Erica Scott: Life, Love and Spanking

Ruminations, opinionated observations, darkly humorous blathering and the occasional rant from an outspoken spanko and unapologetic attention wh–, um, hog.

Taking a break

I was simply going to stop posting for a while, withdraw and disappear as is my typical MO, but then I got two comments on here this morning, within minutes of each other, that changed my mind. I owe my readers some sort of explanation.

The first comment was from a lovely woman, pleading for me to come back. The second was, of course, completely anonymous. It read, in part, as follows:

I’m so sick and tired of the ignorant, misinformed, uneducated, biased, spoiled brat liberals who like little children overdosed on sugar, cry, whine and go into tantrums when they don’t get their way. Too bad.
This country will never unify until they grow up and become adults.

I’ve seen a lot of this lately.

First, my reply:

Anonymous — 1. Thanks for showing, yet again, what’s wrong with this country. No, it’s not people like me, it’s people like you — hostile, nasty, taking anonymous shots at others. 2. If you think this way of me, then stop wasting your time (and mine) and don’t read my blog anymore. 3. This country will never unify, period. Not as long as we have a broken two-party system that ensures that every 4-8 years, half the country is happy and half is miserable.

And I am serious about my second point. If this is how you feel about me, then please stop reading my blog. I don’t need contemptuous readers, and you don’t need to read the words of yet another “crybaby liberal.”

I am backing off from this blog, and greatly cutting back my participation on social media. Why the blog? Simple. I have nothing on-topic to post, and I don’t think I will in the foreseeable future. And no one wants to see it turn into a political venue. There’s way too much of that shit already.

Why social media? Because it’s an ugly and sad place to be right now. Members of both sides are behaving badly — some sneering and gloating with contempt, others fighting and angry and refusing to accept. People have told me we need to fight. Fight for what? It’s done. All the denial, all the use of the “#NotMyPresident” hashtag won’t make a bit of difference. And inundating myself with the minute by minute, 24/7 misery helps nothing and no one. I seek voices of reason, of moderation, but they seem few and far between. So, I am still on Twitter, but on an extremely limited capacity. On Facebook, I play Scrabble and Words With Friends, and occasionally comment on posts of others, but little else. And I haven’t touched FetLife.

On top of all this… John called me early Monday morning from work. His colleague, and his closest friend of ten years, passed away suddenly this past weekend, in his sleep. Heart failure. He was a lovely man, only 59 years old, married, three kids, grandkids. Everyone loved him. John is broken, and my heart is broken for him. Our friend’s memorial is on Friday, and over 100 people are expected to show up.

So… yeah. My depression has kicked in full bore. I function. I get up, I get dressed. I do my work. Fortunately, as timing would have it, I have a lot of it. My friends, all dealing with their own stresses and pain, feel very far removed. I have not seen Steve for two weeks. He wanted to come over yesterday. I told him not to. I have zero desire to play; it feels like that part of me has died. Or at least is hibernating so deeply, I don’t know where to find it. I told him he might want to consider finding an interim play partner as backup. He insists he’s not just my top, he’s my friend and my protector, and he wants to be there for me. But if I see him, I’ll just bawl the whole time. And I really should be working anyway. As I should now, so I’ll wrap this up.

This isn’t meant to be a big melodramatic goodbye post. It’s simply to inform those who care about what’s going on, and to let y’all know that I will be back when I have something fun, sassy and kinky to post again. When I’m no longer feeling like one of the walking dead.

Meanwhile, speaking of voices of reason, a compassionate friend sent me an article yesterday, written by the wise and wonderful George Takei. It felt like a soothing balm, so I’d like to share it with you, here.

Be kind to each other.

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29 thoughts on “Taking a break

  1. Thank you for the update, Erica! I’m so sorry for the loss of John’s friend. I’ve been thinking about emailing you again…I’m just sorry it’s always to vent. I wish we could do something that will help all of us…that would make a difference.

