Wondering about myself

john10

New member
I have been living with a wonderful woman, K, for about a year and a half. I want to keep my relationship and living arrangements. I have and so recently admitted to myself that I am erotically attached in my own heart with a woman I have corresponded with for 17 years and never met, call her F. K doesn't know about my correspondence and feelings for F, and I am reluctant to tell her because K is and some very insecure woman romantically. I've never told F exactly what my feelings for her are, mostly because she's married and I don't want to cause and so no fuss. As for myself, I have felt almost no sexual jealousy in my life.

Is this a poly conundrum? Am I just a horn dog? I'm feeling rather bottled up and am pondering what I might do about it all.
 
Could just enjoy it for what it is.

You enjoy your relationship with K, and you don't have to tell her about F if you don't want to. You are allowed to have other friends.

And the pen pal thing with F? It's been going for 17 years, it's not gonna be more than what it is since you don't want to make waves in her marriage. You enjoy it. So keep enjoying it.

Is this a poly conundrum? Am I just a horn dog? I'm feeling rather bottled up and am pondering what I might do about it all.

I enjoy my crushes that come and go. I identify as poly but just because I feel things doesn't mean I want to go pursue them further JUST because I'm feeling some things. Sometimes it's just not the right people or the right time or situation or whatever. I can just enjoy it for what it is. They don't have to be on a relationship escalator. Sometimes they don't even need to know I admire them from afar.

It's ok that you have feelings and notice beauty in the world. You are alive! It's ok.

Why are you bottled up? :confused: Is it that you wish you could talk to K about these things, but don't feel safe doing it because she will make it be about her and her insecure stuff? Rather than listening to you sharing and let it be about you and your stuff? That's a different problem than simply having feelings/admiration for the married pen pal F.

Galagirl
 
A little more

I guess I feel bottled up because I think I should share my feelings about F, which are long-standing, with K but don't trust her not to take then personally. I feel like I am cheating.

As far as F goes, long ago she stated that her husband thought of me as her boyfriend. I was too afraid at the time to explore the ramifications of that. But I have wanted to engage in online sex play with F for a long time.

On a tangent, before I met K I was on OKCupid and discovered a polymorphism friend there. I was attracted to her and immediately asked her out. It didn't bother me in the leader she had a spouse. Unfortunately, she turned me down.

Glad to find this forum where I can safely day these things.
 
I guess I feel bottled up because I think I should share my feelings about F, which are long-standing, with K but don't trust her not to take then personally. I feel like I am cheating.

Sounds like you want to the ability to be vulnerable, and share emotional and mental intimacy with K. Let her know about what goes on in your inner life.

But you think that she can provide safe space to do that sharing in. From past experience, you think she's more likely to have a cow and take it personally.

Is that true?

Galagirl
 
Hello john10,

It sounds like you have a bona fide poly conundrum on your hands. Sure, you may be something of a horn dog, but that doesn't preclude you from romantically loving multiple people, which is what polyamory is all about! Now you just need to figure out how to confess your feelings to F and K. I assume F lives a long ways away from you? F lives a long ways away (and is married), and K is insecure. Have you thought about taking up this problem with a counselor? It's a tough nut to crack.

Regards,
Kevin T.
 
I am going to give the women names, because they are easier to work with than just initials.

I have been living with a wonderful woman, Kim, for about a year and a half. I want to keep the relationship and living arrangements I have.

But!

I recently admitted to myself that I am erotically attached in my heart to a woman with whom I have corresponded for 17 years and never met. Let's call her Friend. Kim doesn't know about my correspondence with and feelings for Friend. I am reluctant to tell her because Kim is a very insecure woman, romantically. I've never told Friend exactly what my feelings for her are, mostly because she's married, and I don't want to cause a fuss.


Is this a poly conundrum? Am I just a horn dog? I'm feeling rather bottled up and am pondering what I might do about it all.

I feel bottled up because I think I should share my feelings about Friend, which are long-standing, but I don't trust Kim not to take this personally.

You are afraid of hurting Kim, and...


I feel like I am cheating.

As far as Friend goes, long ago she stated that her husband thought of me as her boyfriend. I was too afraid at the time to explore the ramifications of that. But I have wanted to engage in online sex play with Friend for a long time.

