Good morning All. Coffees on.

[Linda Marie]

Out of the blue I get a call. I'm retired and have to go to a business meeting.

Do not know what this about, all I know is I text back and told them, I'm wearing polka dots.

They said please come as you are.

LM♥️

 

[KymmieL]

When I carry my purse. I usually just have my wallet, some makeup, my keys, and maybe some protection. That is about all I can fit in my purse.

 

 

[Ivy]

Well… 

I kinda have an interest in historical clothing.  And since we were posting purses and stuff, I thought this was interesting in regard to historical women's pockets.

 

 

[Susan R]

7 hours ago, Linda Marie said:

Out of the blue I get a call. I'm retired and have to go to a business meeting.

Do not know what this about, all I know is I text back and told them, I'm wearing polka dots.

They said please come as you are.

LM♥️

 

And yet another lovely outfit...lookin good girl!?

[Jamie68]

It seems universal that the depression mostly goes away when you come out. It was the same for me. I quit all my destructive habits. Feel much better about myself and want to live now. There will be moments of depression when we see how long it takes to accomplish all the stuff that needs to get done, and especially when you see how much you have turned upside down the lives of your loved ones. My wife tells me I'm being selfish. Well, I guess I am. It's my turn now to do something for myself. It's something that I MUST do if I'm going to survive.

[Elizabeth Star]

1 hour ago, Jamie68 said:

It seems universal that the depression mostly goes away when you come out. It was the same for me. I quit all my destructive habits. Feel much better about myself and want to live now. There will be moments of depression when we see how long it takes to accomplish all the stuff that needs to get done, and especially when you see how much you have turned upside down the lives of your loved ones. My wife tells me I'm being selfish. Well, I guess I am. It's my turn now to do something for myself. It's something that I MUST do if I'm going to survive.

Pretty much sums up my life.

[LusciousTheLock]

I also agree with the above. The physical transition hasn't been the main cure. Its been letting people know that there is someone else in this shell. The real me that's been hiding and peering through my eye holes. The reason why I sometimes act odd (Well, feminine. I am odd though). Acceptance and the correct treatment of myself by others and the understanding that goes with it.  Being able to relax as myself, rather than putting on an act. Accepting myself for who I am.  

[AmberM]

 

I am pleased to hear that I am not alone in the depression lessening throughout your journeys. Not much happened on Sunday, was preparing to play some Final Fantasy XIV with a friend, but they never responded to me, hoping they are all right.

 

 I am preparing for another day at work, then I look at my calendar and it has one item on it, so that isn’t any good for my day normally. I was hoping to have more in the way of meetings and such to keep me busy. I am also (trying to be patient) waiting for the next touch base with HR, so I can get the answers that I am waiting for. Then I can setup the meeting with HR, my boss, and myself. I also need to call the clerk of courts I think to see if they can or have scheduled my hearing for the name change. Not work-related things to do, which makes me feel bad because well, I am being paid then to handle my personal life it would seem instead of doing something else. -shrug-

 

[Mmindy]

On 4/9/2021 at 1:21 PM, Jandi said:

This is what we do when we get a few miles on us.

 

It's a trip.  I'm getting old, but HRT makes me feel like a teenager most of the time.

Jandi, this is so reassuring to hear. Congratulations on getting your court date set too.

 

Hugs,

 

Mindy???

[KymmieL]

magic brown elixir in hand. I am also like Jamie. I think that I have been neglecting me to be someone I am not. For the longest time I cared nothing for myself only my family. Then I changed to me being #1. then recently changed back. I am way down the list again. I know I shouldn't do that but I do.

 

I have read that most crossdressers have a great fear when they first go out dressed. My first time I had none of that. I was free finally being myself. Oh, I did have fear but I sucked it up and stepped out my head held high. If you don't like it, Screw all of you I am a woman.

 

Kymmie

[Jackie C.]

1 hour ago, KymmieL said:

I think that I have been neglecting me to be someone I am not. For the longest time I cared nothing for myself only my family. Then I changed to me being #1. then recently changed back. I am way down the list again. I know I shouldn't do that but I do.

 

 

This is a really hard habit to break. I have a friend who reminds me every day that you can only love others as much as you love yourself. She's not wrong, I've become a much more loving and caring individual since I've started looking after myself and, more importantly, started loving the girl looking back at me in the mirror.

 

Hugs!

[Bri2020]

1 hour ago, Jackie C. said:

 

This is a really hard habit to break. I have a friend who reminds me every day that you can only love others as much as you love yourself. She's not wrong, I've become a much more loving and caring individual since I've started looking after myself and, more importantly, started loving the girl looking back at me in the mirror.

 

Hugs!

^THIS!   I have been such a better spouse, friend, etc since I came to terms with who I am and loving myself for who I am.  The trick is to love your family and other, and prioritize them to, but not at your own expense.  There's a delicate balance if you want to be healthy, and have healthy relationships

[KymmieL]

I was on the bottom of the list for the longest time. then slowly came up. but has since fallen again. Right this minute I am not important at all. right now no one is. It must be bad not even chocolate will bring it up. LOL.

 

Yesterday I had on pandora while I was playing Minecraft.  Bill Joe,l just the way you are. came on. My wife says that is how I like you. I said, I haven't changed. but I don't think she heard me. I know full well she is compromising just letting me be Kym at work.

 

Hugs,

Kymmie

[Jackie C.]

2 hours ago, KymmieL said:

I was on the bottom of the list for the longest time. then slowly came up. but has since fallen again. Right this minute I am not important at all. right now no one is. It must be bad not even chocolate will bring it up.

 

Was it good chocolate? I had a Hershey's Kiss this morning to see if it was as bad as I remember and I don't see how that waxy, nasty stuff could move ANYBODY up. Bleah.

