LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Safe |
by Sal Seeley |
Spring Has Sprung! Spring has sprung, men, and it is time to get out there and enjoy the fruits of the nicest season of the year! New things are going to be happening around here. We have been busy over the past few months planning our strategy for this summer. We will soon be telling you about this year's campaign so look out for it. It is going to be fun! It seems that this has been a very long winter. I have been looking forward to the coming of spring and the summer that follows it. I am sick of the long nights and short days. I was just beginning to feel like a mushroom when SPRING finally arrived. Now I feel new, fresh and hopeful. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I'm doing some new things to make this spring a good one, and making a promise to myself to enjoy more of what Rehoboth has to offer. My bike tires are pumped up and so am I! Spring and summer will bring some new and exciting things to us all. The tourists are beginning to arrive. The boardwalk is gradually swelling with its new inhabitants. The stores are beginning to expand their hours and many of the places that were boarded up are beginning to shed their winter covers. Those cute men and boys will be staking out their territory on the beach soon. It really is a time for new beginnings. Lots of folks are heading to the mall to get some new clothes and spring outfits. It really is a great time to do something new. I would like to encourage everybody to do some new things and to step outside the box. We all know the trick about getting new things and planting flowers and things like that but this is a great time to break your old routines and to really make an effort to do something different. New years should really be celebrated on the first day of spring. It really is the best time to break out of the mold. You all know the condom fairy is not here to talk to you about spring, but spring brings me and all of us a great opportunity. I hope we all take advantage of it. Many guys often talk to me about boredom. Boredom is a problem wherever it occurs, but lately, I have been hearing a lot about boredom in the bedroom. Try some new things. Try some new positions, techniques, or places. Make it fun. Make it fresh, and make it safe. Trying something new will require some negotiation. Whether you are trying something new with a faithful friend or a new one, become skilled at negotiating. That means communicate. I learned a lot on a recent trip to study the art of negotiating. Being a good negotiator requires several things. First of all, it requires the willingness to try. It requires some practice and some skill. It also requires that you define for yourself what your limits are and what you are willing and not willing to do. The best negotiators are the ones who have gained knowledge about what they are negotiating for or about. And a good negotiator knows how to say no and walk away when his limits have been reached. My hope is that as you negotiate, your firm ground will be on the issue of safety. As you try new things this spring, practice being a good negotiator. You can practice, but I can help you with the other parts. I can arm you with some knowledge about safety. I can provide you with the tools for being safe and I can also help you define for yourself what your firm ground is going to be. Let us helpthat's what we're here to do. Get out there and spring into action with a new promise to yourself and your partners to have fun and be safe! Sal Seeley is Program Director of CAMPsafe, an HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention program funded through a contract with the Delaware Division of Public Health. Free, anonymous HIV testing is offered at CAMP Rehoboth, 39 Baltimore Avenue. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Sal Seeley at 302-227-5620 or e-mail salvatoreseeley@aol.com. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 14, No. 3 April 9, 2004 |