Step Into the Future

[Sharon]

This is a question I would think could be answered by every member -- GM, GG, CD, TG, TS, or whatever you may classify yourself as.

Where do you see yourself in, let's say, five years from now? Do you expect to be in the same situation you are at now? Do you expect to have "progressed" somehow as far as your dressing is concerned?

If you are involved with an SO, do you foresee any change in your relationship because of your dressing (or your SO's dressing if you are the significant other)?

Are you hopeful of transitioning to full-time feminine mode? Or, perhaps, you are hoping not to be dressing at all by then.

Or do you expect to remain in the same place you are now? Are you completely happy with the way you are and would be perfectly happy to remain just the way you are?

Lots of questions, but feel free to pick and choose which you answer.

[DonnaT]

Five years from now, I see not much has changed. Maybe a few more outings under the belt.

[KatieZ]

As things are going right now I see myself progressing. In 5 years I will be 62. A little grayer and a little more wrinkled. People don't tend to look all that close at senior citizens and with the right hair and clothes I think I will be able to blend in a lot easier at a resturant or theater when Katie wants to get out and have some fun. But at the same time I want to continue being the male I am with family and friends

Also, and more importantly, my level of self acceptance is growing leaps and bounds. With that I would think that somehow I will be putting out positive vibes as to who I am. And I hopefully will attract a GG that sees and respects me for that.

My hope for the future is that indeed I will find that balance of GM husband/CD girlfriend to a very special woman.


Hugs

[Marlena Dahlstrom]

I've reached a point where I'm comfortable who I am and how often I'd like to dress, so I don't think that much will change. However, I would like to have a SO by then, so who knows how that might affect things. I'd like to think I'll have the courage disclose my dressing if things get serious and hopefully she'll be accepting.

[Shannon]

I hope I'm a lot better with my makeup, more confident in going out, and lot more experience going out, hopefully with other CDs, GGs, and/or admirers. I'll be 59 then -- and hopefully I'll have an SO. All in all, I think my future as a CrossDresser looks bright (so bright I gotta wear shades....)

[Natalie x]

I haven't found the point at which I feel satisfied, yet, so I expect to have moved further down the line. I don't know how far it will take me, but I think I will be living as a female just about 24/7, if I can. Of course, as I'm 61 now, I may not be around in 5 years time.

:Pfft: :evilbegon :rose: :rose: :rose:

[Wendy me]

ok as far as i can see i think i will be enjoying more and more of my wendy time and be in a more comfy place as i will be doing a lot more traveling and getting wendy out to play more ...as far as my wife i should hope by then we have a deeper understanding of this part of me and should hope that if at least if she dosent fully become part of my wendy time that she can accpete that wendy is a huge part of who i am .............

[Jonien]

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/3/3_4_20.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZRxdm075YYNL)
Pregnant would be a nice thought!!!
oh well back to realty I see my self in five years as being totally comfortable with transitioning behind me

[ChrissyCrossedLegs]

I've been told by family that when in male mode I am a miserable old git.. which I guess means that in 5 years I'll be a really miserable, really old git!
SammyJo

[CharleneCD]

In 5 years I hope that both my male and female sides see lots of growth making me a more well rounded person. Just in the last 6 months I have already seen alot growth. Repressing my fem side for all my life never allowed my male side to develop fully. I am socialy inept and unable to deal with simple public situations. Now that I have embraced and accepted my fem side that is changing for the better.

[uknowhoo]

That's very nice to hear, Charlene.

As for me, I too have experienced alot of growth and grown in understanding over the past year thanks, in great part, to this wonderful community. I hope and expect that in five years, I will have struck and come to maintain a harmonious balance among the male and female aspects of myself and my life.

Thanks for asking, Sharon.

Hugs,

Tammi

[MonaSmith]

Ooohh good question Sharon,

5 years is a loooong time. I mean it's less than a year ago that I started really getting comfortable and pursuing this. Hopefully next year I'll start making permanent changes, beardgrowth first, and carry on mixing more of my feminine stuff into my daily routines and appearance. For now I am happy with the small steps that I am taking, but five years amounts to an awful lot of small steps. I might find a comfortable stopping point in the meantime, but until that happens it is onwards and upwards for me :)

How about you Sharon, you asked the question but didn't answer it yourself?

Mona xx

[TGMarla]

*Sigh* I just don't know. Hopefully I'll have gone out by then. Perhaps my wife will gain a modecum of acceptance. Perhaps I'll be able to regularly attend one of the local support groups. It's very hard to say.

