Sensitivity and Tolerance - The Top and the Bottom

Ah, the senses during and after the spanking ......  the thwap! of the belt, the ping! of the paddle, or the sharp slap! of flesh against flesh when he uses his hand.  And where are we?  In our bedrooms, closets, or basements. Oh, don't forget the car.  The feeling of the sting, the tingle, the burn, the ouch ....  Perhaps we do not "enjoy" some of that..... as the actual discipline is not supposed to be pleasurable, (or is it?), but the benefits of the aftereffects certainly are.  What about when we inhale the scent of the freshly laundered sheets as we bend over a bed or a jean clad knee,  ........ the feel of the arch of your back...... the firmness of your man's grip on your hip ......  the timbre of his voice.... sometimes it is soft as he asks us questions .... or sometimes it is more stern if he is reminding us of how our behavior needs to change, but it is never rough or mean.  And afterwards when all the kinkery is done, I go scope out my freshly turned bright pink derriere in the mirror.  Then I notice Storm is looking, too, but I don't know why because he is the one that just made it this way so there should be no surprise to him, but his facial  expression shows that of interest.  And then he'll want to touch it and I tell him it's too sensitive right now, he'll just make it hotter.  He doesn't listen and touches it anyway, because............ well, because he can. Wait, let me go ask him........ "Why do you like to feel my hot bottom after we're done with the spanking?"

Storm, "I have several reasons.  One because we're already hugging right afterwards so it is natural for my hands to go there. Two, I want to feel how warm it is."
I grin and say, "You just finished the spanking, you already know how warm it is."
He ignores that and continues, "And third, I want to make sure the feeling sinks in."  Oh, it sinks in all right. GEEZE.   See? Told you it's because he can!

Some of us do the spanking for fun, stress relief, to be more submissive, to be kinky, to be disciplined, to change behavior and attitude, to soften our wills, and to be dominated among other things.  I fit into most of those categories.  There is definitely overlap for many of us.  We all fall somewhere  along the spectrum and sometimes we just tend to jump around trying this or trying that.  But, I have to admit that when I read many of your blogs I often think, "Some of the ladies seem to have titanium bottoms! " And I could be wrong because the pain and tolerance of spanking is subjective. We can even talk number of swats and length of time, but still be talking about completely different experiences due to our more sensitive bottoms, less sensitive bottoms, let alone our frames of mind at the time. It can even change within one person.... sometimes we're more sensitive and it hurts more..... and sometimes the spanking can be more intense, but we just don't emotionally feel it. Or maybe we took too much ibuprofen recently, who knows?!!

Speaking of sensitive things, yesterday, I had just come in from yard work and I was sweating.  My boobs were irritated by the bra I was wearing, I guess.  I walk right into Storm's office and lift my shirt and bra......."Do these look irritated?"  He gets up out of his chair, slides on his reading glasses, and bends down in a crouch like a baseball catcher to inspect, but not all the way down by my knees.  My breasts are not quite in the bottom of the 9th inning with 2 outs, but they are in about the top of the 7th.  We've been married a long time and I have given birth and nursed.......  Storm, "I don't know, but they look happy to see me."  Good grief, this man. Laughing.........

Many people use their sensitivity to their strength. Artists and singers are some of the most talented and creative people in the world. They are also often more tolerant of people's lifestyles that differ from their own.  They love and accept and they feel, and that is part of what fuels their creativity.  What is not well known is that they are often the most sensitive people and frequently suffer from anxiety and/or depression.  They sometimes suffer with a hypersensitivity of too much self awareness .... from living their public and private lives under a world filled with people who all have their own microscopes in which to take such an unhealthy closer look.

Sensitivity doesn't have to be a weakness or a personality flaw, but it can be. Of course I am often working on not taking something the wrong way because if there is a wrong way to take it, I will find it, cradle it with both arms in a protective position like a running back carries a football,  and follow that route from here to the hot inner core of the earth until Storm gets a hold of me and drags me back to its mantle TTWD style.  I almost said caveman style, but he does not drag me by the pony tail, in case you're wondering. (But, does tugging on it count?)

We've all heard the term "topping from the bottom" and we submissives really try not to do this, but it happens. Storm and I were discussing this recently (who, us?) and I asked him how to take some of the advice that we ladies give each other here in blog land whether it is my advice to you, your advice to me, or advice I see you giving each other. And his hilarious answer will make you laugh, too. "Sometimes I think you gals are topping each other from the side." Oh gosh!!!

So the sensitivity tablet in my pill box...... Maybe I will cut it in half just for today.....there is a reason why the manufacturer put a line on that pill....so I can cut it easier. For today,  I will skip the half of the sensitivity pill that makes me just want to crawl into a hole and protect myself from this big crazy world....... but I will take the other half...... the half that helps open my eyes to the suffering of humankind ...... the half that makes me see the value of someone different......... the half that makes me more tolerable toward  my neighbors or a family member that sometimes drives me up a wall with their differing and strongly opinionated views .  I will swallow it and then embrace whatever happens next.

Embrace. If you're screwing up daily like I am with all of this sensitivity and intolerance, embrace it, own it, see it, and work on beginning to change it.  Let's be less sensitive about ourselves and more tolerable toward others.  You know how we get good at something? Practice and moving out of our comfort zones even just a tiny bit.  One small change can make a world of difference to someone.  In my estimation, there are approximately four times more practices in sports than there are actual games. Practice doesn't always feel right, but it will once we keep doing the right thing over and over again until it becomes a positive habit.  Chances are that someone, somewhere, somehow will appreciate our efforts.