WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2023 - PRIDE PART 3

 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2023 PRIDE WEEK #3

I’ve been writing about PRIDE month this week.  My basic statement is that while we may not understand others, we really should not judge them.  It hasn’t been so long since women couldn’t vote or own property (I think the concept is that women weren’t smart enough to make important decisions).  This country fought a devastating Civil War to see if Black people were humans or only property.  

Humans love to judge others.  Now we can judge actions.  If somebody offers to shoot me up with heroin, I will pass on that.  If somebody points a gun at me and it seems like they mean to shoot me, I can judge their actions but following the statement, “I can only love God as much as the person I love the least” - I am to love them.  (Hate the sin, love the sinner - maybe!!!)

Over the years I’ve suggested “Walking a mile in their shoes” - understanding the other person.  I haven’t been a Black person but I can try to understand their plight.  I haven’t been a farmer, but I can partially understand.  I haven’t been a nurse, but working with nurses at the senior residence center gives me more insight into nursing and the medical field.

For about seventy years I walked this earth as a male.  I learned male norms.  I knew how to tie a tie (and with extra practice - even bowties!!!).

So, living (and actually being a woman) is an amazing change in my life.  I’m not sure I can say this, but men do need to understand what it is to be a woman, and women need to understand what it is to be a man. [I remember the old ditty - Man works from sun to sun, but women’s work is never done]

Some comments about living as a woman.  (Maybe a little lighter)

CLOTHES

My basic comment is WOW!!!

The old expression was “Clothes make the man” - but if you look at almost any retail clothing store maybe twice as much floor space is devoted to women's clothes as to men’s. 

I have several dresses.  Yes, it is now summer in Texas, so I have sundresses - cool, off the shoulders.  It seems that I like red as I have maybe six varying shades of red.  My favorite dresses (not quite true) are those that have POCKETS!!!  Yes, I grew up with pockets in everything.  I can put my tissues in my pockets (it seems like having a drippy nose comes standard in Texas).  

I also have three black dresses.  When there is an orchestra concert, we are expected to wear black.  (Yes, I could wear black slacks - but slacks are pants and I’ve worn pants all my life!!).  

I have maybe 10 skirts.  Most of them are beautiful - colors, patterns, longer, and eye-catching.  But, if you have skirts that have patterns, I need tops (they used to be called blouses) that are more solid colors.  For church last Sunday I had a solid orange top with an orange patterned skirt.  I had a few people tell me I was really bright!!!

I have always liked bright colors.  I had dress shirts in multiple colors (just white wasn’t good enough).  For those who knew me before, I generally wore cartoon ties that also were bright.  

One interesting thing to me is how I got such a full closet!!  I have had friends inundate me with clothes.  One friend has given me about five large black trash bags full of clothes (She is about my size), and another has given me about three large trash bags of clothes.  

The other source has been thrift shops.  I’m working at a senior living facility and they expect me to look the part, so I have bought scrubs from one of the local thrift shops (the Caring Place). My budget was severely limited during my transition - I even needed the food pantry about three times.

Clothes are getting to be a problem.  Soon I have to go through all of the clothes I have and sort out the ones I want to keep and take the rest to the thrift shop. Or I will have to get a larger apartment with more space for clothes!  (By the way, in my community, the Caring Place has a thrift shop, a food pantry, and a lot of services for those in need.  The Caring Place is better than Goodwill!!)  

 

I even have two swimsuits.  

SHOES 

There is a concept that the more shoes you have the better (for women anyway).  As a man, I had a black pair, a brown pair, two casual pairs, two athletic shoes, and a pair of sandals.

For women, you “need” casual shoes in pretty much every color.  If I’m wearing red today, I better have red shoes.  Do I dare go out in public with green shoes?  I haven’t gotten into high heels (I’m already tall enough and they are hard to wear).

Alas, shoes have been a challenge for me as a woman..  I wear a size 12W.  When I first started transitioning, PayLess Shoes was going out of business (at least for retail stores).  They did have a good selection of big and wide shoes.  Since then I’ve ordered shoes online.  

For Granny Basketball I bought some men’s Under Armor shoes that kind of were generic from a local store.  For summer I have some sandals that I can wear for dress (but I’m not going to walk a long way in these shoes).  My favorite winter shoes are boots and a nice style.  I also bought some dress black shoes for symphony concerts.

As I write I am wearing some Walmart women's shoes that came in size 12.  (I hope they keep stocking size 12 shoes!!)

JEWELRY

Like many things, friends have given me lots of necklaces and lots of earrings.  I enjoy having earrings, and necklaces.

More tomorrow on adapting to being a woman.

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

LOVE IS LOVE

NOW ABIDES FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE, BUT THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE

I CAN ONLY LOVE GOD AS MUCH AS THE PERSON I LOVE THE LEAST

KAREN ANNE WHITE, © JUNE 14, 2023