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“Swing It Baby”: Being a swinger, or maybe just being

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Yesterday I got two free books from work (other people get company cars and foreign trips, I get free books hey ho! wink ). One is quite interesting and it has a short chapter on swinging – woo hoo I thought, let’s read what crap some psychologist is coming out with this time rolleyes . Actually, it wasn’t derogatory at all. The gist of it was that swingers tend to be marginalized by the more “traditional” members of the LGBT community (… you don’t say! ), when in actual fact… and I quote, “In short: these folks are queering it up with the bi and trans behaviour that goes beyond theory and debate. It just  Coooooool …. She’s right, isn’t she….? cool 8-) 8-) ...... has this author seen the pics from one of my parties me wonders??? Well, actually no, she used to work for the advertising section of an adult mag so she’s seen it all… I quote from her again, “Most of the advertisements were placed by couples looking for sex with other couples, groups and individuals. Certain sets of behaviours recurred in almost every ad. These included: femme drag, high heels, stockings, corsetry worn by men and women; women fucking other women whilst their husbands watch; strap-ons worn by women and used to fuck submissive men and other women; a substantial contingent of transvestites, wannabe maids, assorted masochists and bitchy  WOW! Some mag! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
Anyways, the point of this post is not to tell you about the perks of my job or my night time reading habits :shock:. Rather, it got me thinking and I’ve woken up today in a very introspective mood. (If I’m still like this tomorrow at the munch and I get pissed, run for the hills OK, or I will bend your ears something chronic :silly: ). Aside from thinking that the author of this swinging chapter is spot on, it got me thinking about the way I define myself as a swinger and more widely about my sexual identity. I know we’ve done definitions of swinging before and the threads have run on and on (the search button IS my friend) so I’m not going to go into this concept of “swinging as a lifestyle”, “swinging as an attitude” etc etc… oh no, I’m going to be much more self obsessed than that! :confused: Hey when I get introspective, I get INTROSPECTIVE! You thought that Venus was the master of introspective posts, well let me tell you, I can do introspection with the best of ‘em!!! :smug:
Come on Blue, get to the bloody point, I hear you say! :roll:
Well, OK…. The thing is, recently… well, last few months really, I’ve been feeling more and more distant from the swinging scene sad . I’ve done less meets, been less enamoured about going to clubs, in short it’s all rather jaded. I’m not saying I haven’t had any fun at all, but that…well….. it’s like it doesn’t really mean that much to me any more :sad: . I’ve always been more of a watcher than a player so I wouldn’t say it’s really to do with having less actual sex (though I have had less sex)… actually, it’s not really about sex at all… it’s more to do with feeling more distant from the lifestyle, from the “attitude”… blink .
That’s where it all starts to become a bit hazy. I don’t want to leave the swinging scene…. And NOOOOOOOOOO, I’m CERTAINLY not leaving SH! :uhoh: But what I am doing is questioning what swinging really means to me. Swinging is a bit part of my identity. OK, I don’t sing from the rooftops that I’m a swinger, it is a personal thing, but it does give me a way of defining myself, and gives me a “place to be” in relation to others. Told you this was introspective! dunno Now…. This is where I need some help… If I am questioning my place in the scene, I am also questioning (part of) who I am… and that DOES make me think :eeek: .
