I've been in this "hobby" (addiction) since 1975. Yeah, that's almost half a century of mongering. When it was announced that AIDS was not limited to homosexual activities and Hatians (remember that nonsense?), most mongers took a break for a while. A similar hiatus followed the events of 9/11/2001. One thing I did (and am doing now) was to call my favorites (ATFs
and UTRs) to ask how they were and tell them I was thinking about them; not calling to make appointments; rather calling for concern about their safety and telling them I hoped they were and remained safe. You would not believe how happy these few phone calls made those ladies. Let's face it, sometimes they deal with us at our worst (drunken mongers; banging on the door mongers; abusive mongers; unkempt mongers; unhygeinic mongers; mongers who spread their contact info; etc.). It's a rare chance for some of us to show genuine concern for them and they greatly appreciated it. For the cynics among us, I never got such great treatment from providers as I did during my visits after the crises of the day had passed. I was treated like a customer with a capital "C." Perhaps not for everyone, but I found that making these simple gestures made them--and me--feel a little better. Just my two cents.
and UTRs) to ask how they were and tell them I was thinking about them; not calling to make appointments; rather calling for concern about their safety and telling them I hoped they were and remained safe. You would not believe how happy these few phone calls made those ladies. Let's face it, sometimes they deal with us at our worst (drunken mongers; banging on the door mongers; abusive mongers; unkempt mongers; unhygeinic mongers; mongers who spread their contact info; etc.). It's a rare chance for some of us to show genuine concern for them and they greatly appreciated it. For the cynics among us, I never got such great treatment from providers as I did during my visits after the crises of the day had passed. I was treated like a customer with a capital "C." Perhaps not for everyone, but I found that making these simple gestures made them--and me--feel a little better. Just my two cents.
