Relationships A relationship is not some goal to be attained, but a meaningful interaction between individuals. You will have relationships of various kinds: family, friends, colleagues, companions, partners. All bonds, however, should be based on honesty, trust and equality. You are not measured by the number or by the absence of relationships. As with many things, quality is more important than quantity. A relationship is never worth the sacrifice of your self-esteem. Be willing to draw lines about what you consider appropriate in the different levels of a relationship. You won't give a friend the same level of interaction as you will your partner. Tension may come when one person is not clear on what they want in a relationship. If you don't know what you want, then relax and let time tell. Enjoy that person's company. Talk things through. You'll both learn what is what, so don't rush things. If you both want to go beyond friendship, then holding hands and kissing is a good start. They can tell a lot. Kissing is a very big step and you should only do this if everything seems just right. Enjoy kissing by itself for a long time before going forward. Things may happen or they may not. Who knows? Sidenote one: there is never a place for violence within a relationship nor is it ever justified. Never. Even if the roots of violence can be understood or sympathized with, it makes any on-going meaningful interaction impossible. Sidenote two: relations with animals differ only in that other species do not think as we do. These bonds, however, should be based on respect. Treat animals with dignity, particularly animal companions.

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Lilac's Book. A book for my daughter.    By Bill Orton. Lilac's Book has been on     continuously since January 3, 1997. Anyone may have a FREE copy of the entire text of Lilac's Book by going to the Download page. Back in 1994, I wrote this book, largely in random order, as a gift for my infant daughter.   When I finished the first version of the book, I made photocopies and handed them out to anyone who was interested.   In 1996, I converted the text of the book into web format and thanks to the gracious and steadfast support from this mighty site, the book has been on Hippyland continuously since January 3, 1997.   As far as I can tell from webstats over the past few years, about 3000 people a year are visiting the page to download the full text of the book.   If just a portion of these visitors are downloading the text, then this free book is now in the hands of thousands of people.   This makes me feel that the gift is not just for Lilac, but for thousands of others, most especially for the teenagers and young adults who so often write to me trying to figure out their place in our world. BEING FREE  |  Table of Contents  |  Readers Comments  |  Download Lilac's Book  |  Return to HIPPYLAND  |  Photo Album Who IS a Hippy  |  The Price of Freedom  |  Following Your Own Heart  |  It Wasn't All Beauty & Lightness  |  Contact Me The original print edition of Lilac's Book © 1994; web editions © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001.