Just Don’t Want to be Lonely

Enigma wrote a blog – http://peaceinwords.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/oh-side-chicks/ that referenced this blog – http://lakeshawomack.com/2014/04/29/is-there-a-future-in-being-a-side-chick/ and, of course, I commented on it but felt that taking over Enigma’s blog with a seriously too long comment was just being rude – so I decided to monopolize my own blog on the subject and a subject that I think is good as much as it is controversial… and y’all know I kinda like controversy.

So the title of this blog was borrowed from a song by the same name, done by The Main Ingredient back in the day and if you’ve never heard the song, go find it and give it a listen; if you have heard it, then you have an idea why I think the song is relevant (or could be) on the topic of being a side chick.  To begin, I want any woman reading this to know and understand that I am very much aware of what a lot of you think, believe, and feel where relationships are concerned and that being monogamous is the only way to be… and I’m here to tell you that this isn’t actually the truth – it’s just the way someone a long time ago figured out would be the best way to keep the human race going; then someone came along and put a shitload of restrictions in place in order to control sexual behavior, not that it really worked, but y’all already know this.

The following quote, courtesy of http://www.blackandmarriedwithkids.com says, “By being the “side chick” I was putting myself front and center in the middle of someone else’s pain and setting myself up to play a starring role in my own.” and my first reaction to this – because when you see the blog, it’s the first thing that catches your eye – was, “Oh, really?” because I’m well aware that it has been pounded into us that being monogamous is the only way to be and to do anything is, well, wrong and bad.  Indeed, we have this in mind because we’re taught that cheating is bad and that there have been plenty of examples where being the side chick – or even the side dude – has gone terribly wrong so, yeah, we have it in our heads that this is a bad thing to do and should never, ever, be done for any reason.

Women have big time issues with this and even here on WordPress, I’ve read blogs by women who can’t get and/or keep a man, feel as if they’re being used as a piece of ass and that getting involved with a married man erodes their integrity and threatens their self-respect.  I’ve read about them swearing off of dating and even giving up any hope of finding someone they can call their own because their belief in monogamy will not allow them to be someone’s side chick.  There’s a saying:  It’s better to have part of something than all of nothing and, like it or not, there is some truth in this depending on what you’re applying the saying to… and it includes relationships as well if one can get their head around it and since a lot of women can’t, they’d rather believe that it’s better to have all of nothing even as they ponder the fact that they are all alone, unwanted, and unloved.

I get that women, in particular, have great angst about sharing and being shared; I even think I know why and the answer is rooted in our sexual history – sperm is plentiful, but eggs aren’t and women are put into the position of protecting their eggs and not allowing just any man to have access to them – part of that whole natural selection thing that is still in effect today and probably always will be if we want to keep having babies.  But when it comes to love and happiness, monogamy isn’t always the perfect answer and even when we know this to be true, we continue to put our faith in a system of behavior that really doesn’t work the way we’re told it does – not everyone lives happily ever after being monogamous.

One could look at being the side chick as reaping all of the benefits but without any of the other responsibilities and the questions that pops into my head is, “Well, what if girlfriend can’t handle the responsibilities?  What if she doesn’t want to deal with that mess at all?  If she’s someone’s side piece – or has one of her own – is that necessarily a bad thing and more so if she’s happy?”  The truth is that there are a lot of women who are quite happy in this – and you can find them here on WordPress, too, so you don’t just have to take my word on this.  It’s really polyamory, a relationship state that we’re all capable of but are conditioned not to engage in.  It’s cheating, it’s denigrating, it just goes against everything we’ve learned and have seen… yet a lot of women are not only looking at polyamory to find that piece of happiness in their lives, they’re very much into it because they believe that it is better to have part of something than to have all of nothing or “Why be alone and miserable when you don’t have to?

Sure, there are pitfalls even in this:  No relationship strategy is perfect, not even being single.  There are so many pitfalls that it’ll make you think that it just isn’t possible… but it is – go ask Seattle Poly Chick and Lifeofalovergirl.  Of course, I’m not even suggesting that all the lonely women out there run out and jump into this relationship aspect – you have really got to have your head in an entirely different space and there are other skills that must be learned in order to make being a side chick a good thing instead of the bad thing everyone says it is.

Is it immoral?  They say it is since it spits in the face of monogamy but is it really immoral and more so since humans used to live like this before the concept of monogamy came along?  Is it bad for a woman’s self-image, their self-worth, things like that?  It can be if they believe this to be so and can be compounded if she’s been the chick on the side and the other person just basically screwed them over – which is what usually happens because, again, not everyone knows how to do this and what it takes to do it; not everyone wants to go through the mental exercises and change that is necessary to be a part of something and be happy in that part.  At some point, the women who have done this and made it work for them asked themselves an important question:  “What is the price of my happiness?”  And a lot of women do put a very high price on it, placing their integrity far above their desire and need to be loved, happy, and needed – and it’s understandable… but even I have asked, “What are you willing to do for love?  Would you really do anything to achieve that desirable goal?”

Usually, the answer is no… and they still wonder why they don’t have anyone in their lives.  There’s nothing wrong with sitting on their cute asses and waiting for Mr. Right to come along… but where is it written that you can’t have some fun while you’re waiting?  Why would you want to be alone and miserable when you don’t have to do either… but you’re gonna let your belief in monogamy control things instead of applying some logic or even following one’s heart.  What’s wrong with getting your own side piece?  Not one damn thing but as with any relationship, one must weigh the pros and cons and have a plan – one of the skills that has to be learned and mastered is time management.

