Acceptance

ac·cept·ance    [ak-sep-tuhns]
noun
1 : the act of taking or receiving something offered.
2 : favorable reception; approval; favor.
3 : the act of assenting or believing: acceptance of a theory.
4 : the fact or state of being accepted or acceptable.



Its funny how easy it is to forget or disregard the importance of such a simple concept

It was only last week that Charlie at work made it all to clear that he knew exactly what I am doing and understood the concept that one day if I have my way my Outy will be an Inny . And that he supports me totally , and further more thinks that I'm a great person .( well even he gets things wrong )

My Mum and Dad have been travelling around Victoria this last month or so . And once a week they send me chocolates from wherever they happen to visit . So its no surprise at all when I check the letter box and theirs yet another parcel from them .
Its addressed to Alice Paige not my former name . And for me that's all I Ever want is for them to call me by my new name .  This time However instead of the usual chocolates, they bought me a piece of costume jewellery
Its loud and gaudy and cheap . So not really the type of thing I would wear to often .
the little note read
" dear Alice , you asked us not to send you any more fat pills .. So this is a little something different "
So by now I'm sobbing, crying and smiling at the same time .
I found that Driving to work and crying out is more difficult than I thought . And I'm sure I must have looked a sight at the traffic lights ,balling my eyes out and really not caring what some onlooker may have  thought

It wasn't the fact that they had given me a gift that did it . It was the simple fact that they actually took the time to buy me something more in keeping with my chosen gender. which is in stark contrast to the usual  brutt 33 gift packs I would recieve

The thing that really strikes me is that I have spent seventeen agonising years before I finally accepted my true nature. Even then it took me another five years before I began my transition.
and yet the people I associate with both at work and socially all seem to have embraced me for who I am as a person much more readily than I ever did