From miserable dude to happy 46yo woman

[MonicaJean]

I found happiness in this journey, it wasn't in a bottle of vodka nor hiding in ever-worsening depression or rule-based conformity. No, it required honesty and truth. From there is where I started truly living, thriving and understanding what faith really means.

And a word to those starting this journey, you will unpack other deep issues in your life that have never been dealt with. Unnpack them, master them, move on. Don't be afraid of what you have buried over the years, the quicker you deal with the suddenly unearthed deeper issues, the quicker you will find yourself, and find peace with yourself.

Be yourself, don't settle for less.

​

[Leanne2]

Monica, You are a beautiful woman! Can you own that? Welcome home!.............Leanne

[SarahSerene]

Hey Monica I sent you a PM before I read this thread... kinda answered my question :) Anyway you look great and I wanted to say I gain a lot of inspiration from your story (being a similar age)!

Hey there Monica - clean out your PM Inbox a little will ya? :) I tried to respond but it got kicked back to me as your inbox being full

[Devi SM]

Wow! This a beautiful story with a great...I couldn't say end, right? Whatever, with a nice present.
You're a beautiful woman.
I'n new in this forum so forgive my silly questions, what stage are you Monica in the transition?
Btw, I love labradors and that was a nice puppy, as time has passed by, do you keep him/her?

[MonicaJean]

Vanessa, You're right, there is no end, it just keeps going forward... one foot in front of the other.

I'm at a stage where I've been fully out for a year and living for about as long. The worst of the journey has been traveled through. The stage I'm at now that life has leveled off is picking up the pieces and moving on to build a better life.

I wish I could keep my dog, but I cannot here where I live. She's at my ex's with her dog. The dogs get along great. I really miss him :(

Good luck!!

[CostaRicaRachel]

You look fantastic! Congratulations!

[LookingGlass]

You look great in that pic! I've just started on my own journey now so your post has really spoken to me this week. Thank you for posting it!

[MonicaJean]

Thank you Rachel! :)

Good luck on your journey LookingGlass! This isn't easy but it's sooooo worth it!

[kimdl93]

you really can't argue with the results! I know its really more about how you feel than how you loo, - and the object fact is that your looks reflect the happiness you have found in yourself! Congratulations!

[AlyssaJ]

Unnpack them, master them, move on. Don't be afraid of what you have buried over the years, the quicker you deal with the suddenly unearthed deeper issues, the quicker you will find yourself, and find peace with yourself

First of all, you are absolutely beautiful, thanks for sharing your journey with us. I'm so happy for you finally finding yourself and peace in your own skin. Second, you're 46 now, would you mind sharing at what age you started your transition?

Finally, I want to thank you for the line I've quoted above. This struck a cord deep in me. Since I've started this journey, I've had a number of people tell me to slow down, I'm moving to fast. Yet my inner voice keeps pushing me. People seem believe that I'm making decisions on a whim without understanding how deeply I've had to consider each step, how much I've had to work through in terms of issues like you mention and they seem to discount or not recognize that I've been dealing with this for 39 years. So your point kind of validates what I've been feeling, even if perhaps that's not quite how you meant it. I am early in my journey (hopefully starting HRT at the end of the month, limited RLE up to now), so your story is an inspiration for someone like me who is transitioning at middle-age.