World Friendship Day

David Heulfryn / / Screeve

I’ve been notoriously bad at keeping friends, primarily due to my depressive episodes, where I would shut myself off and refuse all contact. As I’ve grown older, I’ve been honest with people and have made at least one friend who doesn’t judge me for ‘ignoring’ them. Real friends don’t judge. Real friends are there when you need them.

The official blurb states:

Friendship plays a crucial role in promoting trust, empathy, and mutual respect among people. Celebrating this day highlights the value of relationships in overcoming misunderstandings, reducing conflict, and building more inclusive societies. The event also aligns with the United Nations’ goal of encouraging dialogue among civilizations and promoting peace. In a world that can often feel divided, World Friendship Day is a powerful reminder of our shared humanity and the difference we can make by reaching out and supporting one another.

I like to bring it closer to home. True friends can provide a vital sounding board and a judgment-free environment to talk about your feelings and worries. After all, as the saying goes, “a problem shared is a problem halved”

Just talking about something can bring it into closer perspective, and solutions may suddenly present themselves.

When people understand what you’re going through, they are less likely to judge. So, do any of you have a friend you have lost touch with? Perhaps consider reaching out again and letting them know that you’ve been thinking of them.

I’d like to consider you as my friends. You have stuck with me through thick and thin, and my many periods of inactivity when I was in such a dark place that I couldn’t read emails, even the positive ones. I appreciate constructive criticism, as it only serves to improve my stories, and I would re-read them when I was in the right frame of mind.

My writing means a great deal to me. It helps me understand my feelings and my past, as well as letting me live a vicarious sex life through my characters. I’m glad that so many of you also enjoy my stories.

Thank you, Friends.

International Self Care Day

David Heulfryn / / David Heulfryn

Today is International Self Care Day.

We all need a little self care to let our body and mind recover from the stresses of life. Today encourages individuals to take proactive steps to manage their own health and well-being. Self-care includes healthy eating, physical activity, sufficient sleep, stress management.

Here are some handy suggestions for self care, not just today, but every day.

  • Walking for 30 minutes a day or daily exercise
  • Having 3 to 4 litres of water in a day
  • Consuming balanced and healthy diet rich in fibre
  • Having 6 to 8 hours of sleep in a day
  • Decreasing screen time
  • Relaxing activities
  • Developing a positive attitude
  • Maintaining body hygiene
  • Having a long walk in the garden
  • Volunteering for charity work
  • Listening to music
  • Reading motivational stories
  • Solving brain puzzles
  • Learning something new daily.

 

But what the list leaves out is another suggestion.

  • Masturbation

 

So surf my website, find a story, lie down and have a wank. Looking after our sexual health is as important as looking after our physical and mental health.

And, to take a leaf out of my American Friends book:

Have a nice day!

Forfeit by David Heulfryn

David Heulfryn / / David Heulfryn, Stories

Let’s take another break from the Dickinsons as I give you another tennis-themed short story. Well, Wimbledon has started!

Johnny loves playing tennis. After joining a local tennis club, he meets Sam. They are the same age and equally matched. An unofficial competition between them emerges, and the loser has to pay a forfeit. When they were younger, the forfeits were innocent, but now Johnny is fifteen.

Chinese Police Arrest Dozens of Gay Erotica Writers

David Heulfryn / / David Heulfryn, Screeve

We don’t need reminding why we need to support all the “Pride Marches” that are taking place locally, nationally and internationally. I live in a place where I have the freedom to write my stories and publish them. And most of you live in a place where you have the freedom to read them. If any of you live in places where reading my stories is illegal, then I sincerely hope you are careful and discreet, but I wish you didn’t have to be.

But times are changing. Intolerance has taken hold again. I may have the legal right to write and publish my stories, but even where I live, we are being persecuted again. Just look at how the Trans community are being treated, even by other members of the LGBTQI+ community.
Then this crops up on my social media feed, and I’m reminded how precarious my rights are!

If you click on the above picture, it will take you to the article in The Advocate. I realise this is China, a communist state, but we need to heed this warning. Given the current state of the world, with democratic countries utilising whichever minority is convenient to further their cause and path to power. We must fight to protect the rights we have and continue the struggle until we all have equal rights.

I don’t usually write political posts, as even though we are part of the same LGBTQI+ community, our political allegiances and sympathies are varied. So, regardless of your political affiliation, we all want the same thing. We want to be treated with respect and without prejudice. It makes me shudder to think that if I lived in a different place, I could be arrested for what I am doing.

Charlie & Nick by David Heulfryn

David Heulfryn / / Cockaigne Chronicles, David Heulfryn, Stories

We return to the chronicles of the Dickinson family this week. Nick is the assistant manager of the local sports retailer. He and Charlie open the shop in the morning, and they soon see a young man waiting by the door for the store to open. They take pity on him and let him in early. He needs to buy some new rugby boots, and the brothers help him in several ways.

New Balls, Please by David Heulfryn

David Heulfryn / / David Heulfryn, Stories

This weekend, we are taking a break from “The Chronicles of The Dickinson Family” for another new story. But fear not, The Dickinson’s will return next weekend.

The grass court season has begun. We can currently watch the Queen’s Club tennis championships, followed by the Eastbourne tournament, and then the crowning glory of the grass court season: Wimbledon. I love the Wimbledon championships. All players must wear white; this is the rule. The straps and elastic of their underwear are visible, especially when bending over to wait for a serve coming at them at speeds exceeding 100mph.

But who are the unsung heroes on the tennis courts? The ball kids. This year, I have finally got around to writing a story about two of the ball boys. These two boys love tennis and grab the opportunity to train as ball kids for a local tournament. I hope you enjoy it, and enjoy the tennis this summer.