Acceptance is the answer is tattooed on the forearm of one of the gay men in the chorus where I sing. I’ve seen and heard quotes along similar lines before and often considered them trite or defeatist. But I think I’ve finally come to understand — once again, not just rationally but also, and especially,Continue reading ““Acceptance is the answer””
Author Archives: adventurerliberated
The little things we remember
[Content warnings: loss, grief, death.] Often, it’s the small things we remember about the ones we loved and lost. The color and shape of their eyes. The sound of their laugh. The inflection of their voice as they told us they love us. “Ich liebe dich”, A. said suddenly, almost bluntly, matter-of-factly, for the firstContinue reading “The little things we remember”
“Maine”
[Content warnings: loss, grief, death.] Often, my favorite songs remind me of beloved persons or meaningful places or memorable experiences. I’ve never been to Maine. I have no connection to Maine, nor does my European queer ex-lover. Yet, Noah Kahan’s song Maine for some reason makes me think of my European queer ex-lover. Maybe it’sContinue reading ““Maine””
“MAGA’s Bulldog”
Some scary, concerning facts about the government and some terrible quotes from Vought [from the New York Times article: “The man behind Trump’s push for an all-powerful presidency”]: “ To many legal experts, Mr. Vought’s work is a threat to the foundations of democracy. “One of the main sources of power that Congress has overContinue reading ““MAGA’s Bulldog””
Love catches us by surprise, again and again
[Spoiler alert: some details & a quote from the book “A man called Ove” by Fredrik Backman.] In the beautiful book “A man called Ove” by Fredrik Backman, when Ove ends up in the hospital and one of his neighbors goes to check on him, she finds herself suddenly overwhelmed by her concern for OveContinue reading “Love catches us by surprise, again and again”
Healing from the blinding pain
Pain can be blinding. For me, pain often shows up or expresses itself as anger, and anger can easily blind us or make us “see red”. But pain remains blinding for me even once the anger has blown off. As long as the wounds are there, unhealed, I cannot see the full picture, I cannotContinue reading “Healing from the blinding pain”
Father & Son
Yesterday I got the news that, after months of paperwork, emailing, and waiting, my change of sex request has been accepted by the City Hall of the city where I was raised in Europe. The records of that City Hall now say that, a little over four decades ago, a “male” was born with myContinue reading “Father & Son”
Northern Light(s)
I’m back in Colorado, back “at home”. And yet, as I was leaving Alaska on Wednesday night, I cried. Colorado is “home” for me, or as close as “home” can get, I guess. But in Alaska I left a piece of my heart: a big piece of my heart. As my plane landed in ColoradoContinue reading “Northern Light(s)”
Alaska
It’s been wet. Rustic. Cold. Wild. When I was getting ready to come out here a week ago, I was thinking it would be “fast forward into fall”. And sure enough, the first day, Tuesday 09/09, that’s how it felt: like autumn. Like I had been sped up a little, with respect to Colorado, intoContinue reading “Alaska”
Water water everywhere!
I just got back from my first run in the rain in a very long time. When I was living in California, I went on a couple of runs in the drizzle, usually caught in it while I was already in the middle of a workout. But I hadn’t really set out to run inContinue reading “Water water everywhere!”
The Little Prince and the Fox 