Tag Archives: BDSM

Trust and Relationships (not just BDSM)

trust

So I guess the question is how do we build up the Trust, Honestly and Communication again and how do u deal with being a slave/wife to Master Jason and working and raising a family and running a house? Any advice that you can give us will help so much and like I said we both respect you greatly.
~A Fan

I’ve been thinking over this question for a few hours now. I went and did some grocery shopping, made dinner and got the kiddos to bed, all while thinking about how Master and I managed to set a foundation to our relationship. The best answer I have been able to come up with is “time”. Well, time and patience.

When Master and I first “met” it was online, in a public chat room  We didn’t know each other at all. I managed to snag his attention by being who I am (loud, opinionated and smart). Somehow I managed to get his contact info for instant messaging. And from there I was just bound and determined to be someone he talked to.

You already have that with your Sir. You have his attention, he has yours, now you both want the trust. Trust is not something that is earned, given or tossed around like a lucky penny (contrary to popular belief.) Trust is something that is built. It takes time, it takes patience, it takes mistakes and bumps and bruises and scraped elbows from all the work you put into it. It is an on-going project that never ends. The more you build on it, the prettier it becomes, sometimes though it also becomes more fragile in the process.

It can take a moment to break a lifetime of trust. And it can take another lifetime to build it back up again. Your first step in building that trust though is crucial. If you refuse to take that step and he refuses to take that step, then trust is never going to happen. If either of you worry that the other person is going to break the bond of trust, stop worrying. It isn’t about IF someone breaks the trust, it’s about WHEN that happens. Because this is real life, it’s messy, unscripted, surprising and heartbreaking. The trust you two build will be broken back down at some point. There isn’t a “how to avoid” pamphlet I can give you or an article I could suggest. There is only a bit of advice I can give: expect the trust you build to break and worry more about how you will REACT than how it will happen.

Because after the trust has been broken, the only important factor is what you choose to do about it. How do you want to react WHEN the trust is broken? By the time you answer that question, you’ll find you’ve not only taken the first few steps in building trust for the other person, you’ll have finished the foundation you were looking to start in the first place.

–Autumn

The Dominant Submissive

© Prashant Shrestha

© Prashant Shrestha

There are times in our lives where being the dominant one is required of us. Sometimes our Dom/me is stressed out and just needs someone to guide them, help them through the stress and even order them to eat, sleep, relax, etc. Other times you have to be dominant in standing up for yourself, speaking up for others who can’t or won’t speak up for themselves. A submissive is not submissive 100% of the time. In fact, in my personal life, I am rarely submissive. I tend to be more dominant in every area of my life except when it comes to serving Master, and I am only submissive then because I choose to be.

Moving has practically forced me to put on my Domme boots. I am the one who made all of the appointments, hotel reservations, contacted the moving company, signed any and all paperwork, and made this move happen. I was the one that coordinated the safety of the pets in the Pet Hotel, the arrival times of the packers, the paperwork needed for transferring schools, doctors and other vital information. I made sure our “change of address” forms were properly filled out and turned in. I called the cable, internet and cell phone companies to arrange transfer of services. If an issue came up that didn’t require Master’s personal attention, I took care of it. If an issue came up that did require Master’s personal attention, I am the one who made contact with him and helped fix the issue.

Master’s job during this time was to make sure all of our financial obligations were met, that there was emergency money in the bank and to continue working at his job as though it was just another day. Therefore the stress of moving also fell on my shoulders. Master was (and is) of course stressed as well, but it is my job as his submissive to make sure the majority of the anxiety that comes with moving was kept far away from him. I like to think I make it look easier than it certainly was.

The tasks were easy enough for me, after all I can be extremely dominant when I need to be. It has become an inside joke with friends of mine about how Domme-like I can be when I want to. Problems arise when I forget my place with Master though. After five weeks of being in charge and doing my own thing with little input or need for permission from Master, it is very easy to allow that streak to overflow into my relationship with him. It’s even easier to attempt to dominate him after such a long time of dominating everything else.

It’s almost as though we have gone from a 24/7 M/s relationship to a bedroom only M/s relationship, but this is not the life that either of us wants. We both prefer to be in our “roles” all the time. Reality, however, likes to remind us that nothing in life is as easy to do as it may be to say.

