“The Busy Bee Candy Factory” was the theme of my entry into our annual pumpkin-carving contest, which I always look forward to and often begin planning for months in advance (ever they type-A gal, I know). I love to be creative and I definitely have a competitive streak, so this event ticks both of those boxes for me. Mostly, though, I love the process of transforming the pumpkin into something else entirely. One year I did a three-tiered snowman (this was back in MA and it had snowed a little a few days before Halloween), another year made this amazing haunted castle, and last year I transformed my pumpkin into a disco ball that I topped with this really cool skeleton figurine wearing a white leisure suit and posing a la John Travolta in the iconic 70s movie “Saturday Night Fever” (video below). It’s a lot of fun and I’ve typically won first-place for these creations. I can’t take all the credit, though, as Eric always does a lot of the work in the actual creation process—he’s an artist and much more mechanically inclined than I. We make a great team when we put our egos aside, play to our strengths, and work together.
I’m not entirely sure what inspired this year’s pumpkin, but I’ve definitely felt like a very busy bee lately. Too busy. Between all of the challenges at work, navigating my transition journey, and dealing with some personal health issues, it’s been a whirlwind and it’s beginning to catch up with me. As with everything, though, it is within my power to control how I process and respond to the external stimuli that are present in my life right now. I can put on the breaks and slow things down for myself if I make it a priority to do so. And, as we enter the last couple months of 2021 and look ahead to 2022, I’m going to make a much more conscious effort to prioritize my mental health and well-being by making sure I have some down time every single day to catch my breath. It’s good to be busy and productive, but not to the point where I’m so wound up at night that I cannot sleep.
In 2022, I’m looking forward to taking the next step in my transition and already have a consultation appointment with a surgeon at UCLA set up for January 20. It was right around that time in January 2021 when I made the decision to transition and took my first steps in that direction. It’s been a hell of a year of personal growth and change, and I definitely feel blessed to be able to finally live as my authentic self. Beyond that I cannot say what else 2022 will bring, because this time one or two years ago, I couldn’t have even imagined the version of like I’m living now. However, one very valuable lesson I’ve learned along the way is to trust my instinct; it’s been very reliable for me over the past year. Another lesson I’ve learned this year is to face my fears head on and power through them. I’ve done many things this year that have scared the shit out of me, and that I would never have even considered in an earlier version of myself. But not a single one of those things has killed me or harmed me in any way. I survived, and I have the power inside myself to thrive.
And yes, this year's entry into the office pumpkin-carving contest won first place...
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