by Mrs. Jones
A while back, by popular demand, the WGT Community ladies-only chat group expanded to include a semi-organized book club. Little did we know, when we first started to read and talk about books at the suggestion of some of our members, that this little endeavor would become such a welcoming, safe, mentally-stimulating place for us to talk not only about the book we’d read but also about the various ways our involvement in the Lifestyle has changed us. It’s become one of my favorite aspects of the WGT Community!
Right now we’re reading & discussing The Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor, and its accompanying workbook. Its tagline, “the power of radical self-love,” suits our little reading club just about perfectly. Taylor challenges us to move past long-held feelings of body-shame toward self-acceptance while acknowledging that we can still work on improving, even as we accept ourselves as we are, right here and now. It’s not such a radical idea, really, but it’s sure tricky for lots of women, and I can’t think of a better message for women in the Lifestyle!
Our group, which picks its next book more-or-less organically rather than through any sort of rigid selection process, has become a place we can discuss ideas, experiences, fears, aspirations, fantasies, and more — with no fear of judgement. We can ask ’embarrassing’ questions and give ‘shocking’ answers. No one bats an eye. We can admit our fears and insecurities and find out that others share them…then help each other work through and past them. Our reading selections and our discussions are not always about sex or sexuality. A lot of the time what we read and talk about has to do with how we see ourselves both as individuals and within our relationships. It has to do with our own growing self-awareness, and our desire to help others on their journey toward self-discovery.
The general consensus among the women’s group is that being in the Lifestyle has brought with it a freedom to be our authentic selves in ways we didn’t know were possible before. The books we read augment and expand upon those experiences. The discussions we have connect us to one another and, probably more importantly, connect us to our inner selves. We have a lot of fun, ask good questions, laugh, and support one another through our reading and bi-weekly virtual Zoom meet-ups. Recently, we opted to watch a film rather than reading a book, and that was a ton of fun (and very insightful) too.
The men have noticed what we’ve been up to and have created their own reading club, as well…and Mr. Jones and I are talking about the possibility of a co-ed meet-up at some point. This is just one of the ways the WGT Community has grown in the years since we began it, naturally, out of the ideas generated by the members. I look forward to our ladies’ book club each month because its become an important way I connect with others as well as with myself.