 

Hugs!

[Bri2020]

Well, my wife and marketing officer is pushing my "being out there" boundaries again and we are using this image in a direct mail hiring campaign. Nothing like "coming out" to thousands of strangers

 

[AmberM]

@Bri2020 I think you look great in that picture from the flyer! I think it will be a challenge to be out and proud for any of us at times, especially with complete strangers that you want to hopefully hire. I think you can use it as showing how you are welcoming and inclusive. Good Luck!

[KymmieL]

9 hours ago, Jackie C. said:

 

Was it good chocolate? 

Nah. Just a Hershey's mini dark. It is what I had. LOL I think that i would need a whole lot more than one  piece and much better too.

 

Kymmie 

[Davie]

On 4/11/2021 at 7:43 AM, AmberM said:

 

Good morning everybody.

 

I hope everyone had a good first half of their weekend. After having a good interaction with HR on Friday, I made an appointment to have my ears pierced for the first time at a tattoo/piercing shop. First, I took a friend to get their hair done at a place that I went, and they remembered me after only one interaction which was great. After that, grabbed some lunch and then I had the piercing appointment. The shop was great, and shared in my excitement in doing my first ear lobe piercing. It didn’t really hurt, which was great. Then we went and played games for the rest of the day at the friend’s house.

 

We did have a conversation that was interesting. It is an observation that my depression has improved vastly since starting to come out. After years of suppressing the real me, that may have been a source of my depression, and how now that I have been leading depression groups, I kind of feel like an imposter. Not from a gender identity perspective, but as someone who identifies also having a mental health disorder. The more that I live authentically, the better I get, and it is also the more I can apply the coping skills I have learned over the years. I feel like I might be shedding a layer of my identity which is hard for me. Has anybody else experienced this phenomenon?

 

On 4/11/2021 at 7:43 AM, AmberM said:

Yes, AmberM. I agree about the connection to happiness coming from being authentic. I like to write and last year I wrote a story about authentic music. The story had two songwriters who pledged to do that instead of chasing hit songs. In the course of writing songs together, one character gradually came out as non-binary trans to the other. I fought against the idea, because it was too "left-field." However, this experience of writing the character (Him to Her) brought it out in me. And I resisted that until I found myself feeling happy whenever I wrote new dialog from Him/Her. I had to remind myself that the theme of the story was Authenticity, so I followed along to see where it would go. That led, of course, to breaking my egg and getting a therapist, joining a local trans community, and joining TransPulse. Happy to be here now.

Thanks,

Davie

 

[Britany_Relia]

Good Morning Everyone!!!

I'm feeling so positive today, and I feel like today is such a great day for getting to the next level! I'm ready! We're ready!! For new waves of happiness and positivity~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

SO MUCH LOVE, 
BRIT

[AmberM]

 

Good Morning everybody!

 

Yesterday was fairly slow for me, I am still waiting for my HR Representative to have their meeting with their boss to see what the process is for my company. I am kind of at peace, kind of just wanting the answers. I did have an interesting session with my therapist, in which we talked about how to handle people that will try to invalidate my experience as a woman. His thoughts were two-fold. First is something that I am already doing with people who I know have issues, hold them at a bit of a distance. I don’t let my mom in close because she tries to invalidate my feelings in some way, so I know to keep her at a distance, so why not keep most people at a distance until they prove themselves first? The second layer is to remind myself I don’t need external validation that I am a woman. My therapist reminded me there are women that from many backgrounds, upbringings, and statuses. They are still women, so I am no different.

 

I thought bringing up therapy today would help someone else, because it is useful to share some insights gained through therapy when it is affirming. It was also helpful in adding to my toolbox for when something doesn’t go right.

 

I hope everybody has a manageable day.

 

[KathyLauren]

I had my second shingles shot yesterday.  At my age, it is a good one to have.  The nurse warned me that the second shot would hurt more than the first.  Holy @#$%!!  Was she ever right!

 

I got up in the night to pee, and I was freezing cold and shivering.  That never happens normally.  When I woke up this morning, all my joints and muscles hurt.  And I had the worst hangover that I have had in 40 years!

 

The good news is that a reaction means that my body is making antibodies.  I am taking it easy today.

[KymmieL]

Balmy 21 degrees out. Getting cold weather all this week. I hope it warms up soon. I need to get some stuff done on the wagon less than a month before We head to Bowling Green.

 

Been in a low mood. I think since I stopped my blockers my T has come back with a vengeance. I can barely go a day before my facial hair is feelable. 

 

Oh, well. Still smile when I put my hand on my E patch.

 

Kymmie

[Bri2020]

Yea it's Tuesday which means pain!  (insert sarcasm emoji here). It's my Lip electrolysis day so I am trying to get myself psyched up to deal with the excruciating prep of lidocaine injections under my nose and through my lips.  It's 10 minutes of hell but it makes 90 minutes of electrolysis completely pain free.  I swear I'm getting PTSD from these experiences

Progress is being made however. 

@Britany_Relia great positive message, thank you.

@KathyLaurenugh-sounds like my second covid shot.  Worth the pain though because shingles SUCK

@KymmieLoof thats cold.  I seriously hope I don't have to stop blockers until I get things cut off, I never want T floating around in my system again.  

[Linda Marie]

Not much going on in my neck of the woods today. Spent the day installing a new dish washer.

Gosh I built my house 21 years ago, had to re-do the plumbing to fit the new one. 

 

[Jani]

At least the one you had lasted that long @Linda Marie.   One that I installed in 2007 when I renovated our kitchen lasted only until 2011.   I've got ten years and counting on this one.