You need exceptional communication and conflict resolution skills and if all of this sounds too much like work, well, it is – do you think any relationship is self-sustaining.  If you wonder why relationships often fail, it’s because the people in them don’t have these skills and, importantly, they don’t know how to work with each other because, most of the time, there are separate agendas – she has one idea of how the relationship is supposed to be and the other person just ain’t on the same page with them.  Being the chick on the side – or the dude on the side (and I’ve been that guy a few times) takes work to make it work… but you have to want it to work.

What about someone else’s pain?  Unless you plan well and choose to deal with people who also believe that monogamy ain’t the only answer to happiness, yeah, you’re gonna cause someone some pain because their monogamous rules against cheating are firmly in place, right?  So it’s not about just accepting any offer that comes along – it’s about selecting the right offer or creating your own environment for this and, yep, there’s a shitload of homework that needs to be done and everyone involve must be appropriately educated.  If you do this, is it settling for less than what you want?  Some say it is but the truth few people want to acknowledge is that there’s what you want to do in this… and then there’s what you can do and they are not the same thing – nor should they be, when you really think about this.  And if you believe that you can’t do it, um, aren’t you settling for the worst possible situation – being alone and having no one?

What about your own pain?  Well, what about it?  What is it that would make this be so painful?  How does this fuck with your self-esteem or your self-image?  The only way it does is if you allow it to because being a successful side chick or side dude can be done and with little or no emotional impact to anyone… provided one wants to be successful in this; I’m just saying that it is possible – I’ve been there, done that – wanna see my T-shirt?

Enigma said that she’s been propositioned by individuals who want to be her side piece… and I say to her, “Why the hell not?  If you can be happy, go for it!”  Why do I say this?  Simple:  Because she can.  I’d even go as far to say that if she’s been so propositioned, she’s giving it some thought and along the lines of, “How can I make this work for me?”  I’d go even farther and say that at some level, she knows or understands that monogamy isn’t always the answer nor is it always the best way to take care of one’s needs and that, perhaps, she’s aware that she could do this and make it work – even if she doesn’t know that a plan is forming in her mind.  Should Enigma do the unthinkable?  Many people would say she shouldn’t… but aren’t we talking about Enigma’s happiness.. and who the fuck are we to decide for her  on the matter of what would make her happy?  Is she in charge of this… or is the high ideals of monogamy going to forever dictate to her how she can be happy, not to mention all of the people who, honestly, may not have what it takes to make such a thing work.

And the only way to know that it won’t work for you is to do it… but you still have to have your head in the right place because if you go into this think that it won’t work, that quote I mentioned becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, doesn’t it?  By not having your head in the right place – or just flat-out being unable to get it there – you’ve already set yourself up to fail because while careful planning and some re-education is necessary, if you don’t believe it’ll work, it just won’t.

For the record – and before I forget – side pieces don’t have to already be married – single folks can be their own side pieces as well.  Does it seem right or justifiable to reap all the benefits and slide past the responsibilities?  Well, yeah, if doing so suits your needs and the needs of anyone you’d relate with in this fashion.  Yet – and I gotta tell you this part – you don’t really escape the responsibilities – you still have to manage the relationship just as you would if both people were single.  And the benefits, such as they are, can go beyond just love and affection; in some situations, having side pieces can have some financial benefits because many hand make short work or, the more people working on a thing makes the work easier… but one must avoid “too many chiefs and not enough Indians,” a situation that will guarantee failure.

If you really and truly don’t want to be lonely, why not do something about it?  Because you can do something about it if you’re bold and daring enough and if you don’t put a price on your happiness.  The author of the blog Enigma shared, from a certain point of view, is right in what she says about being a side chick or even a side dude… she’s just not totally right, just one of many other people who believe that not being monogamous is a bad and dangerous thing.  Is there a future in being a side chick?  Yes… if you’re willing to make your future and not let ancient thinking decide that for you – it’s your choice.

I don’t expect anyone to agree with my assessment or take on this; I admit that I have a very different mindset about this; I know that happiness can be found, that one can have a future if they’re willing and able to change the way they see life and loving.  I was once so totally against this kind of thing – I believed just like everyone else does.  Monogamy can work – there are many examples of this but, still, monogamy isn’t the only answer and if that’s not been working for you, why not give some thought to the alternative.  If being a side piece can fulfill your needs, why not go for it?  If having a side piece is going to fill those empty places inside of you, why not do something that will bring you happiness, love, affection, etc.?  Is it easy?  Fuck, no, it ain’t.

But it is doable.  I did it.  Many fellow WordPress bloggers are doing it.  Rougedmount considers it all of the time – and she’s all about her duty to her family first and foremost and even as dedicated to the tenets of monogamy as she is, she’d be a side piece or take one herself if it suited her purpose.  These are all real people; it’s not just my take on the subject so if nothing else, you know that I’m not the only one who thinks this could be a good idea instead of the nightmare everyone says it can be.

What price do you put on your happiness?  Do you really just want to be lonely?  Does your pride rule over your intellect, logic, and common sense?  Are you that willing to sit and wait for something to come along that may never appear?  Do you continue to believe that monogamy is the answer when your situation is telling you otherwise?  Are you not getting all you want and need out of your monogamous relationship?  Or is suffering something you enjoy?

Now I can get back to my original thoughts of the day…