Something a little light-hearted because I do feel that a sense of humour is an essential part of surviving this process and if you can't laugh you'll cry - which will only smudge your mascara.
One of the many slightly surreal things about working in the corporate world is the existence of a thing called bull->-bleeped-<- bingo. This is where you write down the buzzwords de jour (like 'synergy', 'leverage' or 'nugatory') before going into a meeting and then cross them off as they get mentioned - the aim being to get a full-house. So I thought there was probably an equivalent thing to be done with the reactions that you get when you come out. This was prompted by my dearly beloved and me discussing the reaction of my Mother when I finally get around to letting her know my news. As I'm new to all this I haven't managed to amass many reactions so I'd love it if people could add to my somewhat insubstantial list. My list (so far) is:
1. "Don't be so stupid, of course you're not.",
2. "Why have you let her castrate you?",
3. "Are you mad?",
4. Silence,
5. Laughter,
6. "Oh that's interesting, how do you know?",
Returning briefly to the Mother thing, I suspect a 1 though my dearly beloved fears a 2. Any (and all) additions to the list would be deeply appreciated.
Love to all,
Rosie.