#365Gratitude Day 42:Date Night

Missy and I went on a date last night.

We've been married for nine, almost 10 years now.  We've known one another closer to 15 years.  It doesn't matter.  The special magic that got us together is still here, still strong.

We bought movie tickets to go see Fifty Shades Darker.  Missy got her hair cut earlier in the day, super short, in a manner I find adorably cute, really sexy, and kind of toppy looking.  I put on a nice shirt and sweater.  We drove towards the theater, and picked a restaurant at random.  (It was a Brazilian steak place we had never been to before, and it was magnificent.)

As we drove, we talked about our lives.  What we had that we liked, what we want in future.  How we loved one another, how the other relationships we have in our life together make us so happy.

The sweet remains of our actual dessert.

After our fantastic dinner, we headed over to the theater.  The movie was entertaining and really quite filthy in the best way.  We held hands, each of us squeezing the other's hand when something particularly intense or arousing to either of us happened on screen.

It was romantic.  It was wonderful.

I love her.

#365Gratitude Day 41:The power of the flower

I've got this good friend, PowerFlower.  She's sort of miraculous.  She embraced kink later in her life, and jumped in with both feet.  She's a brilliant artist, has a kind heart, and a filthy mouth in the best way.

She loves many of the same things I do, including spanking, philosophy in general, diapers, Alan Watts philosophy specifically, and grabbing life hard with both hands and not ever letting the fuck go of it.

Life has a funny way of getting in between good friendships, and Flower and I lost touch with one another about a year ago.  The other day we reconnected, and shared what we have going on in our lives.  Our friendship opened up, like a sunflower, and as we talked on the phone it was like no time had passed at all.  It felt so damn good to reconnect.

#365Gratitude Day 40:Home and hearth

Thursday was freezing.  We had snow in the wee hours before dawn, and even though it warmed up enough to make it go away, the day was bitter cold and very windy.  It was the sort of day that made me glad to be indoors.

Not my actual house, but it conveys the idea I'm going for here.

On my way home I fought awful traffic, blown about in the wind shear, did some late night grocery shopping, and came home very glad to my house.

It was well lit, warm, and inviting.  I got in, put away the groceries, and felt warm, safe, and sheltered.

You know, that's not a small thing that feeling.  I forget sometimes what a blessing it is.

#365Gratitude Day 39:He's alive

Sometimes, I go out of my way to write pun titles and be all funny and misdirecting about my gratitude blog posts.

This isn't one of those times.

I have a friend, J., someone I have known for a very long time.  We lost touch with one another about a decade ago.  He contacted me recently to thank me for being his friend, to tell me how much our friendship has meant to him.

He told me that because he was about to undergo some pretty serious surgery that had a 3 in 1 chance of just plain killing him.  

The surgery was on the 27th of January.  I texted and I called, trying to find out if he made it.

I waited.

And waited.

I checked the online obituaries.

I despaired.

Wednesday, I heard from him.  It didn't go without complications.  But he came out the other side.

He's alive.

I'm grateful.

#365Gratitude Day 38:A good story

On my way home last night I was listening to an audiobook as I drove, 69: Sultry Short Erotic Stories of Need and Desire.  

I love collections of erotic short stories.  They can be hit or miss though.  I've been on-and-off listening to this particular anthology for a while, as sort of filler amongst other things.

It hadn't really clicked with me, until last night.

Two stories in it, one right after the other, caught my attention.

First was "His", by Charlotte Stein.  It's about a powerful businessman, getting a spanking by his diminutive wife.  Every little thing about it was perfect.  The narrator's voice was spot on, and the story described not just the action but the feelings of the main character so very well.

Here's a clip from it.  Sorry it can't be longer. 

Then there was "Talk to the Hand" by Allison Wonderland.  This one's the story of a deaf woman and her hearing lover, who is kinky.  Actually, they both are.  It's the story of how the main character comes out to her lover, who, spoiler, already knew.  It's brilliant.  The characters come alive as you listen.  You just know them.  (Valentalae in particular would love this one, with her love for deaf culture.)

Again, here's a clip from it, I wish could be longer.

These are both so artful.  I'm grateful I own this book, and can listen to them over and over.