[michellejean]

5 yrs from now:i see things getting better for me ,,even tho i will be 68 then ,,,,,that i don.t give any thought too.it is just a number.i am like a good wine i will get better with age.and i will not ever stop being the good woman that i am,,, but i will stop dressing as much like a man.and i say *&%$$# it and if the world does not like it they can kiss my royal texas a - - -. michellejean(mrs.highheels)

[Stephanie Brooks]

My long term time horizon is barely four months into the future. My goal is survival. My home environment has been, is, and will likely always be hostile toward me. Tracy made that clear the other night in couples therapy.

Over the last year I've found ways to function within that environment. I now go out one night a month -- the "wearwolf", the monster, "She Who Must Not Be Named" (Lady Voldemort? Hmmm... ;) ). I'll find other ways to function, hopefully.

Five years is a long time from now. Mostly I look toward making it through the next day or so.

[urban gypsy]

I think that in five years from now it will only be my wife and I so as long as she is still enjoying me dressing then I will probably be fem most of the time. As I should have also lost the wieght that I intend to by then.

[Deborah]

Hmmm well 5 years from now i still see myself as being single. Transitioning is a fantasy i think. I can't do it with my kids around. They are my priority.
I'll be finished with college though and working some where earning ooodles of money i hope. :D

[Rachel Morley]

In five years time I don't expect to have taken my dressing further in respect of transitioning or whatever because I'm not TS and I have no interest in changing my body permanently.

So where does that leave me?.....well frequency of dressing fully en femme. We have a 15 year old in our house who is likely to have gone to University by this time and so I will have more opportunity to dress "all the way". I currently wear lots of girly clothes as a feminized male in front of him with no problems. If he's still here then in all likelihood I will be out to him anyway.

So in five years? More of my life spent dressed as a "woman".

[Eileen]

Sharon,

It is very possible my life will be quite different. As the years go by, my desire to live as a woman full time is increasing with a speed I never dreamed possible. Best of all, I have no plans slow my increasing desire!

Eileen

[Jenny Beth]

I doubt five years from now will be any different from the past ten or so . I am happy with the way things are being able to dress whenever I wish.

[Stacie Stockman]

In 5 years, I hope Im able to:

1. Do my own face with colors that work for me.
2. Able to dance in high heels without looking Im having a seizure
3. Be able to put together my own wardrobe.
4. Burn off all my body hair with LHR so that I dont have a resemblance to Sasquatch anymore...

[mand]

Hello Sharon :) Oh dear love you are asking a question that I ask myself many many times a day:o
However in all total and utter honesty I can't answer it. I can tell you where I would like to be;)
I would like to be still living the life I have now but with one major difference, I would like to be a post op TS.
To be more like a mother to my children, to a grandmother to my grandson and to Jane ................to be the closet and most loyal friend she could wish for.
Also to be at peace in my mind knowing that I have done my upmost to being as close as is possible to being a real woman.


love mand xxx:)

[Mary Jane]

I see myself being and doing the same as I am now. I have no need to do anything else. I am quite content with my occassional time to experience my femme side. Everyone is different and has to be true to their inner needs.

[Khriss]

time..is one factor..but "place",seems most important to me..
I'm in process of building a houseboat...to live on hopefully..onward ,
a kind of "isolationist" mentality perhaps but a wanderlust-if I don't like the neihbors..Capt' of the ship mentality..
soo.. at the helm ..in skirt and boots on down the waves..I hope xx"K"

I've dreamed of a "Tranny Resort" ...bed and breakfast or "Crossdresser Fantacy Hotel../w/ makeover facilities..etc.. ( it's been done in Britain..) :thumbsup: :D xx"K"

[kyra]

5 Years from now, Kyra will definitely have a larger wardrobe!
And maybe have no more facial hair. (been working on my SO for that one) More outings for sure, and hopefully out to more family members.

Umm. that's all I can think of right now.
Hugs,
Kyra

[DragonLotus]

5 years from now, life would be on an ideal track for me if......


I ended up in a relationship free of gender expectations and stereotyping; from what I've heard from the accepting GG's here, a well-rounded, practical CD who knows and accepts themselves may complement my style better than any other type of man. But so far that's just a hunch!


My career projections so far end up coming to fruition. I could then plan for the future and enjoy and independent, comfortable lifestyle that wasn't focused on material things. This would enable me to follow some of the other roads I see on the horizon....


...like traveling, learning a new language, and being able to build a home recording studio to pursue my artistic passions. I'm always game to learn new things and take up new hobbies. Learning makes life worth living to me.



I also expect to continue growing more enlightened with every year, and using those experiences to enrich myself and my loved ones.

[Francine]

This is a question I would think could be answered by every member -- GM, GG, CD, TG, TS, or whatever you may classify yourself as.

I'm going through what seems to be one of those gender-identity-disorder-crissis thingy's.

My crossdressing and tging has escalated alot in the past two years, where now half my wardrobe hanging in the closet is fem.

