I’ve been elevated. WordPress.
There is no pretense here (at least that I have seen). There is honesty. Not only about our sexual proclivities but the depth of who we are. You guys are amazing. I feel so blessed that I have stumbled into a group of people that express themselves the way I feel.
(Abigail) “You know, people don’t really talk that way.”
(Benjamin) “No, but they think that way.”
— National Treasure
*****
Discovering who we are ……
Self-discovery is a constant journey. A journey I was terrified of. I would lie to myself and anyone that tried to get close. It was a lonely place to be and I didn’t realize just how lonely I was. Trapped in a steel ball that had been welded shut, all the while completely unaware of its existence.
Then the work began. There was no other choice.
It dawned on me a while back that we are either snorkelers or scuba divers. Snorkelers skim the surface. They are content with what they see and won’t go any deeper perhaps due to fear or ignorance (no-judgment-zone here by the way). Snorkeling is relatively easy. You swim around, you look and there is beauty to see; to see. Comfortable? Oblivious? Easy? (Hey, I have an idea. Let’s go to the Bahamas, sit on the beach and snorkel just past the swimming area.)
Scuba divers want to go deeper. And they are also afraid; perhaps more so. They’ve snorkeled when it’s cloudy or even in Category IV hurricanes, and done so not by design but by circumstances. And when it clears, snorkeling isn’t enough. They see snippets of the beauty below. But now they long to feel what they can only see. They need to feel and they need help. Equipment, guidance, faith …. time to take some risks. They are gifted with a desire to go deeper. Starting in a swimming pool they get comfortable with their equipment, their guides. They begin to trust. They move to the water while remaining close to the shore then go out a bit further each time. They begin to go deeper. They get closer to what they saw but had yet to “feel.” Then they touch. Things are beautiful but can also be sharp or even cut us if we aren’t careful. But we have our guides. We have our faith. We are trusting now. We are gaining experience. We go deeper. Dangerous living creatures can show up. Memories can show up. We stay with our guides. We are learning to scuba dive. And we know we can never experience all there is to see but we can’t stop looking.
Most of us begin as snorkelers. Some stay that way. Some begin to scuba dive, become terrified and return to snorkeling. Some try again in time; in their time. Once I was a scuba diver, I realized I can’t go snorkeling. If I do, I will always be uncomfortably aware of what I could be missing.
There is immense freedom in discovering who we are.
wildwestangel said:
Damn. So good. So clear.
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Freedom Hunter said:
Thank you WWA. You’re very kind.
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wildwestangel said:
No. I’m not and you’d better take that back right now!!! (Giggle)
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wildwestangel said:
Damn it!!! Fix my errors, pretty please?
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Freedom Hunter said:
Done and done. Anything for you little miss West …….
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wildwestangel said:
Thank you, Sir.
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Freedom Hunter said:
You are so very welcome. 🙂
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Cinn said:
And being accepted for who we are 😄
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Freedom Hunter said:
And accepting ourselves for who we are. Hugs to you …..
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Mel Douleur said:
This metaphor is amazing! I want to dive to the deepest depths. I can’t wait to read this to my hubs!!!
It’s very nice to meet you, Hunter!! 😉
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Freedom Hunter said:
Thank you Mel. So nice to meet you as well.
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Dana Renee said:
Welcome to WP, Hunter. 🙂
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Freedom Hunter said:
Many thanks, Dana. Glad to join you guys.
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Cinn said:
Reblogged this on CinnamonAndSparkles and commented:
Meet The Real Deal
😄
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daddyslittlehmongslut said:
Yay
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Kayla Lords said:
Wonderful analogy. It was a long time before I even considered snorkeling. The part of the journey that’s been a dive has been thrilling and terrifying all at the same time, but over time I’ve braved the depths more and more.
Welcome to WP, by the way!
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Freedom Hunter said:
Thank you. Keep diving ……
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John Brownstone said:
Welcome to the world of WP Freedom Hunter.