Learning when I need to be dominant and when I need to be submissive is not an easy lesson. It is one I suspect will be a lot like parenting in that it will change just as soon as I think I’ve got it down. I think that’s one of the things I enjoy about the BDSM relationship though: it’s always challenging. Anyone can be submissive for a night. Anyone can be dominant for a day. It takes a certain level of skill, finesse and tact to be able to pull it off for more than a few hours at a time. It takes a strong commitment, an outpouring of yourself into someone else, the decision to actually put another human being before yourself day in and day out. (Again, much like parenting).

Being submissive doesn’t mean being a doormat, or allowing yourself to be bullied, abused or broken. It doesn’t mean you are never going to put on your Domme boots again. It doesn’t mean you stop taking care of yourself either. In fact, you have to be extra careful in taking care of yourself because even though you are the submissive one, your Dom/me depends on you to be there when he needs you. He depends on you to be emotionally stable, physically able, mentally mature enough to handle whatever situation comes up. He depends on you to know your own limits, to be willing to push them yourself, to allow him to push them for you and to be strong enough to call out Red when you need to. Being submissive requires you to be dominant at times. You have to be able to say “no” to other things in life so that you can say “yes” to your Dom. You also have to be able to say “no” to your Dom at times so that you can take care of yourself and your children (if you have any).

Dom/mes are not perfect beings. They can not read minds, they do not understand all of your moods (no matter how many times you explain them, or how many ways you try to explain them). They do not remember every little detail, even if they have a photographic memory. They can not be your everything, your savior, your only source of love and support. That is entirely too much to ask of anyone. They can be everything you need them to be most of the time, but we all have bad days, forgetful moments and “oops” situations where we want to kick ourselves over it later. We all mess up, make mistakes and have regrets. (Anyone who claims to not have any regrets either hasn’t lived very long, is lying, or has a terrible memory.)

Don’t fret because you are supremely dominant and yet you desire to be submissive. You can be both. It just takes a whole lot of practice, notes to self, and patience to learn how to walk the fine line between Dominant and submissive roles. It takes teamwork to get through most of the crises in life. That’s why we voluntarily enter into these difficult, and at times heartbreaking things we call “relationships”. We know, deep down, that it is easier to tackle the hardships in life with a partner than it is to go it alone. We know that it’s always more enjoyable when you can share your happiness with others, when you can accomplish something major together. The goal, in my humble opinion, is not to have the perfect marriage, the perfect boyfriend or girlfriend, not to have the perfect life. The goal is to be happy, to live peacefully and to have many fond memories to reflect upon when you are too old to make new ones. The goal is to have someone you can stand next to that shares those memories with you, that rejoices when you rejoice, that cries when you cry, that hurts when you hurt and that loves just as fully as you do.

Dominance, submission, switching, it’s all part of the big picture. Words we use to define our particular brand of love between us. It’s part of who we are to the very core. It becomes something we can not imagine living without and hardly remember getting by before we discovered this part of us. Our roles blend into one very colorful tapestry that is made beautiful by the kaleidoscopic and variety of both good times and bad. The pastel colors that define happiness in my life are made brighter by the dark areas I wish I didn’t have to go through. The bold jewel-toned mesh of two or more colors are easy to pick out from the rest because of the thickness of the thread used in those moments, thickened and strengthened  by the fact that I was able to share them with someone else. I am forever grateful that Master came along and helped me realize the world is not black and white. He has opened my eyes to help me see the full pallet of color that life can be if you dive in head first. He has helped me reach goals I didn’t even know I could dare to dream of. He has shown me the beauty in choosing to submit and at times he has even helped me lace up my Domme boots and stood back as he watched me stomp around in them.

There are times in life where you don’t get to choose if you’re going to be dominant or submissive and there are times where you have to be dominant when you don’t want the responsibility but need to buck up. Sometimes, being submissive means having to be dominant.

–Autumn

Submission is a Gift

brwn_pic_whitaker1

“How do I know if I have what it takes to be a submissive? I’m so dominant in other areas of my life, there’s just no way I can be fully submissive, even though I want to be.”

Submission is a gift. Your choice to obey what someone else says, knowing that you do not have to, knowing that nothing is forcing you to, is your choice to make. Submission is not something you are required to have, or something that must come naturally. It isn’t a one size fits all kind of deal. Though at the same time, there isn’t a “you must be this, this and this in order to proceed” manual either.

