Sunday, March 4, 2012

Afterglow


The party was everything I hoped for.  It nourished my soul.

As a social event, the party was a huge success.  There were ten female guests, half of whom knew me but nobody else.  All were warmly welcomed, engaged in friendly conversation, and treated like royalty.  Every single guest felt like she had made a room-full of new friends.

The guests were from a wide variety of backgrounds and a range of ages.  All were lively and interesting.  Everyone was in a great mood and entertained by the others' company.

Thanks to Jamie and Nicole, the party had a comfortable environment in Jamie's spacious living room.  The room had enough seating for everyone to gather together and enjoy a circle of conversation.  There were endless trays of delicious food, starting with hot hors d'oeuvres and progressing to sweet desserts.

Each guest made a special effort to look nice and deserved the compliments copiously flowing.

The party, for me, was an amazing success.  In the leadup to the event, I was afraid to hope for what actually happened because I wasn't sure I'd ever experience this in my lifetime.  I was accepted.  I was simply and profoundly accepted.  The question of my gender melted away and I was treated as a person, a full and equal participant in the company of other women.  The separateness that has plagued me my whole life -- due to others' inability to see me as female -- disappeared.  Without fanfare or comment, I was just accepted as another female guest -- a status I felt at my core.  I felt serene and deeply relaxed.

This achievement goes beyond anything I've ever experienced before.  It was truly a dream come true.

Dozens of photos were taken but not by me; when I receive them, I'll share them with you.  I made numerous delightful observations, of people's clothing and behavior which I'll share with you later, as well as noting my own experiences which are certainly familiar to you, such as the ache from wearing high heels for hours.  I was hyper-aware, every second, of every detail of the evening and soaked them all in; I'll be thinking and processing these observations for weeks.

For those of you who joined us here, thank you.  I hope you felt included.  You are part of my development as a person and I wanted to share this significant event with you.  Big hugs!

38 comments:

  1. I am so happy for you and am so glad the party was a success. You deserve it. I was thinking of you all day.

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  2. I'm so happy for you! It sounds like the party was a fantastic experience, and I can't wait to see the pictures.

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  3. Awww, so glad it was so wonderful! I look forward to hearing more stories and reflections on the night.

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  4. At the time of the party starting, I kept feeling all nervous (the good kind) and excited, and around nine, I kept wondering how it was going. I was up late last night and kept checking for updates and had to check as soon as I could this morning too. I am so so so glad it was everything you hoped for and more! What a gift they gave you. You were free to just be you, without worry or care. Ahhh. This makes my heart happy. I cannot WAIT to see pictures, so whoever has some, pleeeeeeease send them her way as soon as possible!!!! :) I can't wait to hear more of the details too.

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    1. Thank you, Jen, for your concern and attention. I chose not to blog/tweet about the party while it was occurring or until this morning because I wanted to understand the experience as fully as I could first. Sometimes, when we report on an event as it's happening, our understanding of it is incomplete and premature. Since this one was so new and novel to me, I wanted my mind and heart to process the experience before saying what it was. I wanted my post to be pure and accurate, which time enabled it to be.

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    2. I understand completely! I just wanted to be there so bad! :) I'm glad you were able to soak up all the details...that is so important and will give you countless times of reliving the happiness.

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  5. I am so very deeply and honestly happy for you. I knew it would be a great experience for you.

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    1. Thank you, Lorena. What a kind thing for you to think (and say). Meeting you in person (twice) was a baby-step in this direction and made this experience possible; your friendship give me greater ability to handle this big step.

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  6. :D That's good news! I'm so happy for you :)
    You totally deserve all that love (and mine too).
    Thank you so much for sharing this.
    xxx

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  7. I've been away for a little while and it's so good to visit your blog and see this -- really great news and I'm looking forward to hearing more. :)

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  8. I wasn't able to get dressed up as a GIS (boo me!), but I was thinking about you and betting you were having a great time! Can't wait to see the pictures.

    (I know exactly what you mean about not reporting on an event as it happens. It detracts from the experience!)

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  9. So glad to hear that it was a success! I'm sure the event was amazing. I can't wait to see photos. So happy for you!

    Callie @ www.coffeeandcardigans.com

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  10. i'm so happy for you! that's amazing!

