Shed fear? Moi?
No, I think it's more about having TERRIBLE fear! Fear of living one day longer than necessary as who I'm NOT. Last Spring, I opened a door a tiny crack, just to see if the thing I was afraid of was still there. It was. And the door would NOT close anymore. The latch was gone. And it just kept opening. Wider, and wider. I had no choice but to deal with what was behind that door. That was the door of my closet, and I am now pretty much out of that place, and standing in the light. And the light feels GOOD! The darkness was crap. I thought the light would hurt, that it would damage me, and would destroy my life and the lives of those around me. Nope. The light is my friend.
When we notice we are living in pain, our natural tendency is to do what is necessary to lessen our pain, if we can. The real trick is realizing that WE CAN! And that the new life is what it promises to be, and isn't a trap. Is there still some pain? Yes. Much more manageable, though.
My boss has told me that other people in the office who know about my impending transition (i.e. the subset of upper management that has been discussing plans for going forward, which includes the president and the head of IT) have said that I seem much happier, calmer, more productive and more outgoing already, as if the weight of a house has been lifted from my shoulders. I couldn't agree more!
