Hi all,
I have been transitioning in place for just over two and half months now and while I have lived through a few "not so stellar moments" including a recent run in with a few misguided souls in the gym who thought my personal circumstances were a source of private amusement, embarrassment beyond belief by a bar manager in relation to bathroom use, loss of few close friends who thought they could deal but could not, quite a few sideways glances, giggles, guffaws in the world writ large and on occasion being minimalized at work meetings . . . generally, things are slowly becoming the new norm.
For the most part, while it appears most people around me have normalized and accepted the transition on some level which in and of itself is a huge victory, sometimes it is the little things that mean so much and give me pause for thought on just how right my decision to become who I need to be was the right decision. Unbeknownst to me, the women on my floor have an annual tradition this time of year to gather each day and trial a chocolate delight provided in turn by each participant over a span of days equal to the number of women participating. So a few days back I was going through my litany of e-mails when I noticed one subject line which kind of stuck out amongst all the typical work related subject lines . . . "It's that time of year again. Time for chocolate!". Now I thought it was probably our very active social fund folks with an XMAS related event so I opened it expecting such. To my surprise I read the first line which brought a smile to my face . . . "Hello ladies, it is time again for our annual chocolate tasting fun"
Two simple words "Hello ladies" meant so much. Don't get me wrong it could have just been a gesture of being politically correct but as the women on the floor have been very supportive, I like to be optimistic and believe that I have been accepted on some level as a woman by them and not just a guy playing dress-up. It was very heartwarming and naturally I accepted even though I am not a big chocolate fan. Just thought I would share a bit of a feel good moment.
Cheers
Marcelle