I am involved with a my wife, but one of the reasons, I think, that I am crossdressing more. is the 'friction' in our relationship at the current time. I won't deny, that the 'big 'D' hasn't crossed my mind. She doesn't like Francine, at all.

Yes. If I thought I could get away with it..to live..and work as a woman, I would start, tomorrow. but I have this fear, that doing so, would have devastiting effects on my personal and professional life.

With the situations, at the current time, I will probably bow to the pressures and remain as I am, but I don't think I will be happy. I want to be woman, to live the rest of my life as a woman, maybe..even ts.

But sometimes... life throws us some curves, doesn't it?

[racquel]

I hope to be able retire,to spend much more time in fem mode.oh yea and to lose weight lol.

[Sarahgurl371]

My goal is to find inner peace. I haven't ever known that. It is what drives me as of the last several years. So I hope that I can achieve that in the next five years. I would also like to fix my marraige and have the kind of love that I have always dreamt about. I what to be her best friend, and she will be mine. A life free of guilt, shame, and secrets. I would love to find the perfect balance in my life of Him and Her. Dressing whenever I want would be nice, don't know how practical that is though. Still have a long time to go till retirement. I should hope that the world is a more accepting place as well. Change takes time though, I think one day we will be accepted by the general population, but that will be decades from now. There are still people opposed to deseggregation and womens' rights after all these years. I hope to be a better person and more accepting of others who are different for me as well. I have noticed huge changes in myself already since I have begun down the path towards self acceptance. I should also hope to have the courage to stand up for myself and others who are chastized and humiliated by those who are so close minded and un accepting of anyone who is different. I also hope to have fully integrated my thoughts of If you don't like me, that's your problem.

Oh yah, and lots more Femme clothing, and the ability to look like I have always desired - beautiful.

Great question!

[Sharon]

I asked this question because of the current state I find myself in. Unlike those of you who have replied to this thread already, I really don't have a clue what I'll be doing five years from now. It is this doubt, and my constant reflection on this matter, that caused me to inquire of you all what I couldn't answer myself.

A few months ago, I thought I had everything mapped out. In my quest for eventual transitioning I had figured out how much money I would need for FFS, hormone therapy, and electrolysis, and I thought I had the means to proceed, as long as I was willing to sell my house and move into a smaller one.

I had already been cleared to begin HT, but was just holding off long enough to inform my family and loved ones, who, truthfully, were just coming to terms with me being a crossdresser (I had told them that I'm transgendered, but didn't get into all the details into what all that entailed for me). Telling them that I wanted to physically change myself was another matter that I had never confided that I wanted to undertake. Indeed, it is a decision that I had only arrived at since I originally told them about myself.

But in the past couple months, I have run into serious financial difficulties, mostly due to a dropoff of work, but also due to non-payment by several clients who I have done work for in the past. A somewhat severe injury I suffered a few weeks ago also contributed to my predictament since, being self-insured and healthy, I had let my medical insurance lapse.

But the biggest hurdle has been an almost total lack of emotional support from my family. I suppose it wasn't that difficult for them to accept me when all they thought I was doing was dressing up when they weren't around, but the few I have told, so far, that I want to take this further and undergo surgery and hormone treatment have not reacted well at all, and even behave as if I'm some sort of freak. Dad and brother in a dress is okay, but it is not okay for me to have breasts or a feminized face.

So, this is where I find myself -- sort of in a state of Limbo. I will almost definitely need to go out and get a regular salaried job, which means that I need to be male again. Sharon is not someone I see being hired by an established company.

My family may or may not come to accept who I want to be, but it seems moot to even go on informing the rest of them until I sort out my finances.

Thus, the question. It is because I don't have the answers.

Sorry for the downer of a post, but, sometimes, it's simply too difficult to always be positive.

[Tamara Croft]

Sharon, I have no idea where I will be in 5 days, let alone 5 years. But, nm that ;) I wanted to tell you reading your post was a real eye opener for me. We have known each other for what seems to be an age, but now I feel I have just got to know you more. Having always thought you were a CD, I was shocked to read about the plans you had. So in actual fact (correct me if I'm wrong) you are a TS. I hope in time, you will be able to fulfill your dreams and those a$$holes pay up :slap:

Sharon, you are an inspiration to us all here, yes including me. I luv ya to bits :hugs:

[jessi girl]

:undecided im happy the way things are.now im single, but if i ever meet the right one, i would hope that in the begining she would accept it. im generally a closet cd n would be cool with keeping things the way things are now. casual

[gender_blender]

I plan to become the social equivelent of a "*******". One who lives fulltime as female, but is biologically male, and in this case, has breasts as well. So basically I see myself as a transgenderist with real breasts.