Submissives, like their dominant counterparts, come from all walks of life and all kinds of different backgrounds. Yes, there are some people out there who are naturally submissive, just as there are some who are naturally dominant. I’m fairly dominant in most areas of my life, especially meeting Master. I have a lot of submissive traits and I’ve talked about how I think a part of me has always been naturally submissive, but that doesn’t mean that every submissive is that way.

When I think of myself as naturally submissive, what I am trying to say is that I was desperately seeking someone more dominant than I am, who can handle my ups and downs, who I can trust to take the lead and make decisions that are best for me, instead of always giving in to what I think I want or what I demand from them.

I grew tired of being the only one in charge. I got tired of men who just gave in to whatever I asked for, suggested or demanded. I wanted someone who would challenge me, take charge and be confident enough to tell me when I was wrong.

My submission is not something that is demanded of me (not often anyway, and even when it is, I could always deny the person making the demand my cooperation.) It is something I choose to give. I do not life in a third world country where I am subservient to all men. I live in America. I have the freedom to walk away at any point if I choose to do so. I am not weak or in need of such strong guidance and direction that will keep me safe from the big bad world out there. I am a strong, independent, furiously passionate woman. I knock down proverbial walls and challenge others to stand up for what they believe in daily. I see myself as the woman who can be your best friend, will help you out of your funk, come over to help rake your yard or do the dishes or catch up on that pile of laundry. I will quickly speak out when someone is being abusive to the sales clerk because she can’t get the damned computer to think faster or because the line to too long.

I don’t sit idly by and await direction. In most vanilla settings, I am the last person you would ever suspect of being the submissive one, even in some BDSM settings I’ve been mistaken as a Domme. But all of that dominance, all of the exertion it takes to be a leader, to be the support system for so many others, is exhausting. Utterly and completely exhausting.

When it comes to my personal relationship with my husband, I find it comforting that he enjoys taking the lead. I find it easy (most days) to let him be the one “in charge”. I have my moments where I desperately need to be reminded that he is just as dominant (if not more so) as I am and will challenge me right back. I have times where I feel the need to correct him, push his limits, tease him and disagree with him just because I can (and because I need/want him to disagree and argue/fight back).

But at the end of the day, at the heart of my submission to Master, it is ultimately my gift to him. I was not forced into this relationship, nor was I bribed by anything or anyone. In fact, I’m the one that begged him to read the books about BDSM. I brought this idea to him. I am submissive by choice, not by force. I need to know that even after I have agreed to submit to Master, that he will not abuse that gift, take advantage of it or destroy it in a fit of anger or frustration. I need to know that he will accept it for what it is, a gift of the utmost importance to me. It is essentially who I am as a whole. You can not, should not, just randomly give that kind of thing away to just anyone.

To trust someone else enough that you allow them to tie you, bind you, gag you and do as they please to you is something that should only ever be given. It takes a lot to allow yourself to be helpless. You have to trust that they will respect your limits, your triggers and your safety. You have to trust that they are not drunk or high and are responsible with the gift that you are giving them. You have to know that if you cry out that safeword, the other person will stop everything and make sure you’re okay, then figure out what went wrong and how to avoid that in the future. There aren’t many people I can give that kind of trust to on a daily basis. I can only think of one person worth of my dedication to that level and even he and I have our problems at times. I can not imagine giving so much of who I am away to anyone else, let alone having it forced from me. Actually, if you try to force that kind of dedication out of me I will fight you to the death over it.

Do not expect your gift of submission to look exactly like anyone else’s. It is something you choose to give, one less thing that is demanded from you, but something that you willingly give. You might have bratty moments, you might not. You might naturally submit to nearly everyone, you might be the least submissive person in your group of friends. None of that matters when it comes to a BDSM relationship. The only things that matter is your consent, your sanity and your safety in submitting to this other person (or people).

This is why they call submission a gift, it is a choice that is made, not one that is taken from you. In answer to your question, it is not a matter of “can you be submissive” it is a matter of “do you choose to be submissive”. After answering that question you can decide how long you’re willing to submit, be it bedroom only or every other month or every day and whom you are willing to entrust with your gift. It is yours to give, not someone else’s to take.

Until Next Time,
–Autumn

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