Recently a friend of mine revealed that she is bisexual. I was surprised because I assumed (never assume) that she was straight. She shared that she never felt anything though she had inklings in the past. This is similar to my experience in that I never knew that I was trans. I never put on a woman's article as a child nor did I have that desire. Then she told me that I was an influence on her because I lived my reality openly. It allowed her to live an authentic life.
Some folks may believe that their lives aren't important or don't matter. You may be influencing someone and may not know it. Another person may be on the cusp of living authentically because you are actually doing it. I'm thankful for young people who are challenging gender norms and living as themselves.
I am so happy for my friend. I want to meet with her and let her share her story. All of our journeys are different but unique. One never knows who may be watching. Perhaps you may have pulled someone over that last hurdle to authentic living.
1 comment:
Such an excellent point! Another example, about 20 years ago I started losing weight on the Atkins Diet. A co-employee, who was overweight, noticed, asked me about it, and got on it himself. He said that he saw my success and felt confident he could do it too. Well, he did, and he kept it off, which may have helped save his life.
I agree: living authentically is contagious no matter how that word is defined for each individual.
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