It's been a long time baby

[BrookeButtons]

NeverSoft..... we will have to have a wine date soon been a while

[offshoredrilling]

Originally Posted by neversoft

OSD & Brooke...couldn't agree more!

Originally Posted by offshoredrilling

mmmm I must be more careful when thinking out loud.

But then

each man must be aloud to pick his own poison
even if most of the time, she just takes him

Originally Posted by BrookeButtons

NeverSoft..... we will have to have a wine date soon been a while

Need I say more, nope. And so you sir could be a favorite play toy of a provider. Now do a good job when you do her toe nails. Thanks

[BrookeButtons]

mmmm I have lots of favorite play toyes

[neversoft]

Again, OSD & Brooke...couldn't agree more!

[MajorHands]

Ultimately, there is no template for how a Provider/Hobbyist relationship should be. There are models that have been shown to work and provide some solid guidelines about how to approach the relational aspects of this milieu. There are also cautionary tales where atypical approaches have gone disastrously wrong. There's no denying the appeal of playing it safe, and maintaining strict compartmentalization. At the same time, if you never extend yourselves, you take the chance of missing out on something pretty special. I think this is true of life in general, not just Hobbying.

The key is to find out what works on an individual level between the parties involved and keep a tight rein on any expectations while paying very close attention to respective boundaries. Mutual respect has to be at the foundation of any attempts to go beyond the transactional, and it's crucial that both parties are on the same page. My take is that keeping things cordially professional is the way to go as the general approach to the Hobby, but that maintaining that approach by rote just for the sake of doing it can be a disservice to those involved when a more nuanced relationship/friendship appeals to both.