It tends to make me gag a little when people talk about transitioning being a journey (it’s always sounded a little too odd for me I guess… I feel like there’s going to be hobbits involved or something.) But the truth for me is, it’s a road trip. Sometimes it’s fun and awesome and you get to experience things you never thought you’d be a part of. And some days you’re not sure you want to be in the same car with each other. There are times you’ll have to get out and push to get the transition going because it keeps stalling out for one reason or another. You’ll both discuss and discuss and discuss each pitstop to exhaustion some times, but you’ll see brilliant landmarks because you both are on the same page. There will potentially be days you’ll feel like you’re becoming part of the roadside attraction, and you have to keep telling each other not to get lost in the negativity and to keep moving forward. Overall, it’s a trip with now discernable destination, but sort of a checklist of all the major and minor events that you may not have had any idea were important happenings until after you’re through them.

Advice: take pictures. Lots of them. Record everything you can. Just because you may not feel like you are presenting the way you want to at the time, it makes it easier to see how far you’ve come. It can be easy to gloss over or forget pieces of our past, especially the part where you may have had to dress a certain way that made you feel incredibly uncomfortable. I’m still kicking myself for not taking more pictures and recordings of him. He’s changed even more since the filming of this – like, there’s a serious beard happening on his face now (and he’s been on testosterone for quite a while now!) This will help with the patience part, keep the discouragement at bay. It will feel like you’re watching the grass grow, and then suddenly you’ve got a blooming freaking garden overnight. If you’ve ever watched time-lapse photography, you’ll know what I mean when I say capture as much as possible. The details can be suprising and you’ll begin to appreciate them no matter how small.