Emma1017 ... Which hurts less - Volume Two

[Emma1017]

First, thank you all for the nice compliments.  I will try to not say anything negative about how I looked.🥸
 
My goal was to celebrate International Transgender Visibility Day the best way I could, by simply being me.

It started off with me dropping off unicorn keychains for all the kids at the school I teach (there are only 90 so I could afford it).  They love attaching stuffed animals and keychains to their school bags.

I then started my "Emma in Manhattan" at Central Park. The weather was great. The first photo had the Louis Vuitton building that looks like a stack of luggage. At Rockefeller Plaza there is a toy store called FAO Schwartz and those are the soldiers out front.

The photo with the mounted police officer was a challenge. She couldn't halt her patrol so I had to run ahead to get the photo.

I then stopped in Bryant Park to order a Cosmo and strolled down Fifth Avenue to finish the day. I'll spare you any more photos.😁

All in all I did seven miles as Emma in Manhattan.

[Charlotte Kitty ✅]

Unicorn key chains sound amazing Emma. I love all that stuff too because I never grew up! Such a cute thought though.

Now I'm on a desktop PC rather than my phone I can see your profile picture. That dress is just so pretty and you look gorgeous in it. I love that kind of fit with dresses.

Charlotte 😻

[Pema]

Well, I'm sorry I missed this yesterday but glad I caught it today.

Emma, you're a gem. Thank you for being you. It really is a treat to get to see these photos of you out there doing what you do.

[Emma1017]

I'm glad you enjoyed the photos but aren't you all are tired of seeing my face?😵�💫

But it was a fun day on a very special day.

[Lori Dee ✅]

I'm glad you enjoyed the photos but aren't you all are tired of seeing my face?😵�💫

But it was a fun day on a very special day.

No way!

You are a beautiful woman, so seeing you out and having fun makes us smile.
Plus, when you are out, it is more than just us who get to share in your sunshine. The world needs more people like you out and being seen.

[Dances With Trees]

Thanks, Emma, for sharing such lovely photos!

The unicorn keychains are such a lovely gift. Makes me wish I was one of the kids in your class.

[Pema]

I'm glad you enjoyed the photos but aren't you all are tired of seeing my face?😵�💫

Not in the least!

[davina61]

More pics is what I say.XX

[Emma1017]

Thank you all again.  I feel very immensely sensitive to abusing my friendships here. We all have enough nonsense to deal with without me adding to it.

I love sharing but hate sounding self-centered.

[Lori Dee ✅]

I love sharing but hate sounding self-centered.

Sharing and giving of yourself is never self-centered. Quite the opposite.

I, too, am sad I missed out on the unicorn keychains. I think @Jessica_Rose would have liked to add to her unicorn collection.

[Emma1017]

OK, I will try and get it through my very dense wall of insecurity that posting photos of myself is not insulting anyone...thank you for patiently smacking me on the head with that fact.  I can be very stubborn...ask my therapist. It took six years of therapy to finally admit that maybe, just maybe, I was transgender.

I changed my avatar back to the first day I walked outside as Emma to go to my therapist's office.  She didn't recognize me at first.  Once she did, she asked permission to hug me, one of the top ten hugs of my life.  She took this photo in her office.  That was when she dubbed my smile the "Emma" smile.  So totally different and so naturally joyful.  It came from inside my heart and soul.  It is my favorite photo of me.  It was a special moment.

The school principal sent me photos of the students with their unicorn key chains.   Their smiles made me tear up. So worth it!

[Charlotte Kitty ✅]

Yet another very pretty picture of you 😻

[Lori Dee ✅]

That is a great pic, Emma. Especially for a "first-time out" photo. You look so calm and happy.
And we all know that Emma Smile™.

That was when she dubbed my smile the "Emma" smile.  So totally different and so naturally joyful.  It came from inside my heart and soul. 

That's what we see too. It comes from within.

Hugs!

[Sephirah]

Thank you for the picture, Emma.

I mean... you captured it perfectly. The majesty, the quiet strength, the fluidity and confidence. Timeless and incredibly beautiful.

The lion wasn't bad either.

*hugs*

[Northern Star Girl ✅]

@Emma1017  @Sephirah  @Charlotte Kitty  @Lori Dee  @davina61  @Pema  @Dances With Trees
 
Dear Emma: 
Please continue posting and sharing around the Forum... and especially on your Blog Thread
have no worries regarding what you wish to share with all of us, all of your readers and
your avid followers.

Your blog is YOUR PLACE to share your thoughts and life endeavors.  It is interesting and
never boring, it is your way of letting us all know more about yourself. You are a valued friend
and we want to come along with you on your journey and be at your side for the good times
and successes, and also the not-so-good times.  We can rejoice with you and we can give you
our shoulders for you to lean on and our ears to listen.

On cold winter nights and rainy days I can be found in my cozy chair in front of my fireplace
looking through and reviewing my Blog thread(s) and my private pen&paoer old school journal
that I keep at home.  It  gives me an opportunity to look at my past life decisions and try
to figure out how to improve my life.  Many times I will have tears in my eyes as I read
my past writings...  I figure that it is good personal therapy.

Ahhhh... the "Emma Smile" I fondly recall your very first profile photo soon after you
registered in March of 2018 ... it was of you on the stairs hanging on to the rail... it was
my favorite picture of you and I am happy to see that many of your subsequent photos that
you share have you pictured around those stairs!  Your "Emma smile" is prominent in most of
those photos.  We have many members here that make a point of having a big and happy smile
when out and about... that kind of smile will melt ice cubes when meeting other people.  It is one
of the favorable features of any face... so welcoming and friendly.

HUGS, and more HUGS,
              ❤️
Danielle [Northern Star Girl]

[Emma1017]

Danielle, you have been there since the start, from panic to fear to confusion to, finally, some peace.  Like you, we have gone through some amazing and challenging experiences. 

Your smile is as stunning as mine is claimed to be, and I agree that everyone's photos here reflect the discovery of our true selves after being buried for so many years.  They represent simple joy.

Lauren, the lion made me look good.😁

Lori and Charlotte, thank you for seeing the "me" in the smile.

[Emma1017]

Finally used this weekend to sort out my basement and garage, all the power tools, table saw, and miter saw in the garage with the mechanics tools, and all of the hand tools and craft supplies stay in the basement.

In that vein, I handed in my retirement paperwork effective May 1.  I have to stay on for my practice handover for two years, but I only have to work 20 hours a week. I figure 41 years is enough, and that two years gives me time to wean off the institutionalization that working that long can cause.

🔗

Luckily, I have so many things that I love to do, so I am looking forward to dropping the stresses and responsibilities of the job...Plus, I have friends here that I can now really annoy!😁

[Sephirah]

If that means more dazzling pictures of Emma in Manhattan, then bring it on! <3

[Pema]

Ohhh! Congratulations, Emma. Having many things you love to do will make this seem like a whole new life. But I understand that you love your job, too, so it's not quite like being released from prison (as it kind of was for me). Still, the freedom to do whatever you want whenever you want... It feels like the way life is supposed to be. And we can still be "productive" when we want to.

2 years at 20 hours per week sounds very manageable, and it will give you a chance to ease into how you want to spend your time in your "own life."

I look forward to getting peeks of it as it happens.

[Lori Dee ✅]

Congrats, Emma!

I know you loved teaching, but now you can work on other things you enjoy too. And they are not mutually exclusive. You can still teach people how to do the things that you enjoy. Look for local clubs that you can get involved with to help share your knowledge.