When I came out publicly I just knew my name was Emily. It wasn't something I thought about, somehow I just knew it and it still feels right even now, 20 years later. At almost 81 years old. It is just one small part of my happy world.
Language. Bunch of words, and history. Excellent. Now, when I speak - that is to say, when those folks who can hear and are genuinely listening, will hear a sound pass through my lips. I say don't adjust your "ear set" because the sounds you hear are the sounds of my version of Canadian English. I'm not doing too badly. I survived to my 62nd year, which I will mark in 6 days. There is still a lot to do. What planet do we live on? Right. Always LOTS to do. Ok. One day and step at a time.
Robin's creative prose inspired the above for reasons that almost slip my mind when I pause to wonder why I am offering all this verbiage. This happens to my mind at times. Some of us creative folks are "mad scientists," and what you see, friendly reader, are the results.
Oh, ok, got it - Language. Bunch of words, and history. Excellent. We are words, and we are history. Grammar needs improvement. So does Grammarly, but that is another story for another time, or not.
Language. Chewing gum for the mind[?] What is your flavour? Mine is the flavour of Life.
Of course, our current society will throw in brands of politics in this mix of life.
Members of our society, depending on who is walking by and notices me sitting over there, will notice a Gay man. That is one of many labels society presses on me, if they were expressing their political viewpoints with those yellow, sticky notes. Ok.
Floating my imagination for a few moments more: I press one label on everyone I notice walking by me; a label based on a scientific method of observation; that label lists the same words all the time: this biological form is a human being. Sure. I know, not a climactic ending on that previous sentence.
Sometimes, words posted on social media platforms present dog-eared, wrinkled facts?
Robin, carrying around, proudly, many of those yellow sticky notes, philosophically, and politically, in my manner of speaking - but we are friends. Thanks to sharing familiar language of words, some comparable history, and, of course, the connectivity of the World Wide Web.
The World Wide Web: Whoa. There is a "mind-blower" of technology we all take for granted.
Happy Pride, Everyone! What is Pride? I figure many folks ask this question often, during Pride Month or any time.
I offer this: Pride is about ALL human beings who strive to live authentically. Living authentically is sharing your energy with everyone in such a way as to encourage every person we meet to continue thriving in a society that offers a peculiar maze of shifting whatever.
I know, I know that previous sentence ended with a word which wasn't climactic. You know how it is on social media sometimes.
Thank you, Robin, one of my Trans Friends, and all the strangers of the Transgender Community; in my book of life, strangers are friends I haven't met yet.
Yep, you have read that idea about strangers somewhere before.
Nothing new offered above.
Please stay as happy, safe, and authentic as you can be. The world will thrive as a safe place to live for everyone one day soon.
Thanks for the invitation to post thoughts online, Robin. I always look forward to your creative prose.
Thanks, sincerely, to all our visitors for your time reading long post here.
In the meantime, I offer a lot of Love to Everyone from London, Ontario, Canada.
love this -- my daughter is a Rowan -- when I was pregnant I was certain I'd have a girl. Now she is Rowan (feminine) and the name suits more than ever :)
A dementia patient in my mother's memory care unit named me...I must have reminded him of some Keith from his past. He did this for several days consecutively and I knew, every time I heard it, that it was no mere coincidence. Glad to hear your name story, Robin. Thanks for sharing 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
WAY back in the mid 50's I transferred from one Catholic elementary school to another in a wealthier neighborhood in the middle of sixth grade. 'Queer' and 'faggot' weren't in popular use back then but they called me "Simple". I wasn't sure what that meant but it was obviously a serious put down. I really tried to be something else but 'simply' couldn't figure it out - or figured it out too late. Like I got my white buck shoes a week or two after they went out of style and then was the only one in school with bright white shoes while the cool kids had gone on to the tan ones. I managed to hang in (punching and running was a good strategy 'cause I could run pretty fast.) But it made for a miserable grade school experience. When I got to High School (Marquette Prep) I managed to find other kids who were outcast for various reasons to hang with.
MUCH later on I began to see that "simple" had a LOT of positive connotations and began identifying with those even way before I came out as queer (which I also found to be a VERY positive thing to be!).
I finally came out in my mid 20's while married to a woman and had two kids. I've found pride in all the pejoratives and am proudly living them.
