Ellie Summer
12-24-2016, 12:03 AM
I wanted to share with you all a conversation that I had tonight with a close family member, someone who I'd consider the closest person to me in my life. I had rehearsed this a thousand times, and waited for the right moment. I wish I had had this conversation with her a while ago, never had the opportunity, but tonight I did.
"Hey do you have a minute?"
"Sure"
We sat down together and I said that there was something I wanted to tell her. I assured her that it was nothing bad, but it was kind of a big deal and it was important to me that it stay between us. Knowing that it can be considered a burden to ask someone to keep a sensitive topic on the down low, I asked her permission first, saying that I didn't want to burden her but it would also mean a lot to me considering how much I respected her, and knowing how loving and caring she is. She of course said yes it was fine. I explained how it was something that has been around my entire life, and recently took off unexpectedly. She had no idea what I was getting at, so I pulled up a picture of me as the world knows me.
"Ok, who's that?"
Confused, she responded "you of course."
"Yep. Pretty manly looking guy right? Manliest of man, masculine man"
She still has no idea where I'm going with this.
"Ok, so that's your nephew..."
I pull up a picture of Ellie
"...and this is your sort of niece."
She still didn't quite get it because she didn't know who she was looking at, so I had to flip through a few more pictures.
"...wait, is that you!?"
"Yes"
She lights up like crazy. She tells me how beautiful she thinks I look. She listens, she understands, she sees it from my point of view. She's surprised, but so happy for me. I explain everything to her. We talk about my clothing choices, what it all means, what it definitely doesn't mean. We talk about how much fun it would be to go out together, shopping and dinner. We look at more pictures. There's no negativity, only happiness, and I thank her again, tell her I love her, and that just letting me get that off my chest was the best christmas present I could have asked for. Our already close relationship just graduated to a supreme level. I couldn't be happier.
"Hey do you have a minute?"
"Sure"
We sat down together and I said that there was something I wanted to tell her. I assured her that it was nothing bad, but it was kind of a big deal and it was important to me that it stay between us. Knowing that it can be considered a burden to ask someone to keep a sensitive topic on the down low, I asked her permission first, saying that I didn't want to burden her but it would also mean a lot to me considering how much I respected her, and knowing how loving and caring she is. She of course said yes it was fine. I explained how it was something that has been around my entire life, and recently took off unexpectedly. She had no idea what I was getting at, so I pulled up a picture of me as the world knows me.
"Ok, who's that?"
Confused, she responded "you of course."
"Yep. Pretty manly looking guy right? Manliest of man, masculine man"
She still has no idea where I'm going with this.
"Ok, so that's your nephew..."
I pull up a picture of Ellie
"...and this is your sort of niece."
She still didn't quite get it because she didn't know who she was looking at, so I had to flip through a few more pictures.
"...wait, is that you!?"
"Yes"
She lights up like crazy. She tells me how beautiful she thinks I look. She listens, she understands, she sees it from my point of view. She's surprised, but so happy for me. I explain everything to her. We talk about my clothing choices, what it all means, what it definitely doesn't mean. We talk about how much fun it would be to go out together, shopping and dinner. We look at more pictures. There's no negativity, only happiness, and I thank her again, tell her I love her, and that just letting me get that off my chest was the best christmas present I could have asked for. Our already close relationship just graduated to a supreme level. I couldn't be happier.