As boy have been on this transformation leather journey with Sir, there have been moments in time that have acted as anchor points for reflection. One of those was at Palm Springs Leather Pride a few weeks ago in October.
Sir and His boy first attended Palm Springs Leather pride in 2024 to watch Rene Hebert be sashed as Mr. Palm Springs Leather. Boy distinctly remembers everything about that event because it was one of the very first leather events that boy attended with Sir. Boy remembers still feeling a little awkward in its skin and leathers and not feeling confident about where it was in the transformational journey it is on. Boy remembers scanning out across the room and seeing all the leathermen, and feeling a little self conscious about where it fits in with all of this. Seeing Rene, a bootblack, win the title was a really joyful experience, because boy had found a lot of self growth through learning bootblack skills. His resources online and his presence were really positive influences.
Later that year, Sir and His boy attended International Mr. Leather (IML) in Chicago, and got to watch Rene win the International Mr. Leather title. Watching his growth journey from Palm Springs all the way to the big stage in Chicago was very motivational. While boy has never desired to go after a title, or at least not yet, it certainly created excitement and a desire to do more and to be better.
Flash forward to a few weeks, ago when it attended Mr. Palm Springs Leather 2025 with Sir. Again, brought the leathers and had a tremendous time in Palm Springs as it always does with Sir. But, this time was different because it was exactly one year since the last time boy had attended. This time, boy sat up front much closer to the stage with Sir, and boy noticed that the self conscious energy it felt in 2024 had largely dissipated. Instead of feeling as if this boy doesn’t belong, it felt very much like this was exactly where it needed to be.
For boy, this acted as a major anchor point to validate that it is very much working towards something that brings much new learning and growth. There is still SO MUCH that boy does not know, but the pursuit of that experience means that boy is growing and seeking new opportunity.
For boy, the pursuit of BDSM has meant a lot of self reflection. Through shining boots and learning to be a better leather boy for Sir, it is finding strength through greater vulnerability and various experiences in the community. Boy looks forward to continuing this path of self discovery and continuing to redefine its purpose. Boy fully embraces the path it is on and looks forward to many more experiences like this one and others.
What is a significant self growth milestone you have experienced in your journey? How did it shape you and what did you learn from it?
Approved for posting by Sir Zuegi.
Booted and Bound 