When I came out publicly I just knew my name was Emily. It wasn't something I thought about, somehow I just knew it and it still feels right even now, 20 years later. At almost 81 years old. It is just one small part of my happy world.
Language. Bunch of words, and history. Excellent. Now, when I speak - that is to say, when those folks who can hear and are genuinely listening, will hear a sound pass through my lips. I say don't adjust your "ear set" because the sounds you hear are the sounds of my version of Canadian English. I'm not doing too badly. I survived to my 62nd year, which I will mark in 6 days. There is still a lot to do. What planet do we live on? Right. Always LOTS to do. Ok. One day and step at a time.
Robin's creative prose inspired the above for reasons that almost slip my mind when I pause to wonder why I am offering all this verbiage. This happens to my mind at times. Some of us creative folks are "mad scientists," and what you see, friendly reader, are the results.
Oh, ok, got it - Language. Bunch of words, and history. Excellent. We are words, and we are history. Grammar needs improvement. So does Grammarly, but that is another story for another time, or not.
Language. Chewing gum for the mind[?] What is your flavour? Mine is the flavour of Life.
Of course, our current society will throw in brands of politics in this mix of life.
Members of our society, depending on who is walking by and notices me sitting over there, will notice a Gay man. That is one of many labels society presses on me, if they were expressing their political viewpoints with those yellow, sticky notes. Ok.
Floating my imagination for a few moments more: I press one label on everyone I notice walking by me; a label based on a scientific method of observation; that label lists the same words all the time: this biological form is a human being. Sure. I know, not a climactic ending on that previous sentence.
Sometimes, words posted on social media platforms present dog-eared, wrinkled facts?
Robin, carrying around, proudly, many of those yellow sticky notes, philosophically, and politically, in my manner of speaking - but we are friends. Thanks to sharing familiar language of words, some comparable history, and, of course, the connectivity of the World Wide Web.
The World Wide Web: Whoa. There is a "mind-blower" of technology we all take for granted.
Happy Pride, Everyone! What is Pride? I figure many folks ask this question often, during Pride Month or any time.
I offer this: Pride is about ALL human beings who strive to live authentically. Living authentically is sharing your energy with everyone in such a way as to encourage every person we meet to continue thriving in a society that offers a peculiar maze of shifting whatever.
I know, I know that previous sentence ended with a word which wasn't climactic. You know how it is on social media sometimes.
Thank you, Robin, one of my Trans Friends, and all the strangers of the Transgender Community; in my book of life, strangers are friends I haven't met yet.
Yep, you have read that idea about strangers somewhere before.
Nothing new offered above.
Please stay as happy, safe, and authentic as you can be. The world will thrive as a safe place to live for everyone one day soon.
Thanks for the invitation to post thoughts online, Robin. I always look forward to your creative prose.
Thanks, sincerely, to all our visitors for your time reading long post here.
In the meantime, I offer a lot of Love to Everyone from London, Ontario, Canada.
love this -- my daughter is a Rowan -- when I was pregnant I was certain I'd have a girl. Now she is Rowan (feminine) and the name suits more than ever :)
Gorgeous name. I love it.
A dementia patient in my mother's memory care unit named me...I must have reminded him of some Keith from his past. He did this for several days consecutively and I knew, every time I heard it, that it was no mere coincidence. Glad to hear your name story, Robin. Thanks for sharing 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Wow, that’s an incredibly fascinating name story, Keith!
Yay, Emily!!!! I'm almost 82!!!
WAY back in the mid 50's I transferred from one Catholic elementary school to another in a wealthier neighborhood in the middle of sixth grade. 'Queer' and 'faggot' weren't in popular use back then but they called me "Simple". I wasn't sure what that meant but it was obviously a serious put down. I really tried to be something else but 'simply' couldn't figure it out - or figured it out too late. Like I got my white buck shoes a week or two after they went out of style and then was the only one in school with bright white shoes while the cool kids had gone on to the tan ones. I managed to hang in (punching and running was a good strategy 'cause I could run pretty fast.) But it made for a miserable grade school experience. When I got to High School (Marquette Prep) I managed to find other kids who were outcast for various reasons to hang with.
MUCH later on I began to see that "simple" had a LOT of positive connotations and began identifying with those even way before I came out as queer (which I also found to be a VERY positive thing to be!).
I finally came out in my mid 20's while married to a woman and had two kids. I've found pride in all the pejoratives and am proudly living them.