Yes once you’ve dipped your toes in the water there is no going back, you only want to delve deeper into it and explore all the wonders it holds.
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Freedom Hunter said:
Indeed. Thanks John.
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joy said:
I am fairly new to the blogging world myself and Cinn and her posse have accepted me with open arms! Welcome!
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Freedom Hunter said:
Great. And aren’t they wonderful?!
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Searching4Selina said:
Why yes, yes we are (giggle)
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daddyslittlehmongslut said:
Heck yeah 😉 glitter and all 😉 giggle
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overhis2knees said:
Scuba diver here! In spite of the coral in the water, I always plunge deeper. The water’s wonderfully warm here, like the South Pacific. Anticipating fun dives. Welcome!
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Freedom Hunter said:
I like that. Thanks for the comment and the warm welcome.
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Ember said:
Reflective thoughts. Great to meet you, Hunter. 🙂
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Freedom Hunter said:
Thank you Ember. And you as well.
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theagingsub said:
Welcome, freedomhunternc. It’s a pleasure to have you. What a lovely way to describe our willingness to introspect. I used to be a snorkeler who would take an occasional dive, get scared and return to snorkeling, to the safety of the surface. Until one day, I just dove in, with all my tanks and reserves, and never returned. It’s amazing here.
Kay💜
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Freedom Hunter said:
Wow. Very cool. Take a few risks, get to the good stuff and never look back. Nice to meet you.
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hispetitelle said:
This is a wonderful insight. Thank you for sharing and welcome to WP.
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Freedom Hunter said:
I appreciate that. And thanks for the kind welcome.
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daddysbabygirl69 said:
Very well said.
The visual is perfect. Daddy will love it.
So good to meet you Hunter.
Look forward to reading more.
Hugs.
Baby girl
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Freedom Hunter said:
Thank you so much for the kind words. I hope he does indeed love it!
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Searching4Selina said:
I loved it and wanted to throw my welcome in as well!!!
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Freedom Hunter said:
You better. I was beginning to feel hurt!!! Ha. Glad you liked it and thank you for the welcome. You three are awesome.
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Searching4Selina said:
Nope, stuck in meetings all day and being sleepy didnt help!
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Freedom Hunter said:
And when is bed time tonight? Chime in WWA …..
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wildwestangel said:
The Littles need to be asleep by 10:00!!!!
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thruthemist said:
Welcome FHNC. You have landed in an entire pool of scuba fanatics. Well wishes and I look forward to reading more of your blog.
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Freedom Hunter said:
Yes. And it feels great. Thanks for the welcome.
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The Woman Invisible said:
I’m all in……getting as deep as I can go…self-discovery and all! Great post!
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Freedom Hunter said:
Thanks. Keep diving …..
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mrmodigliani said:
I welcome you as well, not only to WordPress, but to a great community of people
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Freedom Hunter said:
Thanks. It’s an amazing group.
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wildwestangel said:
Stay away from Mr. M…he’s got too much dirt on some of us!
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Freedom Hunter said:
Noted. “Cautiously optimistic” as you’ve so eloquently put it ……
(just couldn’t resist)
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mrmodigliani said:
Lol. Yes I do.
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wildwestangel said:
Crap….
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daddyslittlehmongslut said:
Giggle
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SubinBerlin said:
Reblogged this on Sub in Berlin and commented:
Important lesson for someone like me. Someone who feels lonely all the time.
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Freedom Hunter said:
Aww, that makes me a little sad. But there is always hope; we all have to find our way in our own time. Never give up. Never.
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daddyslittlehmongslut said:
I’m really excited to meet you sir!! Welcome to our little hideaway 🙂
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Freedom Hunter said:
Thanks so much. Glad to be here.
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daddyslittlehmongslut said:
We are too 😉 been hearing soo many marvelous things and are just so excited to see what happens 😉
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Ash and Alder said:
Hello, Mr FH, from Cinn’s friends in the UK!
Great to see you here in blogland, and especially with this bunch of lovely people we are blessed to call our friends.