See, all this is difficult for me cos I’ve always had problems with identity… not that I wish to label myself in a certain way necessarily, but we all I think have a need at least on some level to know who and what we are. Even at the most basic level I have problems with that confused . Some (well one or two) of you might know that I have a slight problem with gender identity. Call me a woman and I think, “Nah, not me”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not slurring women in any way, I’m not trying to be negative toward women by saying I find it hard to identify with them or cos I have problems placing myself in that “box”, it’s simply that I can’t. It’s like calling an Alsatian a canary and expecting him to understand. He won’t. :crazy: Yet call me a man and I’ll question that too. Come on, how many men wear pink ballet shoes to work and don’t feel a tad embarrassed? OK, I’m a tad embarrassed but I still did it today. Why? Cos I wanted to. Why shouldn’t I? I did leave the pink boa at home though :roll: . Yes of course I’m being flippant but I think some of you might see where I’m going with this. No? Oh well, I’m talking to myself again hey ho! :wink:
So…. Well…. Let me try a trans identity instead. “Transsexual” ? Yeah, I kinda liked that for a while. But being transsexual is like having the medical establishment telling me what box I should be in and I don’t really like that poke . Been down that road and I kinda fell off the track somewhere along the line. But let me tell you, I don’t naturally look like a baby gorilla if I don’t shave for a week, and I’m not naturally so physically strong that I can lift what the average guy can lift :hunk: . Hormones are a wonderful thing. “Transgendered” is a better name, I guess I am transgendered, but as it can mean practically anything to anybody, it isn’t always that easy to say “I’m transgendered” and for people to leave it at that. I look like a girl, so I am a girl. OK, I can live with that…. Maybe. :dunno:
I’ve never been big on identifying myself sexually. A trans identity is not a sexual one, but then again nor are IDs like “gay man”, lesbian” and bisexual” really when they are used not just to denote who you prefer to shag :jagsatwork: . These “labels” are political and to many are symbols of their “being”. Yes, I’m bi cos I fancy males and females (and those in between), but that isn’t such a big deal for me, I’m bi cos of who I fancy not cos of any other deeper reason. Someone said to me in PM once that she is just “sexual” and I though that was spot on 8-) . But if I’m not big on identifying myself sexually, why the hell did I choose the label “swinger” – after all, swinging is all about sex, right? WRONG!!!! :huh: I developed my identity as a “swinger” over a long time… I didn’t wake up one morning and think, “I know I’m going to be a swinger today”. I have lived in non-monogamous open relationships practically the whole of my adult life, and to do that you have to be a certain type of person….. here’s where the “attitude” comes in I guess. But I think I chose the term “swinger” to define myself and my lifestyle cos I couldn’t think of any other way to express the type of life I was living or the type of person that I am. Now I am questioning my place in the swinging scene, I realise that I have over-used the term “swinger” to mean more about myself than it perhaps warrants :crazy: .
Making sense? No, it isn’t, is it. :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:
I’m just looking for a different perspective I guess, that is why I have submitted this to the scrutiny of you guys :uhoh: :uhoh: :uhoh: . I apologise to those who don’t like reading about people’s personal lives in posts – hey but you got to the bottom of the post, didn’t you! :giggle: I’m certainly not looking for sympathy from anyone, and I am trying hard not to sound like I am attention seeking :undecided: . I appreciate that this probably makes little sense, but I haven’t worked it out for myself yet, so writing it down is quite tricky! I know some of you find these introspective posts thought provoking (you sad, sad people :wink: :wink: :wink: ), but others think they are self-obsessed gob shite :sleeping: . So be it. I just got up today and thought that writing stuff down might be better than keeping it in my head. Now I’m not that sure, but hey ho :grin: .
Yeah, I know I shouldn't think too much.... or at all.... :? ... but this is written for posterity (or not, eh Scandal :wink: ), as they say… :mrgreen:
Well, this is one totally self-obsessed sad gobshite who has total respect for someone who is introspective enough to want to reach that little bit further and who can say that swinging is a part of their identity. cool
I'm saying NOTHING else for the moment, because I would no doubt spectacularly miss the point, and make a few of my own which would have people thinking I need locking up!
Great post though worship
Venusxxx
Despite people not wanting to be labelled, human nature has a habit of trying to make us choose a box and stay in it... However, there are no rules that say you can't change your mind about which box you sit in, how long you stay there or indeed how many boxes you can sit in simultaneously... It just gets tiring after a while and you start evaluating and thinking - is this right for me? I personally think it's good to look inside yourself and confirm you are being as true to yourself as you can - even if the goalposts move the next minute/hour/day etc...
