River
Active member
Those of us who have been on a years long poly journey of some kind know full well that there is quite a learning curve involved.
But one of the most astounding and amazing things many of us will learn along the way is that, depending perhaps on where we live, there's a very good chance our friends, acquaintances and family members haven't even BEGUN to learn about what we're learning about -- including even the five syllable word -- and what it refers to.
I had this experience this evening, in which I told a friend visiting my home that I was having a difficult day because one of the people I've been involved with has sprung it on me that he may not be around much longer. And that's why I'm choosing to stay home while the rest of y'all go out and have Halloween fun. He is and was an understanding friend, but he is and was also a typical person where I live -- a person who knows almost nothing about polyamory -- including even the word.
It seems to me that the notion of polyamory has grown in great strides in recent history, but still most people have little or no recognition of the word and it's meaning. Likewise, too many people treat our feelings as if they are trivial or uninteresting. "Why would you be sad? You have someone in your life who loves you and whom you love." -- as if our pain or losses in relationship are unimportant and irrelevant because, well, we have somebody already.
Such a thought seems reasonable and plausible until one has experienced another perspective -- a poly perspective.
But one of the most astounding and amazing things many of us will learn along the way is that, depending perhaps on where we live, there's a very good chance our friends, acquaintances and family members haven't even BEGUN to learn about what we're learning about -- including even the five syllable word -- and what it refers to.
I had this experience this evening, in which I told a friend visiting my home that I was having a difficult day because one of the people I've been involved with has sprung it on me that he may not be around much longer. And that's why I'm choosing to stay home while the rest of y'all go out and have Halloween fun. He is and was an understanding friend, but he is and was also a typical person where I live -- a person who knows almost nothing about polyamory -- including even the word.
It seems to me that the notion of polyamory has grown in great strides in recent history, but still most people have little or no recognition of the word and it's meaning. Likewise, too many people treat our feelings as if they are trivial or uninteresting. "Why would you be sad? You have someone in your life who loves you and whom you love." -- as if our pain or losses in relationship are unimportant and irrelevant because, well, we have somebody already.
Such a thought seems reasonable and plausible until one has experienced another perspective -- a poly perspective.