Friends With Benefits

The difference between pornography and erotica is lighting.
~Gloria Leonard

One of your girlfriends is getting married. Your invited to a pivotal birthday. Or, your partner’s Christmas stocking needs to be filled with something more interesting than candy. We wait for these occasions to take a trip to the naughty store. When we get there, we have to arm ourselves with a buddy and we try hard not to make eye contact with anyone else in the store. Prowling males are labeled a “pervert”, and if any employee asks us if they may help us, it is all that we can not to pack it in and run for the hills!

Where is this shame coming from? Even as we enter the store, it is almost like walking through a type of force-field. The energy changes, the air is thicker, and we walk around like some sort of Samurai. Regardless of our age or purpose, we feel like an adolescent trying to purchase a dirty magazine at the neighborhood drug store.

The Solo Voyage:

Is what we are doing wrong? Thou shalt not pleasure thyself. You’ll go blind, crazy, or your palms will grow hair if you are a male. It has even been mythically stated that acne could develop and baldness could ensue. If you are a female, you will instantly be struck by lightening. Parents went wild in the early days to prevent masturbation with chastity belts, woolen gloves, and foreskin piercing's with soldered wire to prevent and orgasm!

Masturbating is healthy and normal. Health care providers consider it to be a healthy way to express and explore your sexuality. It is also a great way to release sexual tension without all the associated risks of sexual intercourse. It has also been known to be beneficial in the following ways:

	Relief of menstrual cramps

	Help for insomnia

	Stimulation of the immune system to help build up a resistance to common infections

	Release of mood elevating hormones

	Reduction of embarrassing spontaneous erections in males

	Reduction of unwanted wet dreams for young men

How can something so good for the body be deemed so wrong by prophets? Weren’t they on the road alone often? Tell me the never “tapped that” on a dark and lonely night when they could not sleep!

Our bodies are our temple… Why not buy presents of worship to our bodies to celebrate its worth? It is important to enjoy the beauty and function of our bodies, from stem to stern (so to speak).

Spicing-up a relationship:

How can it be wrong to keep your relationship alive, to find new ways to enhance your lovemaking, experience a new level of trust and open-mindedness? Finding the strength to explore each others’ fantasies and to share an ever deeper part of yourself with your partner should not be labeled at blasphemy!

Tell your partner that you are going to an adult store to pick out something special, and watch the reaction. Or, better yet, take them with you! What a tremendous bonding experience!

Such a Precious Gift!

People are always looking for good gift giving ideas. So let's be creative and have some fun, just think of the possibilities:

For the Girlfriend / Wife:	Give the gift of intimacy, connection, and orgasms with couples-friendly toys like the sophisticated, Artsy Delight or a Lap of Luxury Kit.
For the Boyfriend / Husband:	Why wrap another tie around his neck when he could be slipping into the made-for-two vibrating Sonic Ring or sitting atop the fantasy-fulfilling Aneros?
For the Best Friend:	She’s always there for you, so give her a vibrator that’ll always be there for her, like the trustworthy Laya Spot or the best-selling Rabbit Habit. Your guy pal deserves his very own Blossom Sleeve.
For the Cool Relative:	Pick up some cool gag gifts!
For the Gamer/Player:	Try Strip Chocolate, the Kama Sutra Game, or Dirty Dice—everybody wins!
For the Sensualist:	Indulge the senses and extend foreplay with tasty Chocolate Body Sauce, relaxing Babeland Massage Candles, or a flirty vibrating Paris Ducky.
For the Technophile:	Get technical and try the SaSi or a deluxe vibes like the Form 6 vibrator (you even get to join in the action).
For the Explorer:	Go exploring with the Orchid G G-spot vibrator or the Progasm prostate stimulator.
For the Music Lover:	Try a “Kink-Kit” A pink, heart-emblazoned blindfold, whip and collar make beginning power play fun and fashionable.

Tips for Shopping in an Adult Store:

How did we as a society get so uptight regarding sex? This is a whole article in itself! Please do not feel guilty, ashamed, or embarrassed when you are shopping. Places like Babeland in NYC have guides ready to assist you. Take someone with you and have fun. Like anything else, the more you you do it, the more comfortable you feel!

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