Definitely agree that writing things down instead of keeping them in your head is a great thing to do...
So - label yourself up with as many as you want - even if they contradict each other and reserve the right to remove and re-add them as you see fit... smile
Good luck with your introspective journey Blue, and be happy with what you find kiss
Oooo that's a tricky one.
If I'm wholly honest with myself I think I try to ignore labelling myself and not think about it too much. That said it's impossible to never label yourself. rolleyes
The people who are closest to me have always regarded me as a bit strange but let me get on with it.
For instance, I recently told my best friend that I was a swinger, she asked me a few questions about it and then looked worriedly at me and said "You won't judge me, or stop being so close to me because I don't, will you?"
I am extremely lucky to have a friend like this, she's always accepted that I'm different to her, and have different attitudes, and she only ever worries about it, if she thinks it will change our relationship. (I love you K kiss)
I've always been a bit of a tart, ok a lot of a tart, biggrin and until I met Tim i had never been totally faithful to anyone. However I didn't lie to people about it, and I had never considered asking anyone to come with me if I was going out on the pull. Open relationship or not.
(As an aside to that, I have encoutered several people who think you are lying when you tell them "I'm sorry I was with someone else last night?" not sure how that works either confused )
When I met Tim I had to do a bit of thinking as he was very similar to me but we decided we didn't want jealousy or mistrust to ruin what we had, as we decided it was pretty damn special, and not worth ruining for the sake of a shag.
This is when we labelled ourselves as swingers. It doesn't describe who we are or define us a people but it does help inform people that we are probably more open about sex and sexuality than perhaps they are.
In terms of sexuality I don't really know we would fit as it changes for the people we are with.
In theory I am bi and Tim is straight, however he has no issues with people of either gender touching him. He just doesn't actively look for males to play with as he wouldn't be willing to have full intercourse. Equally I don't have to be with every woman who we meet and am quite happy playing with the boys.
I've always dressed however I wanted and took very little notice of fashion or trends, and when I was younger I was the lone female who could go out drinking with the rugby lads because "it's Jas, it's not like having a girl along" :shock:
The same applies to now with Tim, if he is invited out by work friends for a lads night out, no one objects to me going along.
That said, I enjoy getting dressed up in my little skirts and boots and things and leaving no doubt to anyone, that I am indeed a female.
I don't think this helps you in anyway Blue, other than to say I think it gets to us all at some time, and on occasion we fit labels to ourselves in order to try and define who we are and what we like. I think of them as sticky labels, I can always remove it and try a new one if I, or my circumstances change.
Jas
XXX
I agree with Venus. Very good post Blue. I honestly think you have all the answers, you've just not reached them yet.
Don't the majority of bright, educated people question their identity constantly? And isn't their identity always in a state of flux? Maybe you're having one of Eriksons identity crisis? lol (bit old for that aren't you? :P ).
I think that when it comes to sexuality, you're a strong enough person to say (and I'm paraphrasing from Pulp Fiction here)
"I'm simply Blue. No more. No Less"
But your sexuality, although a major part of who you are, is still just part. It's a "mask" you pull on in certain situations. One of many that are probably in the "box"
OK. Question. Did you consciously choose the label swinger, or did you just enter and enjoy the particular scene? After all isn't "Swinger" just another socio-political term like transexual or transgender? A way for society to compartmentalise others? (BTW you've already answered this one in your post. )
Finally another question. How old are you?
I'm 33 this year and I find myself questioning who and what I am more than I ever did when I was "supposed" to be in a state of moritorium.
Maybe I've always been doing it and it's only now that I'm starting to realise that I am. Or maybe I've gained enough maturity to start to strip away my facade and see what the real me is like underneath. It's an experience that I haven't enjoyed. Facing the truth about yourself sometimes isn't nice and it's certainly not easy, but I'm starting to think it's something some people need to do so they can progress with their identities.
