"The New Normal" and 3 Classes this week

News & Appearances
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Hello beautiful beings!

It has been such an amazing week. I hosted 94 people in a class/discussion on Age Play on Wednesday, debuted my 2-day, 16-hour intensive on Transgender Awareness to a power team of councilors, social workers, therapists, and allies on Friday and Saturday, and Ms. Cenna even made home Italian cheese bread for the whole family. If you missed the intensive and would love the resources sheet, I will be sharing it over on my Patreon, to supporters beyond the “Thank You” letter level. Come join me there.

Things have not been perfect though on the personal front – body challenges and a deep wish that I had easier access to chiropractic care and massage therapy at this time. Having 4 adults and a teenager (who clearly knows everything) is finally falling into a pattern and we are constantly evolving into what is becoming our “new normal.” This concept came to me from talking with my friend JD about how he is not telling his kiddo that “things will go back to normal,” because we aren’t going back to what it was. Another friend, Ruth, shared that the notion of “building our new normal” puts the power of designing our life back in our hands.

Some ideas for building our new normal:
- How we greet strangers (bows, waves)
- Where we work from (online, separated spaces, cubicles)
- When we decide to go to emergency rooms or doctors
- How often and how we shop
- How much food to keep in the house (understanding depression era survivor food hordes better)
- How often and well we wash hands
- Haircut and fashion choices
- Use of in person and online support systems 
- Self-care tools
- Amounts of alone/no interaction, or required interaction time needed
- What we perceive as wants or needs
... and more

I believe by designing our new normal now, we can avoid some of our bitterness and take back our power. If we are in our current regimen through the summer, the thought process of “emergency” will likely burn us out (or already has). 

This weekend will be JAM PACKED with opportunities to attend classes with me. Wednesday daytime will be about “Modifying Love Languages for Alternative Sexual Communities,” that evening I will be teaching “Dark Roleplaying” for Wicked Grounds, and Saturday night I will be teaching “Crotch Ropes and Crafting Strap-Ons” for the Ravenous One-Day Conference. 

When Dr. Gary Chapman introduced his book “The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate,” he came from the lens of being a Baptist pastor who practiced monogamy, and certainly didn’t look at the perspective of “alternative” sexual and relationship practices. In this class/discussion, we will look at adapting the love languages (words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service, physical touch) to these various relationship structures (whether friends, play partners/lovers, partners, life mates, or D/s dynamics). With touch, for example, someone might want a hug… or a spanking! A gift could be roses… or a collar. Let’s share from our hearts, our experiences, and look at some other tools for communicating care, affection, connection, appreciation, and love alike.

We have been playing pretend since we were young but the realm of kinky sexuality opens up all new directions roleplaying can take.  Join us as we explore the shadowy realms of our fantasies and roles we can try on: abduction, abuse, torture, snuff, fantastical realms and anywhere else our twisted minds can dream up.  We will discuss the joys of playing in our closet, why these dark desires turn us on, how to bring up these taboo interests with our partners, negotiating our desires, and troubleshooting the challenges these types of fantasies can elicit.

Rope can be  a wonderful tool for spicing up your sex life, and in today’s class we will learn to apply crotch ropes for a variety of shapes and layouts of bodies. We will then convert them into hand holds for penetrative sex, craft artfully done butt bondage, and finally learn to create our own strap-on harnesses out of rope. Bring one or two  25-30 foot pieces of rope, and a dildo if you have one, and come play along (whether you are doing self-bondage, are with a partner, or just want to watch).

To check out other classes I have coming up in May, visit my Upcoming Appearances page to learn more.

Much love to you all and see you soon!

Cheers,

Lee Harrington

http://www.PassionAndSoul.com

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