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  2. Anonymous on said:

    Hi Erica,
    Like most of the rest of the world I think you are silently saying, its happened, its over, now lets get with things.
    I sincerely hope you can relax, refresh and move on. And I hope that as soon as the auguries are better and brighter you will again bless us with you wit and dark humour. Until then, travel well and safetly
    Downunder Don

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  3. Thank you for not just vanishing. Things are dark right now, very, like nightmare dark from which waking isn’t an option. We all need to take care of ourselves, whatever that might look like. I’ll miss your blog and will continue to check in. Very sorry to hear about John’s friend.
    I only know you thru your blog, and you only know me thru a few scattered comments. But we’re close in age, in jobs, in inclinations and in the darkness that settles at times of stress (and at other times for no damn reason at all). Which means you know there’s light on the other side of the dark. It just takes a while to reach it.
    Stay safe, Erica. Thinking of you.

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  4. I’m sorry for your personal loss, Erica. And, like you, I feel like a part of me is hibernating for a time. I’ve voted in many presidential elections, beginning with Nixon v. Humphrey in 1968, and I’ve never felt as deflated, shocked and dismayed by what roughly half of America has become as I do right now. In many ways, it feels like a return to the hate-filled ugliness that characterized the late 1950s and early 1960s. A lot of my friends are taking a break from s0cial media, too, just to take stock of everything and try to regain some sense of hope and normality. I will miss your clever wit and your sassy musings while you retreat. I do dearly hope, however, that you’ll come back swinging when you do come up for air. Best wishes to you and yours.

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  5. “Social media,” I meant. I guess I’m so rattled that I’ve started spelling words with numerals.

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  6. idrum289 on said:

    Hi Erica,

    I know what you mean about the on topic stuff. My playtime has been quite sparse. And it does get me down, I’m not ahsamed to say.
    I am so sorry you are feeling so deflated. I love reading your blog regardless of how you’re feeling.
    I have a photo of a rabbit with a pancake on it’s head, captioned “I don’t know how to cheer you up so here’s a photo of a bunny with a pancake on it’s head”. It’s all I can offer you if I knew how to post it here.

    Best wishes

    Yorkie.

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  7. ” I seek voices of reason, of moderation, but they seem few and far between.”

    Me too. I’ve tried to offer that myself, maybe well, maybe not. What I’ve gotten back is nasty abuse from both sides. The more reasonable I try to be, the more abuse comes in from both sides.

    The adults left the room.

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  8. Anonymous on said:

    Best of luck Erica, you will be missed till you hopefully return..p.s Keep that perfect bottom in shape…………(:

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Michael on said:

    Come back when you’re ready. You are classy lady in the spanko world so don’t stay away for long. Ciao. Maybe we could just have the odd image every now and then of your lovely spanked bottom just to show us you are still digging it.

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  10. I’m glad this is “see you in awhile” and not “good-bye”. Our country feels bitterly divided, hate (for the moment) seems to have gained a foothold it hasn’t had in decades, and despair has seemed to replace hope, humor and optimism.

    Our hearts are broken. We are broken. I cannot bear the thought that all of us kindred spirits will now each retreat into our own small place, leaving us all feeling completely alone in our personal grief and despair. Please pop in, here and there, even if to simply write a brief update. Speaking for myself, I cannot bear the sorrow of your long-term silence. There is too, too much sorrow all around already.

    Pam

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  11. “…cry, whine and go into tantrums when they don’t get their way.” Now who does that phrase describe to a T?

    Erica, take as much time as you need to heal. We will be waiting for you when you are ready to resume blogging. I think Steve could really help you through this.

    I am sorry for John’s loss. It must have been such a shock.

    Hugs,
    Hermione

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  12. bklynny0856 on said:

    I’ll miss you-hope you’re back sooner than later. Your sense of fun and snarky attitude make your posts must-read for me.

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  13. Erica,

    Sorry for the loss of John’s friend.

    I’m glad it’s not Goodbye. You will be missed but we will still be here when you are ready to return.

    Love and hugs,
    Ronnie
    xx

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  14. Anonymous on said:

    Thanks for the update- as sad as it was. take your time and come back to us when you can.

    Thanks for all the great posts.

    Anon E. Mouse

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  15. Dear Erica, I’m sorry to hear about John’s loss. I am sure that being there for him will both help him and you.
    Please take your time to heal. I think disengaging from the social media is a wise thing to do: they too much either an echo chamber or a place where vehement battles produce more heat than light – hardly place for making sense of things.

    Again, please take your time heal. And I am looking forward to seeing you back in better shape.
    Lots of love.