Don't know if that helped, or even made sense tbh. Did to me when I wrote it, so I suppose there's some hope. :lol:
Quote by easy
I agree with Venus. Very good post Blue. I honestly think you have all the answers, you've just not reached them yet.

Yeah I'd go with that.
Quote by easy
After all isn't "Swinger" just another socio-political term like transexual or transgender? A way for society to compartmentalise others? (BTW you've already answered this one in your post. )

That is a great point, it may be well known that i'm not the deepest of thinkers, i have too much wizzing around in my mind to think too deeply on one particular thing. :crazy: That said however i would agree there that 'swinger' and to go on 'open relationship' are in themslves boxes for convience sake. :small-print:
Calista and I have had this discussion a number of times, are we swingers? do we have an open relationship? ..................To us we do, but thats OUR definition of the terms, how we understand and apply them.
Are we swingers, have an open relationship to others? ................I dont know, by others definitions maybe not.
The point is though that to me it doesnt matter.... after all didnt once say/sing "I am what I am". Its our choice, our decision, we have to live with it.... and if it fits into other peoples boxes fine, if not tough shite. flipa
I think this is the 'problem' with trying to define oneself....... you end up trying to assign yourself an identity that others understand but in reality instead of stating 'THIS IS ME' you end up more so saying 'THIS IN MY BOX' or I FIT IN THIS BOX BEST'
I think that makes sense, probably not lol
I have forgot what it was I believed a swinger to be before I became one. Putting a label on something gives it a definition but in the process it looses its meaning. I think if someone was to tell me what his or her preconceptions of being a swinger actually entailed, I would not recognise myself in the description.
I want to be recognised not on the basis of my gender or sexuality but as me. What every social being does, I shall invariably do also, and after all we are all part of the same society. You live your life in a chosen way i.e. swinging, but it does not define your identity.
Around adolescence we all go through a very difficult phase, of realisation and acceptance, of finding our niche in life. It is true that I did not choose to be bisexual, and life would have been simpler, especially in my teenage years, had I been “normal”, :silly: but I did not want to spend the rest of my life feeling that I did not like it, I probably would not have liked myself very much “To thine own self be 
I've got a box which keeps me tidy and restricted and underneath or on top of another box. Luckily for me, my box has a lid on so I can pop out of it when the feeling of being smothered and/or contained, gets too overwhelming. Then I put myself back in the box for my 'normal' day to day functions.
Despite not being 'girly' I'm now wearing pink trainers and have recently allowed my hair to grow long again - there's always that wee of light and space at the edges of the box which attracts me sneak out through it.
Introspection is a wonderful thing Blue, however a great man once said:
Oh wad the Power, the gift tae gie us
Tae see ourselves as others see us.
How others see you is interesting - how others see me is very interesting cos it almost never coincides in how I see myself. Go with the flow.
:P
I’m just looking for a different perspective I guess, that is why I have submitted this to the scrutiny of you guys . I apologise to those who don’t like reading about people’s personal lives in posts

It's always interesting reading people's views on sexuality and identity. I think it's what attracts many people to the site. Like you said, it's not just about sex, for a lot of us it's to do with identity and lifestyle.
It's not just other people who put you in boxes, people are drawn towards giving themselves identities. I suppose this stems from a wish not to be misunderstood.
But you can't define yourself by giving yourself any particular label, if only for the reason that your view of a particular label might not be the same as someone else's!
So to define myself as a bi male, when there are plenty of men who consider themselves straight and are more bi than I am, doesn't tell the whole story.
The term 'queer' is a nice sexual utopian phrase, but it doesn't really work in the real world. There are still more places where people don't fit in than places they do.
It can be hard work to feel like you need to explain yourself to people all the time.
Maybe the older you get the more you realise you don't have to. smile
Blue... All I can really say is 'you make sense'
Just enjoy being, don't bother too much about labels, thats how people seem to behave at your partys (from what I have seen ;) ) don't think if something fits into your identity or not, just do it if you enjoy it.