Ash & Alder
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Freedom Hunter said:
Thank you so much. I have a special fondness for Brits. My brother lived there 10 years and I was fortunate enough to spend time there. I’ll look forward to knowing you better here in blogland.
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becomingHIS said:
Hi from Tennessee! I’ve only been on WP for a couple months, so I’m still getting to know everyone in this kinky bunch, but so far so good. Welcome to the party! lol 😀
~ bH ~
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Freedom Hunter said:
Thanks for the welcome. It’s a great group of folks.
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Annie B said:
Blast off! Wonderful post and welcome to WP.
Annie B
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Freedom Hunter said:
Thank you Annie. Very nice to be here.
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desiringdiscipline said:
Welcome. Great analogy… I’ve had the same exact RL experience– starting first with wondering “why anyone would care to snorkel?” (this was in Tonga and turned out to be a religious experience!), to being pulled down with the dive master’s extra regulator while snorkeling in Belize… and then you never look back, you wonder how you could have ever been so pedestrian or afraid. The journey here on WP and in TTWD has been very similar.
I hope for your sake you plan to be a good one… I for one need to see Cinn happy!
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Freedom Hunter said:
I appreciate your comments. I’m very fortunate to have met someone that has so many that care deeply for her.
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sirslittledarling said:
Jacques Cousteau invented scuba because of his passion for exploring caves…your words create an image of all the different colors of the ocean to discover and feel. A journey with passion. You remind me I don’t have to hold my breath… Submerse… A whole new world….and thank you for the analogy.
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Freedom Hunter said:
Wow. Wonderfully stated and thank you so much. It is a whole new world. We just need to find the faith, courage and conviction to step gently in the right direction.
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oceanswater said:
It is amazing how well we do when we step outside of our comfort zones. Thank You Sir, and may I also Welcome you to WP. You have a beautiful way with words, and I look forward to following your blog.
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Hunter said:
Thank you so much for the comment and warm welcome. Very glad to be here.
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Dawn D said:
I don’t have time or energy to read all comments tonight, I apologise.
But I want to say: I’m a diver too. Not a very good one, but I enjoy it tremedously. When I first read your post, I could relate to so much. I want o come back to it. But just not tonight.
Thank you for this.
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Dawn D said:
I had just written a long comment and… pufff! It evaporated when I tried to post it 😦
So let me try again:
You had me at “Let’s go to the Bahamas, sit on the beach and snorkel just past the swimming area.” Can you tell I need a good vacation?
I used to snorkel, Now I enjoy diving.
The peace I feel when I’m underwater, the restful quiet, and being allowed to simply BE for an hour…
I’d like to go deeper, but I haven’t had time to practice much, nor money. One day soon I hope to be able to focus on it a bit more, finally. That analogy extends into my real life. I don’t know how deep I’ll want to go, whether under the sea or in real life. I’m nowhere near where most people here are. And it’s OK.
I’m enjoying the discovery for now. It’s a beautiful path in front of me, and I’ll see where it takes me, I’ll stop where it looks nice, revel in that experience, and then move on later if/when I am ready.
I still enjoy snorkeling, mostly with my kids. I like to be able to show them the beauty that surrounds us. I hope to get them curious enough to want to discover what lays deeper. I’m not talking about the analogy here, of course. At least not for now!
Oh, welcome to WP.
I’m fairly new here too, it’s only been 3.5 months. I used to be on Blogger but the community drew me here 🙂
I like your way with words and look forward to reading more from you 🙂
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Hunter said:
Thanks for the comment. I don’t believe there are any rules for how we snorkel or scuba dive. Regarding “I’m nowhere near where most people are,” I believe each of us are right where we are supposed to be. There’s no scale, no rules and no finish line. Just keep exploring.
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Dawn D said:
I agree. We each are where we should be at any given time. And for now, I’m not as deep as a lot of other people here on WP. But as I said, I’ll keep enjoying the discovery. Thank you for your comment/post/reply/all of the above 😉
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