Four volunteer gigs, four different outfits, 48 hours, a massive hangover (not sure how I got up and going that second day), made plenty of new friends, renewed existing relationships, too much wine, plenty of women and my feet were killing me!
It probably took some stones for me to walk into the hotel and then the adjacent bar dressed only from the neck down. But then again, no one knew me and I was 20 seconds from my hotel room. Anonymity is a great thing!
It’s pretty clear to me now that when I walk into a room, no matter the size of the room or the size of the crowd, I am noticed and generally in a positive fashion.
So on Friday morning I met a volunteer for The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation whose son suffers from the disease (Amy). A native Clevelander, she recently moved back here from an extended stay in California. We clicked pretty quickly, but didn’t have a lot of time to talk. We had to empty carloads of silent auction items and get them into the club suite of the stadium, where the event was being held. I immediately took charge of the process, getting it all done pretty efficiently. When Amy again saw me dressed on Saturday, we clicked on a whole different level. She was fascinated with my story and commented how she could see how my mind worked as we went about our task the previous day. She was pretty accurate on a lot of her observations. So we had a long, open conversation and I loved every bit of it! I am sure we will see each other again.
That morning I met another delightful woman (Karen) and a few of her friends and we talked freely and easily as if I was one of her friends walking in the door. She too felt the need to get to know me once she saw me and again, it was my pleasure. I shared some of my favorite recent photos. She and another friend there have a side business where they have these parties making very nice bracelets. It is my hope to attend one of these parties in the very near future.
Walking through the crush of woman at Wine, Women and Shoes a woman (whom I did not know) said to me as I was walking toward her “You look fabulous!”. That, of course was almost immediately followed up with her asking if I were transgendered (further proving that I do not pass). We had a very nice and open conversation. I tell anyone to please ask whatever they want, they cannot offend me, no one benefits if I (we) don’t educate people about ourselves.
Over the course of the past week, in three different venues/events, three different people came up to me and said hello, having seen and/or met me at The City Club Forum I recently posted about, further proving that I am noticed wherever I go. Please do not misconstrue this for some type of arrogance. Think about how often you have seen someone like myself, in complete mainstream situations, being very active in those situations, not hiding or off to the side? Probably not often, if ever. Hell, I sat essentially right on the main stage at the Crohn’s event while all the presentations were happening.
The best complement of the weekend was probably the last. I was hugging a friend goodbye at the end of the evening at approximately 9:30 PM, on a day I started getting ready around 6:30 AM and she said to me that I smelled good! I always perfume myself and can rarely smell it on me, so that one made me happy!
The whole weekend was quite remarkable. I literally talked everything from fashion to football, a favorite dress to the mess that are the Browns, with insightful comments on the poor roster construction and bad draft choices. I was open and honest about myself with quite a few people. I smiled so much on Saturday that the crow’s feet that are my eyes had deep cracks in the makeup. I was dressed and in makeup from about 7:30 AM to when I got home at about 10:30 PM and my face looked pretty good at the end. I had never been out that long without some way to refresh the face.
Now some time later, people who were absolutely sincere in their desire to stay in touch with me, who were all given my contact information (I have “business” cards), have yet to reach out. Same as it ever was. I get moments and for those, I am thankful. I rarely get on-going relationships. I guess being a fictitious person has something to do with that.
The weekend was logistically perfect. I had to choreograph everything well, including an on-the-road outfit change, three different outfits with three different sets of accessories and shoes and making sure my Saturday makeup worked for both outfits (it did and was complemented often). I could not believe how it all came off and also how damn long it took to put everything away Sunday morning. As is usual, the weekend left me exhausted, exhilarated and quite reflective. I now completely understand who I am and how I interact with the world. Very little surprises me any more. I cherish the little nuggets I get, there generally isn’t too much more afterward.
Time to rest a bit……..
from Kandi's Land https://kandis328772669.wordpress.com/2019/11/07/reflecting-on-my-long-weekend/
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