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  11. So happy to hear you had a great time!
    Looking forward to the
    pictures too :)

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  12. Aw! This party sounds like it was a blast and I am so happy that it went well. I cannot wait to see the pics from the big day!! So happy for you!

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  13. Aww yay! I'm so happy it went well, and I'm looking forward to pictures. I hope you have many more gatherings to come! And hopefully one of these days I can make it to one in person. ;D

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  14. Wonderful! May there be many more lovely parties in your future.

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  15. So glad the party was a success! Cannot wait to see the pictures. Hopefully you will have many more in the future for you :)

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  16. So glad you enjoyed yourself. I'm looking forward to seeing the photos!

    -Jaz
    http://summerlilacs.blogspot.com/

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  17. I am so happy for you! I had a dream that I was at your party : )

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  18. Awww, this sounds like such a lovely party! I adore getting together like this. It's a great chance to meet a ton of new people. I'm glad that you had a great time. Wish I could have been there!

    http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
    Twitter: @GlamKitten88

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  19. I am profoundly moved by your experience of being totally accepted. To be "treated as a person, a full and equal participant" is such a fundamental human need.

    May this be the beginning of your new, wonderful life!

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  20. I am glad to hear that it went well. I know that after social events, my partner and I will often discuss the subtle in's and out's of it for weeks after. Is it awful to say that I'm kinda glad you're feet hurt after hours in heels? I would say that is a major rite of passage!

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    1. No, it isn't. I accept the bad with the good. The more female experience I can grab -- of any kind -- is the happier I will be.

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  21. I'm so glad it went well - I knew it would!

    Ah, I know that ache (I often have a low or flat shoe stashed to change into halfway through a party!).

    Can't wait to see the pics!

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  22. Aw, I'm so glad the party went well and you had fun; you deserved it. Can't wait to see pictures! :)

    Principessa Gabriella

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  23. Savor the afterglow, and don't spend too much time overanalyzing it, also don't make this a one time occasion. It was a success, everyone talked, felt comfortable, and you experienced girl talk.
    You can recall each and every interactions, the waves of how the conversations started, developed and ended. This party also showed a great deal of how people bring out their qualities to real life, as opposed to online.
    Ally, I am so proud of you, and you looked gorgeous.

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    1. Thanks, Melanie. Thank you for your support, your presence and the little bag of gifties!

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  24. reading this post just made me want to cry. I am so happy for you and so glad that it turned out so wonderful :) Here's to many more moments just like that!!!!!

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  25. OH YAY!! So happy that it was as wonderful as you wanted it to be. I'm excited to see all the photos from your special night. When will you post them?

    What comment format is this that you can reply directly to the comments? I love that. I need that.

    xoxo,
    Tracy

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  26. I just found your blog this week (thanks, Megan Mae!) and was able to get through several months of your thoughtful and open posts last night. I'm still catching up, but I'm full of awe at your courage and creativity. I'm so glad your party went well, and hope your future holds more occasions like this for you.

    I also want to add that a lot of women, including me, get style-stumped, or put together outfits that simply don't work. I think style blogging has definitely helped me hone what-not-to-wear but I still get it wrong plenty! :P

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  27. How lovely! I'm really glad that the party was all you dared hope it would be (though I tend to get quite put off by girls-only parties in my own life! I'm sorry for stealing one of your guests away though! Looking forward to seeing pictures of your outfit and the festivities in general...

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  28. I am beyond delighted that the party was a success and that it nourished your soul!!! So wish I could have been there by was definitely a GIS. Can't wait to see the photos.

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  29. Sound like a perfect party! So happy for you, that you enjoyed it so much! :) can't wait for the pictures of everyone having fun! :)
    Sorry I missed it all, maybe next time I'll join you online? :)

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  30. Just happy and thrilled for you.
    I'm still awaiting info for your beauty question,mso stay tuned,

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  31. im so glad you had such a wonderful time. everyone should get to experience that.

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  32. I wish I would've gotten my act together and sent you a photo for your party! I was definitely there in spirit though, and I would've worn my best red Valentino dress for the occasion. I'm so, so happy for you, and I sincerely hope this is the first of many such occasions. I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures.

    And by the way, welcome to the sore feet club. Wearing heels all night does get easier the more you do it. ;-)

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