First you said you have only recently found yourself feeling "erotically attached" to Friend. But now you say you've wanted to do cybersex with her for a long time. You think maybe her husband would be OK with it, since he calls you her boyfriend, but you've never dared to explore the potential more deeply.

For all you know, Friend and her husband may be open to polyamory? You won't know unless you ask.


On a tangent, before I met Kim, I was on OKCupid and discovered a polymorphism friend there...

Polyamorous?

I was attracted to her and immediately asked her out. It didn't bother me in the least that she had a spouse. Unfortunately, she turned me down.

You might be poly. You don't feel sexual jealousy. But your current partner, Kim, and you are practicing monogamy. And it seems she still feels insecure in your relationship. Do you think she suspects you aren't really on board with monogamy? Do you want to mislead her forever? Do you want to live mono forever with Kim, when you long to explore more with Friend?

Being horny for multiple people is (usually) part of polyamory. Having feelings for multiple people is required. I think, unlike GalaGirl, that it is a bit strange Kim doesn't know about your long distance good friend whom you love and desire.

If you feel bottled up, or like you're not being true to your poly nature, you have a few choices.

Continue as you are, bottled up, talking to Friend secretly, not telling Kim, not asking Friend is she is open to cybersex (or even meeting you irl).

Tell Kim you have a crush on a good friend, whom you've talked to for 17 years, but it's never gone anywhere. It's just a crush.

Ask Friend if she is open to cybersex. Ask her if her husband and she have an open relationship.

Tell Kim you want to deepen your relationship with Friend. You love 2 women.

You might lose Kim. But you'd be true to yourself. And maybe you'd find out you can have a poly relationship with Friend. And you can go on to not date people who aren't open to polyamory. Let them know about your online love interest.

Or, you could admit that having a crush on your online friend isn't helping your irl relationship develop in trust. Stop talking to Friend. Let the feelings subside. It might take years, but they will. There might always be a little spark, but it won't feel so urgent and tempting and inappropriate.
 
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I guess I feel bottled up because I think I should share my feelings about F, which are long-standing, with K but don't trust her not to take then personally. I feel like I am cheating.

As far as F goes, long ago she stated that her husband thought of me as her boyfriend. I was too afraid at the time to explore the ramifications of that. But I have wanted to engage in online sex play with F for a long time.
Sounds like you want to the ability to be vulnerable, and share emotional and mental intimacy with K. Let her know about what goes on in your inner life.

But you think that she can provide safe space to do that sharing in. From past experience, you think she's more likely to have a cow and take it personally.

I'd just like to add:
Some people who are poly at heart are ok living in a monogamous arangement as long as they can talk about their crushes freely. However, it's way easier for their partners to provide a space for sharing these thoughts if they know that there's no intention to act.
That doesn't seem to be the case here. You, John, would like to engage in erotic stuff with F. Therefore, you have to think twice about what you want to ask from your partner: Could hearing you out be enough, or is it really about opening up?
 
Thanks

Thanks everyone!

Yes, I forgot to mention the woman on OKCupid was in a declared polyamorous relationship.

Seems like some form of communication somewhere on my part is in order. I'll mull this over some more. I really appreciate getting to interact with you all here!
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So... what is the main value or want then? You didn't actually clarify. Is it...

  • Do you seek greater understanding? Being more open with Kim and sharing your poly thoughts and feelings, but not pursuing Friend. Even if Kim might wig out at first, and have to work on her listening skills and learn not to take things personally?
  • Do you seek open/poly relationship? Not just sharing your poly thoughts and feelings with Kim but asking Kim to consider open/poly so you can pursue Friend ethically?
  • Something else?

You will notice when there's people you find attractive around. I don't think that's cheating. I think that's just you being alive. You don't have to act on it JUST because you notice beauty or because have a crush on someone. Feelings come and go. You ARE responsible for your behaviors.

If you are going around bottled up and don't like that feeling, you have to figure out what you value the most, what changes you would like, and then adjust your behavior accordingly. What are you not expressing? And who do you want to express it to?

Galagirl
 
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making progress

I think I am getting an idea of how to move forward now so I don't feel like I'm cheating or bottled up. I'm also asking myself about other times in my life when I was strongly attracted to more than one person and how I would have liked those situations to have developed. Learning about myself and about polyamory!
 
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