idealist
Member
I am loving this lifestyle and glad to find this forum! I have read a few posts and have been very impressed with what I have read. I do intend on reading more in order to get acquainted with the members, but wanted to introduce myself right away.
I am 52 and have never been married. Until the age of 30, I avoided monogamous relationships and filled my life with "friends with benefits" relationships with men and women. It was fun lifestyle and I liked the freedom. At one time, I rented a house and had 2 female friends and a male friend move into the home. We lived together for several years. The women had children, so it was a large family and I look back at that time of my life remembering the joy and pleasure I had. But, we were young and emotionally immature, so I tired of it. Desiring a stable lifestyle, I entered into 12 step recovery and chose to create a home life with another woman. We were together for 12 years. That has turned out to be the longest committed, exclusive relationship I have ever been in and it was emotionally healthy since we were both in recovery and were able to practice great honesty. My years of therapy and honesty with self resulted in my eventually leaving the relationship in order to pursue a heterosexual lifestyle.
I have had 7 monogamous relationships with men in the 10 years since then. One of them has passed away. I have no communication with one of them. I have a platonic friendship with one of them. And the other 4 of them are now my lovers. Two of them are not seeing anyone else at this time, but they have the freedom to do so and they will share with me and probably want to introduce me to a person they have met and are considering becoming involved with. One of them has another lover and she is someone I have not met since they are still seeing how their relationship will develop. If it does develop, I’m sure I will eventually meet her. The other one has a primary lover and I am his secondary lover. I am pretty close to his primary lover and we have a good relationship too. I also have a female lover and she is someone I also respect and trust. We have an emotional connection. We have not been alone together sexually yet, but have had an intimate evening which became sexual and we were with a guy friend that I introduced her to.
The process has evolved for me and since May 09, I have experienced an incredible amount of what I experience as unconditional love. I am in awe of how it feels since this type of unconditional love has eluded me as long as I pursued monogamous relationships. My lovers are basking in it. It is a tangible and powerful force which flows through me to them and it's about loving them, each of them in a unique way, and accepting them completely for exactly who they are without any desire to change them, judge them or hold out expectations of them which they cannot meet. I have a great amount of respect for each of them and I trust each of them completely. The open channel of love from me to them has allowed them to respond to me with incredible love and it's a love that I have also never experienced before.
I don't know where things are going for me. But, this I do know- all of my lovers know each other and they all like each other. My relationships are based on respect, trust and honesty. Many of my friends who are not living a life of polyamory are quite taken with the idea of it and have been very supportive of me. The thing that is so compelling about it is the honesty.
Thanks for reading my introduction and I will be glad to hear any feedback and sharing from any of you!!
I am 52 and have never been married. Until the age of 30, I avoided monogamous relationships and filled my life with "friends with benefits" relationships with men and women. It was fun lifestyle and I liked the freedom. At one time, I rented a house and had 2 female friends and a male friend move into the home. We lived together for several years. The women had children, so it was a large family and I look back at that time of my life remembering the joy and pleasure I had. But, we were young and emotionally immature, so I tired of it. Desiring a stable lifestyle, I entered into 12 step recovery and chose to create a home life with another woman. We were together for 12 years. That has turned out to be the longest committed, exclusive relationship I have ever been in and it was emotionally healthy since we were both in recovery and were able to practice great honesty. My years of therapy and honesty with self resulted in my eventually leaving the relationship in order to pursue a heterosexual lifestyle.
I have had 7 monogamous relationships with men in the 10 years since then. One of them has passed away. I have no communication with one of them. I have a platonic friendship with one of them. And the other 4 of them are now my lovers. Two of them are not seeing anyone else at this time, but they have the freedom to do so and they will share with me and probably want to introduce me to a person they have met and are considering becoming involved with. One of them has another lover and she is someone I have not met since they are still seeing how their relationship will develop. If it does develop, I’m sure I will eventually meet her. The other one has a primary lover and I am his secondary lover. I am pretty close to his primary lover and we have a good relationship too. I also have a female lover and she is someone I also respect and trust. We have an emotional connection. We have not been alone together sexually yet, but have had an intimate evening which became sexual and we were with a guy friend that I introduced her to.
The process has evolved for me and since May 09, I have experienced an incredible amount of what I experience as unconditional love. I am in awe of how it feels since this type of unconditional love has eluded me as long as I pursued monogamous relationships. My lovers are basking in it. It is a tangible and powerful force which flows through me to them and it's about loving them, each of them in a unique way, and accepting them completely for exactly who they are without any desire to change them, judge them or hold out expectations of them which they cannot meet. I have a great amount of respect for each of them and I trust each of them completely. The open channel of love from me to them has allowed them to respond to me with incredible love and it's a love that I have also never experienced before.
I don't know where things are going for me. But, this I do know- all of my lovers know each other and they all like each other. My relationships are based on respect, trust and honesty. Many of my friends who are not living a life of polyamory are quite taken with the idea of it and have been very supportive of me. The thing that is so compelling about it is the honesty.
Thanks for reading my introduction and I will be glad to hear any feedback and sharing from any of you!!