Why am I thankful?

Danger, opinion ahead!

First of all, I'm not thankful for the treatment of the First Americans.  We seem to bless our families and friends, our bounteous harvest, the many material things we possess.  We seem to forget those who were trampled along the path. 

Tough question, but here goes. 

I am thankful for:
My voice.  I am proud to be able to voice my opinion and to sing along with the radio among other things.

My family.  Three great kids, seven cats, parents, sister, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends.  All of them exposed me to crazy, funny, smart or outrageous ideas. 

Health.  Relatively good health, all around. 

Home.  We've got a good spread out here in the desert!  The cats seem to approve of it.

The ability to be myself.  I'm glad to be able to do what I do.  I like my choice of clothes.  A skirt, camisole, blouse, stockings, heels, painted nails, mascara. 

Am I going to a turkey dinner on Thursday?  I think so.  I'm not thrilled by the seventy mile drive out and back.  It will be nice to see family.  Thankful that I won't have to cook.  Thankful that I'll be able to wear my favorite skirt for the drive home.  Then, I'll make another round trip Friday morning for my scheduled blood donation and maybe some shopping.



Heather

Welcome Monday, shortened holiday edition.

I'm going to enjoy this week.  Bright red toenails.  Knickers, bra and breastforms and maybe nylons under the drab "business casual" shirt and slacks.  I wonder if anyone notices that I'm rockin' a solid "B" cup under that shirt?  There's one advantage to being a bit chunky!  People may only notice a heavy dude with "man boobs."
Also, I'm thinking of enjoying a bit of an adventure on Friday.  I have blood donation scheduled early and will have the rest of the day to do as I please.  My goal is to push my boundaries a bit and wear something that makes a statement.  I'll certainly bring along my second wardrobe and maybe go for the full effect while hitting the shops for a bit of retail therapy.  It will be a great way to bring a level of happiness after all we've seen in the news.  I'll see if I'm going to be up for paint on my fingernails at work.  I have a couple of subtle shades that I've worn (unnoticed) in the past.


Peace to all
Heather

Two weeks

The past two weeks have given me time to think. 

Who am I kidding?  Does a political party dictate my life choices?   Will Heather be stripped and shoved back into the armoire?

1.) Nobody, I am not trying to kid anyone.  I'm living the life that makes me happy.  I feel good about my choices of clothing and the way I look in some of them.  It isn't a masquerade.  It isn't a costume.  It is my preferred choice of dressing and I'm happy to say this.

2.) No.  We lived through President Obama's "death squads."  I am not going to live my life in fear.  I'm willing to drive into the big city to conduct business.  I lived in a couple of the bad neighborhoods of Las Vegas, NV and never had any kind of trouble.  My grandparents lived in a tough neighborhood.  The smart person knows to mind your own business, keep your nose clean, be a good neighbor and be friendly.  People generally won't bother their neighbors, especially if you don't have flashy things.  I will stand tall with my sisters and brothers.  We're all human beings.  My skin tone, my choice of worship/choice to not worship, my ethnic background, my sexual preference.  None of these will be changed by politics.

3.) I've thought about this more in the last two weeks than I have in the past year.  I "came out" to my spouse about a year ago and there were times that I wondered if doing so was a good idea.  Yes, without question I did the correct thing.  It has challenged some of her "Puritanical, New Englander" sensibilities but has commented on how I'm generally a happier person since coming out.  I know that the town in which I live is a bit too small and my job is too visible for me to comfortably be in the open here.  I will go out in the day on a trip to that big city, one of these days.  I think Halloween was a good ice breaker for me.    I will be working on my only real weakness, my voice.

Thanks for reading my postings!

Heather

Hello to a different world.

Political topic, beware!

I cannot say that I have ever felt anxiety in my life.  November 8, changed this fact.  All evening I felt short of breath, my heart was pounding and I felt a true fear.  Then I saw a posting from one of my adult daughters that said some of her friends were near suicide over the result of an election.  I reminded my daughter that people need to be sure to have their voices heard.  Stand up, tell your Senator or Representative. 

That night, I had a tough time getting to sleep and it wasn't even restful.  I still feel anger about the result of that election.  FBI Director Comey needs to be reprimanded for his actions.  If you're going to charge a person with something, at least be sure the charge is going to stick.  I agree with Mrs. Clinton that he is a contributing factor to her loss.  I am disturbed by the allegations of her being crooked while her opponent has had plenty of dirty deals during his career.  Not only dirty deals, he is a sexual predator and a liar.  He's not a politician, they say.  An outsider is what we need.  Ok.  Let us find one who isn't Trump.  But also find an outsider that doesn't want us to embrace Christian family values, exclusively.  I may not agree with the way some religions treat their followers but our nation was founded on religious freedom, among other things.  We can enjoy freedom of religion or freedom from religion.  I don't want others to tell me how to live my life.  I am happily married to a woman.  Why should my cousin not be able to enjoy that same thing if she chooses?  My wife has a cousin who is married to a great guy, I'd sure hate to see him have is marriage dissolved.  Everyone deserves to live a happy life.  Our nation has made some amazing strides in the area of human rights and I surely hope to enjoy even more.   (And...don't call me Shirley!)

For much of my life, Heather D. Waters has been repressed, stuck in a closet, bottled up.  I won't let that happen again, regardless of a political climate or change of tolerance.  Heather has enjoyed her emergence over the past year and is truly excited about the future adventures to be shared with the world.  This girl is out and proud!

I am not going to let political change stop me from dressing in my favorite skirt, blouse and heels!  I'm looking forward to my next trip to the city, I'm tempted to go all out.  I've shared my Halloween photo with my Facebook family and friends, I got lots of positive reactions.  I think I looked ok.