The Dirty Deed

I am an open book when it comes to sex and secrets inside the bedroom, but I never thought about what it might take to write about it. Steve Almond, New York Best Seller, writes graphically about sex and the encounters two people may have in the rawest form. This technique is not only fascinatingly interesting, but naughty and passionate. Almond made it apparent that sex comes with some emotional connection, but it doesn't mean that its the only thing on a person's mind when the deed is being done. Almond emphasized that there are many ways of loving and that you don't need to love someone. Almond said that when you love someone you love the "ugly" parts of them or the wounded. This concept was shared when Almond read his short story "Skull" and the man fell in love with the sexual interaction that he shared with his girlfriend and her damaged eye. Love is about finding another person and paying attention to who they really are. Is this possible though? Do we really ever know who the other person is? Sometimes I would like to think I know my boyfriend really well, but then so much of my time I spend wondering what is going through his head and why he processes his thoughts the way we do. I love him, but if I can't answer these questions and recite everything about him have I not paid enough attention? 

I wish I thought to being money to class on Tuesday because I certainly would have purchased his book. I really appreciate his openness and his candidness to love and sex. Some people struggle talking openly about sex let alone writing about it. Almond catches the details that some may never write or even think about and the details that some wish to carry out in their own sexual endeavors. 

On a final thought, Almond said "the path to truth runs through shame" and I can not seem to get this statement out of my mind. Why? I know the expression the truth hurts is often used and maybe this has something to do with it. Is the truth shameful? Unfortunately, I think about my life and some decisions I made and sometimes I believe that it is... I don't regret decisions I have made in my life, but if I could do it again I certainly would have made different decisions in sex, love and fulfilling my desires. I think we need to be able to take what we knew and revisit it so that our future doesn't hold truths that have passed through shame. Sexually or not, our truth doesn't need to be shameful; does it?