The Awakening

[Diane Hoffrau]

One of the sisters at the old Cross Dressers Club posted this some time ago
I did some editing so that you can actually give it to anyone
If anyone wants this as a .PDF
PM me your Email address
Be mighty
Diane

Something to ponder >>>


Without Change...
Something Sleeps Inside Us…
And Seldom Awakens…
The Sleeper Must Awaken...
{Frank Herbert}
The Awakening

There comes a time in your life when you finally get “IT”…
When in the midst of all your fears and insanity you stop dead in your tracks and
somewhere the voice inside your head cries out. ENOUGH! Enough fighting and
crying or struggling to hold on to the world as you now perceive it.

And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum, your sobs begin to subside, you
shudder once or twice, you blink back your tears and through a mantle of wet lashes
you begin to look at the world from a new perspective.

..........This is your Awakening...

You realize that it is time to stop hoping and waiting for something or someone to
change, or for happiness safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon.
You come to terms with the fact that there arenʹt always fairytale endings (or beginnings
for that matter) and that any guarantee of ʺhappily ever afterʺ must begin with you.

Then a sense of Serenity is born out of this “Acceptance”.
So you begin making your way through the ʺreality of todayʺ rather than holding out for
the ʺpromise of tomorrow.ʺ

You realize that much of whom you are and the way you navigate through life is, in
great part, a result of all the social conditioning youʹve received over the course of a
lifetime. And you begin to sift through all the nonsense you were taught about:
‐ How you should look and how much you should weigh
‐ What you should wear and where you should shop
‐ Where you should live or what type of car you should drive
‐ Who you should sleep with and how you should behave
‐ Who you should marry and why you should stay

Slowly you begin to open up to new worlds and different points of view. And you
begin re‐assessing and re‐defining who you are and what you really believe in. And
you begin to discard the doctrines you have outgrown, or should never have practiced
to begin with.

You accept the fact that you are not perfect, and that not everyone will love appreciate
or approve of who or what you are… and that is OK. They are entitled to their own
views and opinions. And, you come to terms with the fact that you will never be the
perfect size or a ʺperfect 10ʺ… Or a perfect human being for that matter... and you stop
trying to compete with the image inside your head or agonizing over how you
compare. And, you take a long look at yourself in the mirror and you make a promise to
give yourself the same unconditional love and support you give so freely to others.

Then a Sense of Confidence is born of that Self‐approval.
And you give thanks for the simple things youʹve been blessed with, things that
millions of people upon the earth can only dream about ‐ a full refrigerator, clean
running water, a soft warm bed, the freedom of choice and the opportunity to pursue
your own dreams.

• And you begin to love and to care for yourself.
• You stop engaging in self‐destructive behaviors, including participating in
dysfunctional relationships.
• You begin eating a balanced diet, drinking more water and exercising.
• And because youʹve learned that fatigue drains the spirit and creates doubt and
fear, you give yourself permission to rest.
• And just as food is fuel for the body, laughter is fuel for the spirit and so you
make it a point to create time for play.
• Then you learn about love and relationships ‐ how to love, how much to give in
love, when to stop giving, and when to walk away.

You learn that people donʹt always say what they mean or mean what they say,
intentionally or unintentionally, and that not everyone will always come through... and
interestingly enough, itʹs not always about you. So, you stop lashing out and pointing
fingers or looking to place blame for the things that were done to you or werenʹt done
for you.

And you learn to keep your Ego in check and to acknowledge and redirect the
destructive emotions it spawns ‐ Anger, Jealousy and Resentment.
You learn how to say ʺI was wrongʺ and to forgive people for their own human frailties.

You learn to build bridges instead of walls and about the healing power of love as it is
expressed through a kind word, a warm smile or a friendly gesture. And, at the same
time, you eliminate any relationships that are hurtful or fail to uplift and edify you. You
stop working so hard at smoothing things over and setting your needs aside.
You learn that feelings of entitlement are perfectly OK and that it is your right to want
or expect certain things. And you learn the importance of communicating your needs
with confidence and grace.

You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that eventually
martyrs are burned at the stake.
Then you learn to distinguish between guilt, and responsibility and the importance of
setting boundaries and learning to say no. You learn that you donʹt know all the
answers, itʹs not your job to save the world and that sometimes you just need to let go.
Moreover, you learn to look at people as they really are and not as you would want
them to be, and you are careful not to project your neediness or insecurities onto a
relationship.

You learn that just as people grow and change, so it is with love and relationships, and
that that not everyone can always love you the way you would want them to. So you
stop appraising your worth by the measure of love you are given. And suddenly you
realize that it is wrong to demand that someone live their life or sacrifice their dreams
just to serve your needs, ease your insecurities, or meet ʺyourʺ standards and
expectations.

You learn that the only love worth giving and receiving is the love that is given freely
without conditions or limitations. And you learn what it means to love. So you stop
trying to control people, situations and outcomes.

You learn that ʺaloneʺ does not mean ʺlonelyʺ and you begin to discover the joy of
spending time ʺwith yourselfʺ and ʺon yourself”…
Then you discover the greatest and most fulfilling love you will ever know ‐ Self Love.
And so it comes to pass that, through understanding, your heart heals; and now all new
things are possible.

Moving along, you begin to avoid Toxic people and conversations. And you stop
wasting time and energy rehashing your situation with family and friends.
You learn that talk doesnʹt change things and that unrequited wishes can only serve to
keep you trapped in the past. So, you stop lamenting over what could or should have
been and you make a decision to leave the past behind. Then you begin to invest your
time and energy to affect positive change.

You take a personal inventory of all your strengths and weaknesses and the areas you
need to improve in order to move ahead, you set your goals and map out a plan of
action to see things through.

You learn that life isnʹt always fair and you donʹt always get what you think you
deserve, and you stop personalizing every loss or disappointment.
You learn to accept that sometimes bad things happen to good people and that these
things are not an act of God... but merely a random act of fate.

And you stop looking for guarantees, because youʹve learned that the only thing you
can really count on is the unexpected and that whatever happens, youʹll learn to deal
with it. And you learn that the only thing you must truly fear is the great robber baron
of all time ‐ fear itself. So you learn to step right into and through your fears, because to
give into fear is to give away the right to live life on your terms.
You learn that much of life truly is a self‐fulfilling prophesy and you learn to go after
what you want and not to squander your life living under a cloud of indecision or
feelings of impending doom.

Then, you learn about money. The personal power and independence it brings and the
options it creates. And you recognize the necessity to create your own personal wealth.
Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself
a promise to never betray yourself and to never ever settle for less than your heartʹs
desire.

And a sense of power is born of this new found sense of self‐reliance.
And you live with honor and integrity because you know that these principles are not
the outdated ideals of a by‐gone era but the mortar that holds together the foundation
upon which you must build your life.

And you make it a point to keep Smiling, to keep Trusting and to stay open to every
wonderful opportunity and exciting possibility.

Then you hang a wind chime outside your window to remind yourself what beauty
there is in Simplicity.

Be Mighty!

[ArleneMcCarthy]

Diane,
Thanks for posting. It's lovely.

[Anne Bonny]

Seems to take many of us a lifetime before we come into ourselves and start to live which only reveals how horrible it is for society to rigidly and ruthlessly enforce conformity to a standard social framework which ignores the fact that that standard is arbitrary and wrong. It ignores people who do not fit the framework though they are born the same as anyone else.

[Diane Hoffrau]

Anne
I think that many of us have done the "right" thing for out spouses and children
As we get a bit older we come face to face with the reality that if we are going to
be true to ourselves we must act.

Or as I sometimes say "If not now when?"

I need to be the real me for at least the last act of the play we call life

Diane

[Anne Bonny]

That's right. No one has the right to force us into a box, and we are free to choose how we proceed. For me that means opening the door and who to open it to. It also means for me choosing where and how I reveal myself like choosing who to tell, choosing the "venue" is as wise as a woman who chooses well lit populated areas moving around at night, she may have someone walk with her too. At home it is just going with the flow because my gender fluctuates it is not and never has been a constant thing for me, so I do what brings comfort and relief to me which comes through adjusting how I am dressed. Anne

[Diane Hoffrau]

Anne
As we acknowlege and accept ourselves our needs do fluctuate for a lot of reasons
Some mental and some socialtal and some interpersonal

The key is to keep pushing the envelope to create a new normal of ourselves and those around us
This can be an excrucationaly slow process but it is a lifetime's work to
embrace out true personas

Diane