As NIKE said: " Just Do It"
Wonderful post Blue, I agree with what others have said about the (almost) meaninglessness and pointlessness of labels. It might sound naive and simplistic to say it, but just doing our best to be whatever we are is the main thing, together with being there for those who rely on us. And yes, as Jags (and Robbie Burns) pointed out, there will always be that dichotomy between how we perceive ourselves and how others do anyway.
Mike.
I think people genrally have quite a simplistic attitude towards 'labels'. Yes they're an attempt to fix something that isn't necessarily fixed or changeable, and yes they are reflections of a society tailored toward heterosexuality and monogamy etc. But without some kind of language or concept with which to identify, wouldn't we be ships at sea?
I don't speak for everyone - as there are some people who really feel no need to describe themselves in these terms to themselves or to others. Bu there are lots of us, like me, who feel they we are a sum really of how we sift through what life has to offer: bi, female etc - they're all options to choose from. Some of those options aren't good enough and that's a problem - but I think it's inevitable that new ones have to be put out into the world (like poly).
I have no problem with the use of labels themselves, as long as we recognise that we must be the masters of our own labels. I think the problem is that the labels on offer these days are outdated. And, as a further point, I also find it a bit weird sometimes to define myself with a 'sexual' term (bi) but it's sooo much more than who I want to shag. It's about my longings, attachments, friendships, relaionships, history, academic and political life... So I don't mind smile
Well it must be catching, it would appear that a few of us have gone through an introspective period recently!! Mine, also posted on here, had little to do with my sexuality, but did make me think deeply.
I had some brilliant response both on the board and in pms. I perosn ckindly offered me his services (no , no, no not what your thinking) and I still havnt taken him up on that kind offer though i really should do.
Someone else offered me his words of wisdom and philosophy on life, which after i had sat and thought and thought some more, did make sense and helped a lot
Im sure you will get people far more intelligent than me who will help you define yourself
The only thing i can say is, that over the years we all change, the person we are a 18 is rarley the person we are at 40, (though most 18 year olds are convinced they will never chang) so surely our description of ourselves must also change over time?
Introspection can help a lot, life is so hectic nowadays that sometimes its difficult to think. But i also believe that sometimes we can think too much and if we take time off to do something that dosnt need any intelligent though, (a repative mind numbing task that allows us to empty our minds ) then suddenly, from nowhere the answer to our question appears!!
Im waffleing so im going to close,but i wish you well with this part of your journey to knowing yourself
There have been a few posts recently where peeps have been re-examining their lifestyle, and results of it. Swinging, like many other pursuits can sometimes be seen and/or used as a shortcut to enlightenment and self actualisation. Destiny may not allow this, so soon in your life. You may still have to do it all, whatever it is, before you get there.
Quote by da69ve
You had me at " two free books"

Have laughed out loud at that all night!
When I read your post, Blue, I came up with all this stuff to say but quite quickly everybody else said it. It's the 'C' word - 'change' that is. Two years ago I was a drifting backpacker. Last year I was a 'swinger'. This year? (See Sunbunny and my comments on the Singles - Do you still "Vanilla" date ?" thread.)
I think we would all feel more comfortable and secure if our identities were fixed. But as a society we would also be absolutely fucked!
Jezzay.
I just popped into the forum for a quick peek after a break and saw mention of this thread elsewhere.
I think sometimes we worry too much about labels, and about how others see us (I know I do) but at the end of the day shouldn't we really be content being ourselves... just as unique and special as the next person? Once you reach a certain age, you aren't really expected to conform, in fact I think that's one of the best things about being a grown-up... although sometimes the teenage wobbles can sneak up on me, too!
And as for sex, I'm much better not analysing what I like and why.... I still don't consider myself as bi, but I've shared great times with women and couples, and men, too. smile
Take care Bluexxx... you're a thinker and that makes you special.
