Staying Alive
http://jillian08.wordpress.com/2008/12/01/staying-alive/ (http://jillian08.wordpress.com/2008/12/01/staying-alive/)
12/1/2008
Sometimes it takes a good transfriend to bring me down to Earth again, such as Patti. Thank God for her. She's farther along in the transition process than I am. She is a tower of strength, and she can see through me better than most. She's not afraid to tell me so, either, as in: "Stop being such a drama queen." Or: "Stop being so paranoid." And: "Move on from the hopeless crushes" (see preceding post, among others).
I heard all three of those pearls of wisdom tonight from her, and all were justified. She's part of my support system and, hopefully, I'll be part of hers. Though, I feel like her little sister most of the time.
Then there's my dear friend Amy, a genetic woman who recognized Jill in me before I had come to terms with it all. Amy is the most intuitive person I've ever met. And she's brilliant: a disability rights attorney and journalist with her own disabilities. She knows all about overcoming adversity. It was Amy who helped me take my first female steps into the real world. It was her knee socks and black dress I tried on one autumn day.