I don't see myself living in the same place as the weather, job market, native people, general environment really sucks here, and not just for transgendered individuals. Maine is also the only state in New England that lacks a solid state-wide nondiscrimination policy, which looks like it might be further beaten down by the Christian Civic league.

Eventually I think I'll be in Canada as medications and transition is covered by insurance up there, and, ideally, utilizing my engineering degree in a high-paying tech job.


Charlie

[Rachaelgirl39]

As far as me goes I hope to have transitioned. I am currently trying to find a
therapist and have started to look into begining facial hair removal. I have been growing my hair long now for about a little over a year. Even without all this just growing my hair out I have been called maam several times which I get a kick out of.

[MonaSmith]

Sharon,

I am so sorry to hear all that honey, also very surprised. You always seem so upbeat and controlled about everything, I always perceived you as a very settled and happy person.

I don't have any great words of wisdom, I mean, I don't really know how you are feeling at the moment or much about your situation, but I will say that you have to have hope and push for what you want. Don't give up entirely. A lot of things can change in a short period of time. You are a very smart compassionate person, and I'm sure that you can tackle your problems, one at a time if necessary, until you can get your life on the track that you want it to be on.

None of us really know what is going to happen in the next 5 years, we don't know what will happen in the next 5 minutes with any certainty, but we all have to keep hopeful and aiming for a goal, otherwise we can so easily lose our way and get swamped in the everyday stuff of life and get distracted.

Stay on target sweetie,

Love

Mona xx

[Kim E]

Sharon ~
I'm so very sorry to hear of all you have been going through lately. You seen like such a genuine, honest, upbeat and intelligent lady. Please don't let it drag you down, sometimes it seems darkest before dawn. I'm sure everyone here is pulling for you.

Big Hugs ~ Kim

Excellent thread ~ Kim in 5 years .... where I'd like to be and where I'll be are 2 different animals.
Ideally, I would like to be transitioned to 24/7 as a female. To be far enough down the path to easily blend in. Surgery, HRT or whatever I could afford.
Now reality, being a realist, I know that being in my advanced age, that my hopes of transitioning have passed me by. If I were 20 years, or maybe 10 years younger, I would in a heartbeat. I spent my entire lifetime living it for someone else. No one to blame but myself. I do have an ex-wife and two ex-girlfriends though. LOL
I'll just continue bringing out more and more of my feminine side, in all aspects, as much as I can, as I go along. Then who knows where that will lead ?

[jamie_44]

I feel as though I would like to transition especially within the 5 years but it is not a reality with a family. I've read that the transitioners really give up a lot in regards to the family. Kids and family are number one with me, if they would not be affected I'd switch tomorrow, so mean time I will just keep on cd'ing.

[Sissy Jay]

But enjoying a much much larger wardrobe and a couple of beautiful wigs and my own makeup set. The status Quo is the part that I am still enjoying these things with my darling wife and partner, just with more accessories!

[HaleyPink2000]

Ok, lets see! 5 yrs from now.

That puts me at Walmart in the dress department asking the lady, " Ma'am would you have this dress in my size"? Then Her saying, " Hun, you asked me that yesterday".

LOL, forgetfullness or CRS?

LOLOLOL! Haley:)

[MandyTS]

Five years... hmmm... If my plan works out the way I want it too I will be starting RLT or midway through, best thought would be having SRS by then and be living life about who I feel I am.

[Stephanie Brooks]

Hi Sharon!

I'm so sorry I totally missed this until just before leaving work today.


But the biggest hurdle has been an almost total lack of emotional support from my family. I suppose it wasn't that difficult for them to accept me when all they thought I was doing was dressing up when they weren't around, but the few I have told, so far, that I want to take this further and undergo surgery and hormone treatment have not reacted well at all, and even behave as if I'm some sort of freak. Dad and brother in a dress is okay, but it is not okay for me to have breasts or a feminized face.

...

My family may or may not come to accept who I want to be, but it seems moot to even go on informing the rest of them until I sort out my finances.

Thus, the question. It is because I don't have the answers.

Sorry for the downer of a post, but, sometimes, it's simply too difficult to always be positive.
I wish I had a way around that for you, but of course I do not. v_v

I'd dare say you'd find your way around the finances if the emotional support from family was there. I'd also dare say that if the finances were there but the emotional support was still lacking from your family you'd find it difficult or impossible to transition.

<*sigh*>

*BIG WARM HUGGLES* to you Sharon.

You'll find moments of balance and more of frustration, never quite fitting. It would be so much easier if family wasn't important to you, but it is. Children are probably even more important in this situation. Still you remain in some netherland.

I'm so sorry Sharon. Downer of a post? Pheh. We're here for each other, Sharon.