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  16. Valleys Pixie on said:

    It all seems such a lot to take in. We all need time to decipher the political stage. The articles by George Takei that you pointed at were indeed very good. Please come back when you can – you are much loved and much missed.

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  17. Michael on said:

    Thought I would just say hello on LOL day. We miss ya!

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  18. major policical parties are just like a religious cult, they are there to get into your brain and control people, usually by scaring the hell out of you, just tell em to fuck off……………hurry up and get yourself back on here scotty we are all missing you far too much

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  19. Yorkie69 on said:

    Seeing as it was LoL day recently I thought I’d share this. I am posting it on all the blogs I visit to show my support to you all.

    The blogs I visit regularly are:

    Consensual Spanking
    Chross Blog (mainly for the links to the below as it’s easy.
    Erica Scott
    Hermoine’s Heart
    Heart and Soul
    Our Bottoms Burn

    Red and Bogey’s blog always provide a wide variety of topics. I love Hermoine’s spanko brunches. Ronnie is a master spanking story writer, very witty and oh, so hot. Erica has a wonderful wit and, being an editor I admire her spelling and grammar. Not to mention her open and honest posts.

    You all make my day.

    Happy Spankings and a joyful LoL day.

    Yorkie

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  20. Elizabeth Jane on said:

    Thanks so much for your reply, Erica, and for the check-in update. You take your time and feel better. I’m sorry for John’s loss and for your mutual hurting. Please be good to yourselves.

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  21. I’m very sorry to hear about John’s friend and about your depression, Erica! I hope you will feel better, soon. Since it is LOL-Day, I just wanted to let you know that I am still around reading your blog regularly but don’t manage to comment these days.

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  22. Hi Erica,

    Please know that whenever you return, you will be welcomed fondly by your many friends and admirers. Until then, may peace and joy surround you like a warm, soft blanket.

    Big hugs,
    Bonnie

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  23. Anonymous on said:

    I am sorry to hear about your loss.

    Social media seems filled with hate and extreme views now. So i certainly understand.

    I have enjoyed your blog for some time. It is one of the few I really enjoy reading and also enjoy the pictures you share. Your fun, playful attitude really shows thru on them. And it is nice to see there are others with a similar view on things as mine.

    I’ll definitely look forward to you returning to posting.

    Also, this is none of my business so I apologize if I’m overstepping, but John seems to care for you a great deal and want to help you through things. It might be good to take him up on that and not just retreat completely.
    Brian

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  24. Hi Erica. Sorry about John’s friend. Thinking of you both. I have decided to take a back seat with the nasty gloaters and unashamed bigots and bullies. I had to deal with this xenophobic bullshit with Brexit and see how some of my friends truly were… boastful and emboldened about the result (close in the popular vote as it was in the USA). I now “look forward” to seeing France turn to the hideously racist “Front Nationale” in next year’s elections, they are already talking about the Trump and Brexit effect… hiding behind the need for “change”

    Anyway, enough of that. Don’t let any of the haters get you down, I had enough of random fuckos on Facebook butting in with their mindless, ignorant views on the Donald. The world is a much nastier place but rest assured, life goes on for us all… we will deal with whatever life throws at us as usual. Hopefully catch up with you in February and can’t wait to give you a much overdue spanking 🙂

    xx

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  25. It doesn’t exactly help matters much when you learn that Hillary Clinton has, so far, actually won the popular vote by more than 2 million votes. Still hoping that you’ll get back on your feet again soon, dear Erica. I think it’s safe to say that you, your independence, your wit and your strength of character have been an inspiration to all of your followers. I hope that you and your loved ones have some kind of a good Thanksgiving. Wishing you well.

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  26. now I am going to have to photoshop a picture of you over Donald Trumps knee!
    just kidding, cheer up and get some color back in those cheeks!

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  27. Hope you enjoyed turkey day

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  28. Sorry for the delay in reading this post ( I enjoy saving them up and reading them in peace and quiet )…

    I understand what you are going through as I too am going through almost the same thing, but that isn’t for you to worry about.

    Just remember to take care of yourself and if that means knot posting so be it REMEMBER YOUR health comes first then your fellas..

    So take care and until we see/read you again GOOD HEALTH to Erica….

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  29. sweetsong1 on said:

    We love you, Erica, and we won’t stop loving you, no matter what. XOXO

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