From the time we met until now, Lily and I have been through hell and back together several times. Being able to withstand so many trials and tribulations, and still come out together, stronger each time is a true testament to the power of our love.
Saturday morning, I learned my stepfather does not have much longer on this planet. Though he is my stepfather, he has been in my life since I was nine. My biological father was and still is always there for us, but I grew up 1400 miles away from him. My stepfather was there daily.
We’ve known all year this was coming. He was diagnosed with pre-leukemia nearly a year ago, but now it’s gone full force. The doctors can’t keep his platelets up and the treatments are an extreme stress on his body. Unfortunately, due to unrelated issues with his respiratory system failing, bone marrow transplants or chemo are not options. His body would not withstand either.
So I got the call that they will be suspending treatments and potentially going to hospice. He has been given 30 days. He called myself and my other three brothers individually so he could tell us himself.
His 70th is in February. This whole thing is hard to wrap my head around. When I was young, we had our share of battles. He never hit me, or any of us, but he had a tendency to be overbearing. The school of tough love. Our mother handled the affection in the household while he coldly ran the home with an iron fist.
He smoked cigarettes, fished, watched football and kept his lawn on point. Your stereotypical gun loving, no bullshit, hard nosed conservative. He’d pace in the garage, all 325 lbs of him, fidgeting with random items he needed to fix or polishing his John Deere mower. At 6’2″ He is a man you don’t miss. Loud mouthed, often to the point of obnoxious. He’d strike up a conversation with just about anyone.
Writing this, I am not sure of the point. It doesn’t really fit into swinging or the lifestyle, but I’ve been in an internal struggle, this year especially to free myself and Lily of all social constructs. To be open and free to be who we are. Or at least who I am.
I feel like once he goes, there is less holding me back. I never felt I lived up to his standard of “manliness”. I am a dreamer, a lover. I was a small framed, emotionally charged punk rock kid who bucked the system at every turn. To me, as a teen, he was the system. He was the figurehead of everything I hated about society. The jocks and tough kids who made us feel like outcasts. Made us fear being anything other than cookie cutter “normal”, simply to fit in and go with the flow.
Of course, there are still my brothers. They have tendency to latch on to anything that is different and not let you forget it. Recently, in a stupid error of cut and paste, I inadvertently sent them a link to our Instagram. Some of you may recall this. We thought for sure I had outed us. My explanation was that it was a site of one of the suspected swingers in our neighborhood and the link had been saved in my clipboard because a friend sent it to me when they had stumbled upon it, proving these hedonistic summer pool dwellers were sharing and swapping. Then I quickly removed the link destination so it would come back unable to locate should they actually click on it. They didn’t really bring it up again, though I am not sure they believed me. The jury is still out on that one.
That is our society who we feel judged by, and we create our visible reality based on what we feel safe for the majority of the world to see.
As we head into 2022, we continue to face trials within our relationships and ourselves, but we work together to truly live our best life. This will not be a “New Year, new me” situation, but a realization that we have grown into something most will not understand. The biggest take away is in the grand scheme of things, “most” do not matter. They live their life how they choose. We should all do the same. Perhaps we are the ones who are getting it right. Perhaps their “right”, is not the same as ours.
Now that we have become polyamorous and not simply swingers, this fantasy world has become our day-to-day reality. It feels inauthentic hiding our true identity to those we love most, but the world they were brought up in and how they understood it simply does not mesh with our progressive ideas and values. Think about it though, we have relationships outside of our marriage that are very real, but we hide them for fear of other’s perceptions. What are we so afraid of? Lily and I still are very much in love and now we are able to share love with others. How does this make those dating us feel? They shouldn’t be hidden like we are ashamed to be with them.
So, we wait. Knowing my stepdad is completely conscious and cognoscente of the fate that lies before him is difficult to imagine. Does he have regrets? Did he live his life the way he felt was true to him? These are questions only he can answer. We do love him and don’t fault him for anything. I did have a decent childhood and we now get along pretty well. He instilled in me a sense of pride in my work and a take-no-shit attitude. As of today, he will be admitted to hospice. Being that he was only making it about two weeks in between transfusions, we can only assume his end will be fairly soon.
As with any end, there is new beginning. We shed our past to allow us the freedom to focus on the present and create a better future. The future here will be the Unapologetic Podcast coming in 2022. A platform that will bring to light the life we’ve chosen, our views to the forefront and give a voice to those who don’t buy into the relationship conservatism we were forced to value for so long.
We know this is not the most sexy post, but it’s raw and real. Death is a reminder to live! Whatever you may be dealing with, whether relationship turmoil, self confidence, or just simply having a bad day, as long as you’re alive, you have the ability to change your story. It’s not too late until it is. If you’ve read this whole thing we truly appreciate it. Sometimes things need to be put out there so they can be let go to relieve the stress, sadness, and negativity.
We hope you will continue to read our blog as well as get involved in the podcast when it’s released. The first interview has been lined up and we are so excited to get started! In this world of Swingtok, more and more people are realizing non-monagomy is not so abnormal. Everyone deserves to live without shame or guilt. Remember, it’s your life!
Take care and have a Merry Christmas!
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