Pi Pie

Quote from: Northern Star Girl on Today at 12:42:12 PM controversial

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cc:  @EllenW  @Oldandcreaky  @Jenn104
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As most of my followers are aware, after Sunday church is over I usually
go out to lunch with several of my church gal friends: 
     

HUGS, Danielle

Danielle, thank you for reminding me that I have not posted in a while. I have a very wonderful, retired life.

If you remember from my lost blog, I have taken a number of cruises. This year I am booked on three different cruises this year. The first one is in one week. A friend and I are flying to Miami next week and will be on the Norwegian Breakaway for a cruise to the Bahamas. We are celebrating her birthday on aboard the ship. The next cruise is from Quebec to Boston in the fall. The last cruise is around Japan in November.

One of the great things about be retired is that I am able to try different things that I never had the time for. I am currently taking an oil painting class and dance lessons. I have been concentrating during the dance lessons to follow my dance partner instead of leading and learning how to do the turns in heels. A big change from how I used to dance.

As to my boyfriend. We are getting along great. So great that I asked him to move in with me. This is something I never expected to happen after losing Diane after 40 years.

Ellen

A morning treat !!!!
 

             

Quote from: Northern Star Girl on Today at 01:08:41 PMI could get accustomed to being retired

Danielle

Take from me, it is very easy to get accustomed to being retired.   

Ellen

Quote from: Oldandcreaky on Today at 04:26:42 PMI agree that it's not ubiquitous advice and I find it compelling in that it's sure working for you.

#I'mstillhere

However, you will be changed, albeit slowly. It's a new role. People will approach you differently. You'll see. For example, women confide in me and they assume that I'll understand their perspective. And men are tender toward me.

Are you distinguishing between new people in your life, or pre-existing people in your life? Wow, got to be a better term for that. My brain is literally fried bologna right now.  And I HATE bologna. 🙄

I agree that it's not ubiquitous advice and I find it compelling in that it's sure working for you.

#I'mstillhere

However, you will be changed, albeit slowly. It's a new role. People will approach you differently. You'll see. For example, women confide in me and they assume that I'll understand their perspective. And men are tender toward me.

Quote from: Oldandcreaky on Today at 02:28:01 PMLove ^this.^

I've loved the entire story of your journey. It gives me broader hope. All the trans-hatred around the world might just be the tip of nothing, a cold, jagged point of hatred with nothing beneath it beyond a desire to manipulate people with an othering, given the number of people in just your life who support you.

I so agree that it's mostly a grift. One party's attempt to raise money/stoke fear by throwing as many "us vs them" issues against a wall... and when this stuck a bit, they've leaned hard into it. It is only as it slowly dawns on politicians that it is NOT an issue that will win them elections, in fact it seems like it is something of the opposite — that they may drop this issue, so long as they can find something else and/or some ONE else to make the new target.

——

As for my journey? I a glad you feel that way about it. I hope it does provide hope for others. After these 10 days, though, several phone calls, in personal discussions, and emails... I've come to a conclusion. Or, more safely, a theory. One that I hadn't heard before.

My therapist would say tell me she expected my wife and family to be fine, same with my friends etc..and she was right. My wife thought the same. So did I really.

But I don't think that gets to it. What I think?

I think everyone has been incredibly consistent with the people I know them to be.

And, honestly, why would you ever expect otherwise? I'm literally telling them that I am "still me / just me"... and that is what they are as well. All the good, great, quirky, inappropriate, etc... you shouldn't expect people to be anything other than who they are.

For example, just spoke to my friend who is a doctor. He of the call last night when he should know better. He could not have been more supportive. But several times during the discussion I had to cut him off and correct him, telling him he didn't understand as much about HRT as my endo, or the relationship to my headaches as my neuro... etc.  Because he's a GP, and he always talks like that. Always did, always will. So it was actually comforting that we just fell into our regular routine of me saying "yeah, I appreciate that you think you know about a little about this, but my neuro knows a lot more." And us both laughing.

I think there's a lot of comfort in all that too. Feeling people be who they are. I just think it's not necessarily a piece of advice I ever remember hearing.