Fortune Cookie

I got Vietnamese take-out from Pho Cafe for lunch today, opened the fortune cookie, and read, "Don't let doubt and suspicion bar your progress." Ooooohhh. That's pretty heavy for a fortune cookie.

Doubt and suspicion is cancerous to bravery. And it takes bravery to progress. It takes bravery to name your sexuality. To come "out" as anything but vanilla in this society can be scary. You may be punished (and I don't mean in the good way).

Who do we trust? This is a very important question when it comes to sensual delights and kinky pleasures. What will it take for the housewife of fifteen years to tell her husband she wants to tie him up and spank him? How will he react? Or the seventeen year old high school quarterback who wants to profess his love to the male student body president?

The housewife may lose her husband. The quaterback may be shunned by his peers. Or gay bashed.

Or it may be the most beautiful awakening.

Margaret Cho, in I'm the One that I Want, talked about some of the heartfelt letters she got from midwestern, lonely closeted boys. She encouraged them to find their peers, and move to a city where they can be out and happy. Margaret expressed that she wanted to let the boys know it doesn't have to be so bad: (paraphrase) "Honey, come to West Hollywood and I'll take you out to Koo Koo Roo!"

Annie Sprinkle talked about not being afraid to ask for what you want sexually. After all, what if you got it? What if that wish came true?

None of this is breaking news. But I know that I need to hear it. I needed to read that fortune cookie today. Amazing things happen to people every day who take risks and have faith in a positive outcome. These events rarely make the headlines. So I am here to say it. "Don't let doubt and suspicion bar your progress." Take a chance. Make a stand. Follow your bliss.

In celebration of the fortune cookie, how about some fortunes that got rejected? A great one listed: "The only thing you will feel will be the cold catheter." Wow!

And weird fortunes here.