Perspective n.

a.       A view or vista.  b.   mental view or outlook: It is useful occasionally to look at the past to gain a perspective on the present (Fabian Linden).

Perception n.

      The process, act, or faculty of perceiving.  2) The effect or product of perceiving.  3)  Psychology.  a. Recognition and interpretation of sensory stimuli based chiefly on memory. b. The neurological processes by which such recognition and interpretation are effected.

 Prerogative n.

An exclusive right or privilege held by a person or group, especially a hereditary or official right. The exclusive right and power to command, decide, rule, or judge: Its the principal's prerogative to suspend a student.

 

Wet  Wild and Wicked  

  December 3-10, 2005 

Friends have covered just about everything in their trip reports, so in the spirit of sparing you duplicate tales from the Naked City, Ill try to give a different perspective.    

It always amazes me how each trip is so unique to all the others.  Yet, simple things we count on are never taken for granted.  Even after returning for our tenth trip, there is still nothing like hearing Michael greet us with a resounding, Welcome Home!  Nothing makes us smile more than Charlie singing while he prepares omelets.  Nothing is better than all those bartenders humming away while making those wonderful drinks.  Without a doubt, the staff of Hedo II welcomes back the WWW with open arms, and it shows.  Of course, this is simply my perspective. 

So many Repeaters did not repeat this year; most were missed, and remembered fondly, as WWW stories of Decembers past, mentioned with smiles, and laughter turn them legendary to the ears of a Newbie.    

Some felt there were more PDAs than in the past, and there was a sexual aggressiveness.   I can agree with the PDAs, times are a changin, but I did not see the aggressiveness.  Does that mean that someones perspective was wrong?    

One person felt their personal space was intruded upon, and a seemingly playful hand holding turned painful.  Her pleas to stop went unheard.  A friend intervened.  The other person didnt see what the problem was.  Perspectives were different, but does that mean her pain did not exist?  Of course not.  At some point, perspective changed into prerogative.  No one has the right to force their perspective on another.  A situation may affect someone differently; respect anothers right to see things as it applies them. 

One gentleman dared to challenge The Jug, and its owner.  From his perspective, he felt he could match one for one, and demanded to do so even though the Jugs owner had a different perception, which when expressed, fell on deaf ears. It was the Challengers prerogative to reject the Owners perspective, but a price was paid.  As the Challenger was carried out of the pool, legs folding beneath him, and placed in the linen truck to be hauled away, it was clear his perspective had been wrong. 

A few years ago, peoples perceptions, no matter how misguided, gave birth to

 The Inner Circle, and The Snobs who, upon meeting face-to face, truth be told, are the some of the greatest Hedonites youll ever know.  But shhhhhh, dont tell anyone.  Lets keep that little secret to ourselves.  J 

For some, it was the beginning of the rest of their lives together.  For others, it appeared to be the end of the same.  But thats just my perspective. 

Friends reunited, picking up conversations left a year ago, without missing a beat.  It felt so good to be back among friends, and I felt lucky to have made new ones.   By the end of the week Newbies, and Repeaters were indistinguishable. 

One night I handed out Magic Pleasure Feathers, gleaned from party centerpieces given to me by a close friend back home, at the end of the event we attended.  (Little did she know our plans for them!)  The lovely peacock feathers complimented the purple togas beautifully, and guests giggled thinking about what magical pleasures these feathers might produce later in their rooms.  Happily, I became the feather fairy, handing out Magic Pleasure Feathers to everyone we encountered from our room, to our destination at Pastafaris.  