M
x
I really enjoyed reading your post Blue. It got my tired mind working again, thanks.
I for one believe you can catagorise each part of you and place it into a box. You will no doubt be placed into many boxes, some large (the ones you feel a better connection with) and some small. I don't think it is you that is changing blue. Just the boxes that you are in. People like to label themselves but as they do they add more and more labels onto themselves. Doing this may decrease the size of other labels/boxes and increase others.
Just because you have one foot in the 'pink' box doesn't mean you have increased the size of the 'female sexuality box'. You can be in as many boxes as you want and also as few as you need. You are you and there aint no boxes that could contain all of you.
The introspective thing certainly is catching lately! I've made a conscious decision recently to back off from 'swinging', or whatever you want to call it. Basically for me it means I'm not meeting anyone for casual sex or going to parties and munches.
Currently I am taking a break from pretty much everything but the most basic roles I have in life as a parent and a friend. I really don't know what I want from my life so I am sitting back for a while and having a think. There are very personal reasons why I feel I need to do it and it's nothing to do with anyone I have met or spoken to through this site.
I've had fantastic fun at the parties I've been too, Blue, you and Satin are a wonderful host(esse)s and I have felt so welcome and it has done wonders for my self esteem and confidence. I'm just not sure that I want it as a lifestyle, I have very deep needs for things which aren't available at a casual sex party! Whether I can mix the two is a question that would need answering if I find a life partner and the issue came up.
I think I may have referred to this before but I feel currently that I am on a 'voyage of discovery' about myself, I am quite recently divorced and am looking at what I want to do, and trying some of it, as much as possible. It's doing me some good and knowing I have the option to take a step back and think every so often is a good thing too.
I reckon the richest of lives are those where we are on a constant voyage of discovery and the bends in the road can be challenging but very worthwhile.
I am going to make a stab at answering this but may completely get the wrong end of the stick so to speak. If I do just ignore me and I will fade away.
Anyway I turned this around and asked myself how do Mrs NC and me label ourselves. Well we are Husband and Wife and Parents which I guess are our 2 main labels in life which will (I hope) stay till we fall off this mortal coil. Where do we go after that because as people there is more to us than that.
So I came to the swinging question, are we swingers?
Well yes we swing but does that mean that we should label ourselves Swingers. In my opinion No we are not swingers nor are we non-swingers in the sense of labelling ourselves.
Are we bi-sexual or straight?
Well I have never been with another man, does that make me straight?. Mrs NC likes playing with women so what is she labelled. Well thinking about this I came to the conclusion that she like me does not need a label for her sexuality.
Ok I will now attempt to explain how I came to the decision that we are not labelled for our choices. Answer the following questions for yourself.
I occassionally play a game of football, am I a footballer or am I Mr NC playing football?
In my spare time I like taking pictures for pleasure, am I a photographer or am I Mr NC who enjoys taking pics in his spare time.
What I think I am trying to say is that there are many factors which influence who we are and what we are and if we attached the label for each "activity" that we undertook then we would all have a pretty long list. I think we are defined by the important thinks in life and I would like to be labelled as a Husband, Father who enjoyed flirting, laughing, etc etc and not defined by my sexuality and sexual choices which at the end of the day are a hobby, they are not the main stays in my life more like added extras.
Anyway I am going to stop rambling now on the basis that I am not sure if I have just spoken some sense or a load of old codswallop, and I fear its the latter.
Anyway I shall fade away now and hope you all forgive my ramblings.
Mr NC
PS now you know why I dont post that often lol
Labels are a massive problem in society. Once someone is given or gives themselves a label they appear to be judged by that label and not for who they really are. I am quite open about my activities at work. All my colleagues think its great but they always introduce me to new people as the swinger and it gets a bit tiresome at times. They get shocked when I give them my views on religion,politics etc. They think I only think about sex lol
My wife and I don't see ourselves as swingers and even though we have same sex sex we don't consider ourselves bi sexual. For us swinging is a fantasy. It takes us out of our normal lives as workers parents and dare I say it grandparents :lol: into another world where we can have fun.
