But first, I have to do the hard work of healing.
I keep thinking that I'm good. But I've discovered that previous seasons of counseling and attempts at healing have been like putting a tourniquet on a bleeding arm. Sure it stops the bleeding, but if you don't remove the tourniquet and deal with the bleeding, eventually your arm will die.
When I first saw Kate Middleton in that red dress, carrying her baby, walking in those HEELS just hours after giving birth, I had a moment of “Damn, I didn’t look like that hours after giving birth.”
And I keep seeing social media posts with “real women” comparing their post birth photos to Kate’s. Some are jealous of her. Some are judging her. I’ve seen lots of people with the same attitude I had at first. We have this gut reaction that says, “That’s not what women look like after giving birth.”
And we’re right, kind of. Women don’t naturally look like that after giving birth. And we shouldn’t be expected to. Kate Middleton is a real woman, and she shouldn’t be subjected to that bullshit either.
This shouldn’t have to be stated, but unfortunately it does. Transgender people are not a caricature. They are not a stereotype. They are not a political pawn. And they are not a threat to you or your values. They are human. Just. Like. You.
Imagine feeling homesick in your own body. Imagine having to fight for your God-given right to be who you are and be treated with dignity. Imagine walking into a restaurant with fear about whether you will be served. Imagine holding your pee as long as possible, or running home to use the bathroom, because you don’t know if you will be violently attacked for doing the extremely human function of relieving yourself. Imagine not being able to get lifesaving medical care because a doctor refuses to touch you. Imagine believing that if you live as your authentic self, you will never be able to realize your dreams.
Do you ever feel like your drowning, and you can't quite make it up for air? Me too. In fact, the last year and a half has been that feeling on repeat. Every time I managed to get my head above the water, something else would pull me down again.
That's why I'm so grateful for the grace of the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Steve Austin's new book Catching Your Breath: The Sacred Journey From Chaos to Calm. Y'all I am not exaggerating when I say the raw honesty and practical real life solutions in this book touched my soul in a deep and unexpected way. Steve gets it. I'm not alone. And neither are you.
My husband and I used to watch American Chopper together when we were dating and first married. I was never big into motorcycles, but the show was captivating, the motorcycles they built were pretty awesome, and Ed loved it. So we watched, and I found myself getting more and more into it as time went by. Ed and some of friends went to the original shop, met Paul Jr., and brought them a fire patch from the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department.
After they built the new shop, I went with Ed to watch the OCC guys build bikes and check out the bikes they had on display. Even I thought it was cool. We lived within a couple hour drive of the shop, so when the restaurant opened, we had to check that out too. Y’all the beer battered mozzarella sticks are worth the trip! We don’t live in the Northeast anymore, but when we visit, we’ll sometimes make a detour to OCC and PJD. Our kids love checking out the bikes too.
