The Club

One of the first comments I received on my very first post was from swan, who welcomed me to the club.
That really got me thinking. I'm pretty much a loner, and usually do my best to avoid group activities. And now here I am, a member of a club, feeling comfortable about it, and enjoying being part of the blogging world that up till now I had only peered into from outside.
The last time I really felt like part of a group was during the year after graduating from University, when I returned to get a Bachelor of Education degree. For that single year, we were all equals. There were no in-crowds, no established cliques, no seniors and juniors. We were a very mixed group of students of all ages and from all parts of the province and beyond. Our single shared interest was education, although each of us majored in a unique combination of specialties, based on individual expertise and interests. We shared our triumphs and terrors of the student teaching rounds, and got through the year by supporting one another.
Until today, that year had been the best year of my life. Now I feel that, as a blogger, I am again on a level playing field. We live all over the world, with unique lifestyles, perspectives and opinions. Our common enthusiasm for some form of spanking is what binds us loosely together.
One of the terms I learned in my first month at the college was 'isolate'. An isolate is a child who stands by himself at recess, eats lunch alone, and is always chosen last for teams. When our professor first explained that term, a chorus of murmurs rippled around the room. Many of the people in my class had been isolates. When we discussed it, we found that it was partly what had motivated us to become teachers. Almost unanimously, we wanted to prevent other children from suffering as we had.
It's pretty easy to feel like an isolate if you're interested in pursuing a spanking lifestyle and can't find someone to share it with you, or even to understand where you're coming from. It's not easy for many of us to explain or even understand why we are the way we are, and why we do that thing we do.
The other remarkable thing I remember about that year at teachers' college was the fear that had been instilled in some of those young teachers-to-be by their past teachers. In my elementary education classes, it was startling to see educated young adults afraid to play with fingerpaints, make a collage, shake a tambourine, or mime a day at the beach. It was so hard for them to let themselves go and 'colour outside the lines'.
As spankophiles of various persuasions, we are all, to a greater or lesser extent, colouring outside the lines. Our preferences aren't necessarily something we want to advertise to the world, but the blogosphere gives us a safe environment in which to talk about our lives and our preferences. It's okay to 'let go' here.
All in all, it's a pretty great club. Thanks for making me feel welcome.