I am posting this thread here because it is more than a journal of my trip this week to SCC. I will do one of those with plenty of pictures.
As I sit in the Atlanta airport I can’t help but feel the bitter sweet wonder that occurs when an event that you have looked forward to for an entire year passes by in what feels like the blink of an eye. This years conference was an emotional journey for me. As the ladies and gentlemen from the conference flow back to society from the cocoon of safety spun by the love of our TG brothers, sisters and others that support us I can’t help but reflect and take account of the lesson that I learned or were reinforced during this week’s pilgrimage. I am going to start a list. Some of my lessons may become life changing for me, some will be trite and some will be irreverent.
1. Take pride in your gender expression. It is who you are.
2. Be honest to yourself and those you love concerning your gender expression.
3. You will always pack more clothes than you can wear during one of these events. I am fully convinced that the economic slowdown will be over next week due to the enormous amount of checked baggage fees the airlines will be collecting thanks to SCC.
4. Even the most supportive of spouses wrestle with our authentic selves. The spouses I met during this conference were amazing people that make incredible sacrifices for the ones they love.
5. I miss putting on makeup this morning, but I don’t miss shaving after doing it twice a day for almost a week.
6. There are a lot of non TG people in this world that really take an interest an care about the TG community.
7. What you see as tragedy in the moment may serve as a force to change your life for the positive in the future.
8. No matter how alone you feel in your specific circumstances there is someone out there that is experiencing something very similar to you. Once you find those folks they are an enormous source of strength.
9. Don’t forget to pack tissues in your purse. Especially when you are not wearing waterproof mascara.
10. A hug from your friends squeezes the tears out of you and replaces them with a comfy blanket of friendship.
11. Talk with as many folks as you can. The person that you don’t go up and chat with may have the neatest things to share.
12. A pair of women’s Nike running shoes feel like walking on a cloud after a week of wearing designer heals.
13. The journey is more important than the destination and once you reach the destination you will need to ask yourself “now what?”.
I ask those of you that attended the conference this week or any conference for that matter to add to gift of wisdom that we after receive from the Gurus of gender at these types of events.