I am a  I am a Transsexual. ” I am a human  I am an  I am a  I am sensitive and tough, Fem, and Macho, vulnerable-good, clean,  Who are we without these labels? When you really let go of all the pros and cons, who are you then? Drop all your likes and dislikes, notions of career and position; then who is left? God, I don’t know…. I am nobody, I am 
That is how we feel, but it isn’t true. When we really let go, we become everything. At that point we are identified with all things: the flower, the oak tree, the morning star.
x rache x
thanks Rachel think that was what I was trying to say :rose:
quite simple blue...stop reading them books....they making you think to much !!!
Hi Judy Tv
I understand your need and societys need for labels but my point was that society does not go beyond labels to see the person underneath. In the 70's I was a punk and I was judged on societys views on what punks were. Hence I got banned from pubs etc just for the way i looked. Recently we have had the debate over hoodies. That anyone that wears one is a potential criminal.
Hi again Judy TV
I never said I didn't use labels myself. To be honest it would be difficult not to. My point about using the example of being a punk was how one is judged when society labels people in a negative way and labels as I am sure you are aware can be used in a very negative way.
The point I am trying to make is whatever we label ourselves and others we should never forget that we are all human and that we all live love and suffer on this big planet. We should all try to accept what we are and what others are and try not to prejudge people by what they and society label them. Remember you have to open the can to find out if it taste good smile
I only popped on for a moment and realised that i'd spent an hour deep in thought. I'm another one being quite introspective at the moment too. I've never liked labels particularly but I can see Judy's point in that society would tend to fail without them......we're labelled from before birth. Labels do change over time...at its most simplistic i've been an embryo, a baby, a child, an adolescent, a girlfriend, wife, mother, divorcee, single-parent, grandmother etc etc. I dont particularly think any of these labels are helpful in defining who i was as a person at any of those stages in my life.
I also think that the labels we choose (or are given) vary dependent on our surroundings and those that surround us......at work i'm one thing, at home another.....whilst socialising I'm probably given a different label by every different person......and would the labels used in my professional life be instantly recognised by those people who only know me socially and vice versa???
I think at the end of the day what i'm trying to say (not very well) is that labels are just words and you can only hope that the ones you accept for yourself are firstly not misconstrued by others, and secondly are not taken in isolation of all the other labels you have.
Kim
Quote by JucyLucy
I only popped on for a moment and realised that i'd spent an hour deep in thought. I'm another one being quite introspective at the moment too. I've never liked labels particularly but I can see Judy's point in that society would tend to fail without them......we're labelled from before birth. Labels do change over time...at its most simplistic i've been an embryo, a baby, a child, an adolescent, a girlfriend, wife, mother, divorcee, single-parent, grandmother etc etc. I dont particularly think any of these labels are helpful in defining who i was as a person at any of those stages in my life.
I also think that the labels we choose (or are given) vary dependent on our surroundings and those that surround us......at work i'm one thing, at home another.....whilst socialising I'm probably given a different label by every different person......and would the labels used in my professional life be instantly recognised by those people who only know me socially and vice versa???
I think at the end of the day what i'm trying to say (not very well) is that labels are just words and you can only hope that the ones you accept for yourself are firstly not misconstrued by others, and secondly are not taken in isolation of all the other labels you have.
Kim

Very well put kim. I might add that as humans we are constantly changing from day to day. I am not the same person I was five years ago. I would of labeled myself quite differently. So we get down to the age old Philisophical question of who am I confused
If someone finds out what I am can they send me the answer on the back of a postcard please?
It's something I have considered over and over again but still have no answers to either. For now I am just saying to myself "if it feels right, roll with it. If it feels wrong then it usualy is"
kiss and good luck with your quest Blue. xxx
Gem. x