The Heart of It All

Remember the old game show, Name That Tune, with Kathy Lee Johnson (later Kathy Lee Gifford)?  "I can name that tune in one note!", many contestants would boast...well, dear reader, I can describe Saturday's polyamory meeting with one word...INFORMATIVE!

Donned in jeans and a t-shirt from Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., I ventured to the Atlanta Bread Company in Fayetteville. Trying to arrive a little late...so as to not look too anxious...I arrived on time (darn it) ...only to find that the other attendees were already there. Once again, upon entering the restaurant, I really had no clue as to how to ask for the "polyamory group"...so when my eyes connected with the first table of folks...I simply inquired outright...and guess what...Time didn't stand still and others in the restaurant could not have cared less. Immediately, I was greated by two males and three females...complete with adorable children...after all, dear reader, Atlanta Polyamory Inc. does offer family-friendly meet-ups.

As our small group enjoyed the wonderfully tasty fare, our conversation turned to the academic achievements of the youngest, interested group member...who was about eight years old [the other two children moved away from the group, so that they could have their own kids' space :) ] Turns out, our littlest table mate was a rather high-achieving elementary student with a vocabulary and knowledge set that impressed even this educator. As both males took part in sharing about the child's education, I quickly inquired about the dynamics of this group. It turned out that I was talking to the co-founders of Atlanta Polyamory Meetup who were in a Male-Female-Male trio and raising children together. What a wonderful surprise!

Between bites of salads and sandwiches...slurps of soup...and sips of beverages, I was able to watch video snippets from the past 2012 PRIDE Parade ....filled with unexpected insight into the back story of Atlanta Polyamory's participation in this event. Lucky for me, our conversations ran the gamut...from the Atlanta Poly-conference in March 2013 to the need for advocacy in our poly-community. We discussed partnership laws to health care insurance for poly-unions as thriving financial units to court cases (past and current) that are affecting the ever-changing national landscape. Now, this type of dialogue is what I have been craving, since my first meet up. The dissemination of correct and appropriate information should be at the heart of the local, state and national polyamory movement. It is through the sharing of information and actions by concerned members that the positive attributes about polyamorous relationships can be shared with others.

While it would have been really nice to have a few more people in attendance to support our Southside meet-up group, it was wonderful to be the only polynewbie in a group filled with so many knowledgeable people. But rest assured, dear reader, that once word gets out that this is THE premiere meet-up event for poly-awareness, I expect our little southside group to grow by leaps and bounds, each month.

Polyamorously Yours,

Cindy
Atlanta PolyNewbie