That Felt SO Good....

I am not a huge Jon Stewart fan one way or another but this has to be one of my favorite quotes. This quote really struck a huge chord with me because it sometimes makes me very cross when I hear Christians bemoan how "persecuted" they are in this country.

Today, I did one of the hardest things I ever have done (and y'all know me so you know I have done a lot of hard stuff)...

I told a friend that I was a member of the Church of Satan. (And apparently those of you too oblivious or not really paying attention to my Facebook or Twitter profile now just got told, too hahaha).

During that moment as I waited...heart not beating...not breathing... I thought to myself "Christians don't have to fear stating their beliefs to a friend like this...fear loosing their job, their respect in the community, their lives even (I have recieved death threats before)".

I was risking everything by trusting this woman and taking her into my confidence. I was risking a friendship I had grown to cherish, I was risking her ridicule, I was risking her fear and running back to work to tell everyone and most likley I would have lost my job because while my company tolerates diversity, there are enough rabid xians there that they would have begun a hate campaign to get me out of there...don't believe me? I have already watched them do it to one man who was a swinger and I listened to another program manager tell me how he had to turn down a guy for his project because the guy, *gasp*, read books on UFOs. Church of Satan? Yup. I'd have been toast.

True. I had a few little clues that she might probably would not run screaming from Starbucks in terror but you just never really know til you let it fly. Sort of like the first time you fart in front of your boyfriend. Know what I mean?

So I told her...rather she read it in the short bio piece at the end of Hydra's End of the World Compilation then she read my piece in the Lilith Awakened book by Ann Oxyrn and she paused as she read and asked questions and we talked. She took the book home with her to read the rest and...

Not one look of terror. Not one look of disgust or self righteous indignation or pity or fear for my mortal soul. She was smiling, genuinely interested, and sympathetic as to how hard it must have been for me to takek her into my confidence.

Only those who have had to take a deep breath and tell someone they care for that they are not like most...only they  understand what a huge deal this was to me today.

And they understand how wonderful it felt to be given the greatest gift of friendship there is: permission to be yourself.

I told the Slut about it and she said, "Yay for you and Misty!" (NM's nickname), "such a relief to be able to be open and honest with friends!"

Ain't that the truth?

Cheers! 

Josephine
10 FEB 2012