814.

People with a limited worldview who negatively stereotype people of other cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, etc. are denying themselves the pleasures of living fuller lives.

Of course that's just my opinion.

At the heart of it all is fear, hatred, bigotry...

So sad.

813.

Talking to Mr. Quince...

This man makes me think things I've never thought of before. I love the way he encourages me to be who I am but better, how he perseveres and overcomes obstacles, how he embraces life, his no-bullsh*t attitude, his compassion for those in need.

We did a 30-minute Skype session earlier, our second. I really like the video chat capability. I'm sure it will be a big help in facilitating our relationship.

As soon as we ring off, I'm going to sleep. It's been a long day of contemplation. I'm so thankful for Mr. Quince. He's been excellent at helping me de-stress.

More about why (he's been helping me de-stress) later. I'm not in the mood to discuss it now.

Good night everyone.

Sweet dreams... 

812.

*yaw-w-w-w-w-wn*

I just rang off from a four (4) hour Skype session with Mr. Quince.  😊

We had a few technical difficulties but thankfully he's good at sorting out those kinds of things, allowing us to enjoy our first face-to-face since we parted two weeks ago.

I love this man. He seems completely without guile and it's what he expects from others. I have never been in a romantic relationship with a man like him.

And now I must rush to toss myself into a pile of pillows because I am tired, tired, tired.

Good night folks.

Sweet dreams.  💋💋💋

811.

Happy Sunday folks.

The past two weeks (give or take a few days) have been long chez Bliss. For one, I'm still in recovery mode after being away from home for two weeks. Another reason is the hormones. I've been weepy, overjoyed, hot and sweaty, exhausted, ecstatic, forgetful... You name it.

Such is life these days.  🤷🏾‍♀️

So, I was skimming over several of my previous posts and it looks like I failed to mention the "disappearance" of the Astronaut.

Here's what happened: after we talked and texted for a week or so, I realized we were so very different and not in complimentary ways. I tried to explain it to him but he seemed to think it didn't matter. I knew from experience that it did. 😐

And then came the beach and Mr. Quince... 💕💕💕

Then came my dad's situation and Mr. Quince was there for me. Supportive emotionally and literally there at the hospital with me. 💕

I chose the man my heart told me to choose. Maybe the playing field was a bit uneven, with Mr. Quince having the home field advantage. But it wasn't anything within my control. It's just the way things turned out.

Sometimes a glimpse of things past is all we need...

End of story.  🔕

As for Mr. Quince and I, we're managing well in our time apart. A megaton of daily phone calls and texts about everything and anything.

I'm still adjusting to calling him "baby", "sweetie", "darling"... Which I'm absolutely digging but it's strange after years of calling him the name his momma gave him.

We're currently making plans for him to visit in a couple of weeks. It's not definite for a few reasons and it's likely we won't know until a few days before he's due to arrive. I'm optimistic that the odds will be in our favor.

We've both been feeling stressed lately; I want our time together to be as low-key as possible.

There will be no planned agenda but i would like to take him to my favorite park, show him my beautiful neighborhood, introduce him to a few treasured neighbors. (Baby Bliss too of course. She met him once but it was many years ago, when he and I were just friends and former schoolmates. I know she doesn't remember him because he was one of dozens of people she met that day.)

810.

Happy Friday everyone.

I hope everyone is doing well.

First, thank you all for the prayers, well wishes, positive energy, and positive thoughts for my dad's health and healing.

I am happy to say he came through his surgery much better than his doctors expected. After a week in the hospital, he was moved to a rehabilitation facility and is doing well. 🎊🎈🎊🎈🎊🎈

As for me, I am recovering from a lot of time on the road. I'm also experiencing withdrawal symptoms after spending a few weeks with my new suitor. (Let's call him Mr. Quince.)

My dad lives about an hour from my hometown so in between visits with him, I had the opportunity to spend some much-needed quality time with Mr. Quince at his place.

Making the transition from being friends with someone to being in a romantic relationship with that person is exhilarating. It's fun and frustrating, messy and miraculous, amazing and anxiety-inducing.

We're both excited about the current situation as well as future possibilities. 😍😍😍

If he and I didn't already have a real connection (growing up in the same neighborhood, similar childhood experiences, friends in common, and an already-established friendship), the long distance aspect of this relationship would be difficult if not impossible for me.

But I'm okay with it for now. For now. If anything changes, Mr. Quince will be notified with the quickness. (As we would say back home.)

He's making plans to visit me as soon as he can get here. Although he is formally retired, he takes on special projects for friends and family that keep him busy enough. His current project is daunting but he's about halfway through it and he said he wouldn't take on anything new unless it's related to him relocating to my area.

Que sera, sera...

Life is so unpredictable. I'm definitely looking forward to more time shared with Mr. Quince but open to how it happens. I do have family living near him and with my dad's health being what it is, it's entirely possible that I'll have to head that way again any day.

The extended driving, the packing and unpacking... It's all exhausting but I'm thankful my schedule allows me to do so when necessary.

In the in between, I'm relaxing as much as possible. 😊

Amen.