learned a lot more about you the person and less about you the opinion...and i guess that makes me respect your opinion a whole lot more now...

i also like your ability it put things in perspective...this is a huge lesson that hopefully some of the "drama" prone people on this site will learn...its not that they annoy me...i just feel saddened for them...

i think your above statement might do a lot more then what you intended...it might help others grow...

thanks for sharing...




colorofmywindedit!!
[This message was edited Mon Nov 17 19:51:10 PST 2003 by sosgemini]

Natsume said:

your everything everything i wish i could beee!! woo owww!!

Beautiful and very true.

sosgemini said:

I come here because it's the largest gathering of people with my same disability. It's like a leper colony for Prince freaks.

LittlePill said:

<--- my leper clapper

Natsume said:

and i could fly higher then an eagle...

Beautiful and very true.

Okay I'll quit being such a shit now... thanks for sharing your thoughts, Byron. I think your words encompass a lot of what many of us here at the org feel, and you beautifully express what is difficult to put into words sometimes.

I come here for the conversation - for the free drinks - and for the people. Lord, how I love the people. My friends here are amazing, and I admire so many of the other orgers here. Once in a great while you will encounter a bad apple, but the overwhelming goodness of the others always manage to make up for the occasional shit... and it's them that always pull you back here...

Byro who is your fav orger

rdhull said:

Stop it, man... RD

Natsume said:

cause you are the wind beneath my wings...

"well, you are"..

seriously!!! org style!!

july said:

Real, beautiful connections... indeed , which will forever reside a part of our soul, a part of our individual being... unchanged (during the moment of existence) by the realities of today and remember for all days to come.

~Even when individual direction takes a different path... what is and has been... will always be.

Freespirit said:

oh jesus! make it stop!

rdhull said:

sosgemini said:

nooo!

:bleedingears:

Freespirit said:

how come u aint hugged me on that hug an orger thread?!

Thanks, Byron, that was touching to read, and right on. I came here just because of a friend of mine, and I still tell her that "I can take or leave the org, and the folks there", which, for the most part can be true of many of us..we haven't all met, we haven't all talked on the phone, etc. But with what I do as my calling in life, the nitty gritty of a workday, the deaths to be present for, the funerals I conduct, the crises that are as well as the crises that parishioners perceive, I feel able to come here and just be away from "church". I can feel real and have more discussions or sharing about life, but not feel like I am under a microscope..I am just bluesbaby, sometimes the Bishop, but never "that pastor". Ministry is a lonely life, even married, finding any kind of friends is pretty difficult, especially moving around quite a bit and all. I know I can move wherever, and log on here, and just shoot the breeze with some familiar folks.
Thanks again...

Natsume said:

OK SO I AM TEARING UP





I JUST WANT SOMEONE TO HOLD ME..

DORA said: