Two Hundred and Sixty One days…….Or if you wish, a little more than 8 months…..That is how much time elapsed between my initial conversation with the Diversity champion of HR about my impending transition (see Initial Conversation) and the day Suzanne stepped into the office for a meeting at more or less the same table as that rather tense initial chat.
Once again I will express my never ending gratitude to the team of colleagues assembled to ease my “Whole Self” into the fabulously supportive workplace. You know who you are, many of you read my journal and you have all done a superb job, of which you should be remarkably proud.
The day was always going to be a big day, but by the time I put my head on the pillow a little after midnight, we had accomplished so much more than originally planned, and there were also more than 16,000 steps on my Global Corporate Challenge Pedometer as an added bonus.
As previously explained, my core concerns were all around judgement…
I’ve worked so hard on my voice, but there is still so far to go. My weight is the wrong side of far too heavy and my facial hair, despite painful IPL treatment, is still distressingly visible. If there was judgement taking place I didn’t feel it. Not even when a fairly senior colleague launched himself at my right hand side and delivered a noisy kiss and the cheeky greeting “Hello Gorgeous.”
The initial plan called for a couple of low key meetings taking place in the Lobby coffee shop, however Jane and I soon found ourselves propelled into the the thick of things, visiting three busy floors, and meeting lots more colleagues than I had anticipated. I deliberately left my access card at home. A rather futile attempt at avoiding entering the office that was duly dismissed with the presentation of two visitors badges. Of course it was the right thing to do and the architect of that change of plan really knew what they were doing. It was exactly what I needed and its going to make my next trip much easier.
There were so many amazing highlights… That started with a warm and sincere welcome from the small team gathered to welcome me back into the office and continued throughout the day. A fun filled lunch with an old colleague, where the numerous dark events in our lives were completely overshadowed by the joy of a Chorizo fuelled reunion. The receptionist at the hotel where I have been staying for 14 years completely failed to recognise me. One female colleague demonstrated genuine excitement, upon seeing me in the office, almost leaping for joy. Strolling through the department store, I was , for the first time ever offered product samples by the numerous cosmetic reps, this was a remarkably positive experience, and demonstrative of a degree of acceptance of my gender role. There were so many firsts and so much support I was by the early afternoon completely drained.
The evening was spent being further inspired by the stories told by a man who has flown to the moon twice, and walked on it once. Spending 3 days of his life, calling the moon “Home.”
It was a perfect way to end this day. His closing words, resonating strongly with my current journey.
“Dream the impossible – and go out and make it happen. I walked on the moon. What can’t you do?”
I think, I’ve only just started……
Leave a Reply