One guest had the perception that I was an accessory to murder by killing the poor birds in order to obtain their feathers, and admonished me for irresponsibly being unaware of their origin.  I was lectured, tried, scorned and condemned within minutes.  The feather fairy was up in smoke, and I reverted back into me, a resort guest in a purple toga, getting yelled at by another guest, who did not know anything about me.  Was I at Hedo?   Fairly shaken, and feeling like a child being scolded, I could see other couples at nearby tables looking at what must have been from their perspective, Dinner Theater of the Absurd.  The woman demanded I answer her question, Do I know where they came from?  What, the birds?  I was confused, and had shrunk down to about 3 feet tall.  She hissed, the feathers. . . do I realize how these feathers are obtained?  I mumbled, that I was under the impression the birds molted.  I was yelled at yet again for not knowing definitively, the origin the feathers in my possession.  She barked out the question, again.  Do I know where they came from?   I feebly uttered, At my girlfriends sons Bar Mitzvah?  Was this a quiz?  I had no idea what answer she was looking for.   Unwittingly, I believe my response irritated her even more judging by the veins popping in her neck, at least that was my perception of what I saw exploding in front of me.  I didnt mean any disrespect, it was simply the truth.   I could tell she was in no mood to hear about the centerpieces.  I just wanted to get the hell away from this nightmare.  (Grateful I didnt bring the pheasant feathers!)   Interestingly, her husband never looked up from his plate the entire time I was being yelled at.    I wondered if he was as mortified as I.   Then I was ordered to remove the feather I had placed on their table, and told to get an education, before ever doing something so irresponsible again.   

If I had a peacocks tail, it would have been between my legs as I gratefully was released from her wrath, scooting back to my table of friends who were astonished at such boorish behavior.  They wondered if she had eaten beef, chicken or fish for dinner, if it bothered her to sit on the leather chair, if her shoes were made of leather, and if her makeup had been tested on rats.  I simply wondered what other baggage could have been behind this outburst that she was unable to leave at the door.   

As the couple left, she made a point of stopping just past our table long enough to throw a Lilith like glare (actually at me), and made a comment (which, I have no doubt was negative, from my perspective), in her husbands ear, before angrily storming out of the restaurant.   Perhaps she overheard my friends comments.  Are they not entitled to their perspective?   

If her husband is reading this, and I have no doubt that he will, do be kind enough to tell your wife, that I called my girlfriend, the Yoga instructor, to inquire as to where she obtained said feathers.  Since there were over 1,000 feathers used in the centerpieces, and many different lengths needed, local craft stores fell short.  These were special ordered a year ago from a peacock farm in order to obtain the correct quantity of specific sizes needed since the birds molt just once a year.  Since she is a Yoga instructor, which holds beliefs of harmony with all things.   I hope your wife is now able to sleep nights.   Namaste. 

You can also tell her I eat organic when I am home, holistic by nature, and use biodegradable products; something she may have learned had she taken the time to know me instead of being presumptuous.  Next time, lets chat by the pool.   Your wife had a perspective that somewhere along the line (albeit, a very short one), morphed into a judgment, which was unjustified.   Leave attitudes at the door next time, and open yourself to conversation before rendering a judgment at least for the sake of others.  

By now, you have all read about Mario, the socially inept, happy-go-lucky guest who seemed to pop up everywhere.  He said he was a NASCAR driver, had sex with twins, and was getting married Christmas day to an Asian bride.  He offered me his Hedo Bucks, and I graciously declined, wondering what he would want in return.  These tales were told tenfold, plus many more to anyone who would listen. He had a wonderful time, in his world.  It was his prerogative to talk about anything he wished, and never once did I hear he forced his perceptions onto others.  He was allowed his perceptions about his life.  Rightfully so.  They were solely his, without involving anyone else.   Our short talk, showed me he was disabled, so it all fit.   If I were a betting person, Id bet his tales were a bit fabricated, but who am I to deny his reality?   

That, my dear friends, is what Hedo boils down to.  Ones perception of reality. 

Hedo can be an oasis from reality, as we know it.  That is, if you want it to be.   It is your prerogative to create your own reality, positive or negative based on your individual perspective.  Respect the fact your perceptions, may not be anothers reality, and be open to others.   We make our own choices, create our own reality, and it is not to be imposed on others as we can only udge what is right for ourselves. 

Irie! 

The Sunlovers - John & Renee

There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.  Douglas Everett