#259...floraliliadotcom.

if you'd rather not use your esp to see how it finishes, click my beta link here...

 ahem...ok..flettera floralilia here..

I suppose this page was first inspired by a question that was posed to me not long ago: "What is it that you do on here night after night?" "Well, lot's of nothings," I would reply. And for the most part, at least on the surface, that was quite true...

 As of this writing, I've been online for about 8 years. I remember the days when AOL would charge by the number of minutes you would be online. There may still be a few million or so of you that still remember those days - and it is to those countless anonymous meetings that this website is dedicated.

I suppose I was always considered a night owl - the definition of someone who, for whatever reason, needs the quiet serenity that the night hours can bring. It is a time where one recharges their batteries, as it were, by allowing themselves to completely "decompress" from the day's events.

 It is a time where, while being completely physically exhausted or emotionally drained from a hard day of work and routine, that same person needs to bring their mind down to a place of calm and total fantasy.

 People achieve this calm in various ways - via exercise, reading, TV, or other venues and for me, at least initially, my nightly mental exercises online here were just that. While it still holds a very therapeutic avenue for me to achieve that calm before sleep, it also demands of me a serious fascination with the elements of the unknown.

 It is safe, yet dangerous. It is calming, yet at times, disturbing. It is fun, and oftimes tedious and laborsome. But what keeps me tuned in for all these years is my innate curiousity to see what makes other people tick.

 I can be the observer without feeling like I'm intruding. Conversely, I can be the observed without being invaded. Anonymity each according to one's own boundaries remains the substance that draws millions nightly into the cyberworld. Dabble enough into this neitherworld, and I guarantee you, you too can become addicted.

 On thesurface the cyberworld can appear extremely misdirected, or more simply put - boring. I wholeheartedly agree - but dig a little deeper and a fascinating world opens up to you. You can be anyone you want to be, or no one in particular. You can play innocently or play with malice and intent. The boundaries are up to the individual.

 There are few rules that govern this new territory. Set aside preconceived notions and the canvas is empty and waiting to be filled. Here, you can be your own individual. If you choose, you are not the wife, mother, daughter, sister, husband, father, brother, law-abiding citizen, co-worker, or friend. You don't even have to be your given gender or sexual orientation. Traditional morays are suspended if you so choose, for that one encounter, that one night, or that one personality. It is the ultimate personal learning experience. Here, you learn your own personal boundaries - or lack of them. Don't be mistaken - real emotional relationships can be forged. Sometimes more real than those offline has to offer. Therein lies the danger - or does it?

I believe it is in these types of relationships where real personal growth can be obtained. One can be accepted or rejected according to ones own essence. It is what you learn about yourself or "selves" in this type of atmosphere that you take back with you into the daily grind - into your daily relationships. Dig deep enough and you will find that the anonymity given to you allows for some true honesty.

 I get a bit irritated when people criticize or blame being online to have ruined relationships or marriages. Individuals here allow themselves to be tempted according to necessity. There are no other arguments to be made. And anyone that tries to tell you differently is lying - pure and simple. The degree of involvement is in direct proportion to necessity too. It can involve anything from pure recreation to a desperate cry for help. Sometimes it's a bit of both, according to life's assults.

 If you choose, it can be a terribly seductive place. Alluring you into areas you could never go otherwise.  Again, you discover your own limitations - or lack of them.

 Many times, it can be funny as hell - you stumble into personalities that quite literally make you laugh right out loud. It's also curiously akin to being in a story that unfolds right before your eyes. You are the writer, but incredibly, the characters are the unknown element. The dialogue happens right before your eyes - the story writes itself.

 It's your own personal Alice in Wonderland. Some nights you haven't a clue what dangers you will get into - or - what absolute delights await you around the next corner.
Here, you will meet people from all walks of life. People you could never meet in a lifetime -from all areas of the country -even the world, and from all times zones. You can meet powerful, complicated people - or  the most common, simple folk. Here, the cloak of anonymity allows us all to be equal.

 Now, having said that..let me readjust my hairnet, push up my pointy rhinestone studded bifocals...and get back to business..

Oh, and one more thing - please don't hesitate to say hi once in a while...I'm always up for an unexpected delight...

~poof~ i'm outta here...