Greetings to all!
For years, I have read threads in different forums on this board always as a guest and never participating in the discussions. Mostly, it's been from Googling different topics that concerned me at the time. Recently, I've been advised that my needs are changing and I may need y'alls help. Let me explain...
I'm retired! Woohoo! Having said that, I didn't get here easily.
Imagine a person with a life-long gender dysphoria. Imagine a person with a commitment to a wife, offspring and a career. Imagine a person coming into retirement. And there you have me.
Some months ago, I was reading topics in TG forums and came across a discussion about a girl's anxiety toward a Real Life Experience. Reflecting on it, I considered what a RLE might mean to me. To make a long story short, I decided that I could easily "do things that women do" so I set about changing my skin/hair/nail care, apparel, presentation etc. A barely tolerant wife helped by donating some tops, t's, pants, shorts, etc. I told her I wanted to dress more colorfully.
Don't get me wrong, 50 yrs of testosterone has had the transformative effects that you'd expect. While I have no expectation of "passing", I have gotten a few "Yes, ma'am" along the way.
But, I do what I do for me, not for others. At first there was some frustration; there's aspects of make up, hair styling, etc. that were harder than I expected, but now I enjoy the routine. It makes me feel better about myself. "I'm doing something for me," is the way I explain it.
A couple of months ago, I decided to see a therapist. After several sessions of me doing all the talking, I finally asked, "What are your thoughts so far?" He said I should broaden my support group by joining an online forum. I immediately thought of Susan's. And so, here I am.
While I haven't been a participant, I've always thought of this group as being thoughtful, supportive and engaging. Y'all have been an important resource for me in the past and may be even more important going forwards. For that, I thank you all.
