Coffee, Chaos and Cuss Words

This has been copied directly from my other blog at   Mid-Stride Moxie!  I'm posting this here, because it is relevant to any number of Childfree straight and LGBT folks. Not just dealing with a pronatalistic society that wants you to give birth, adopt and raise children...but along with that facing a double whammy against the pressure of being who you are. The media frenzy is real...as is the pain that can come from feeling like you are alone. So, from me to you.....You are NOT alone... I listen to the news...observe the entertainment media's feeding frenzy. I listen to and read comments from various blogs and other sources....I cringe at the vitriol...the ignorance...the fear....and some of it from people I never, ever expected it from.  So, just to say it....just to put it out there....here is where I stand. There is much I don't know but I'm willing to learn...and to understand. I'm not perfect, but no one is. My heart is open and I extend my hand in friendship ...

I listen to the news...observe the entertainment media's feeding frenzy. I listen to and read comments from various blogs and other sources....I cringe at the vitriol...the ignorance...the fear....and some of it from people I never, ever expected it from.  So, just to say it....just to put it out there....here is where I stand. There is much I don't know but I'm willing to learn...and to understand. I'm not perfect, but no one is. My heart is open and I extend my hand in friendship to anyone who can love, respect, laugh, cry, and support each other.... I have no time for ignorance or hate.... So here I am...this is what I believe...this is what I feel... I could never tolerate a bully.... Education conquers fear....not blind hatred... How can you only fight for what matters to you at someone else's expense? Any perfect people out there? Didn't think so... If we are all happy, we all win... Always have been...and it's surprised many gay folks, too... We all c...

                                                     I'm in the middle of a transformation that I sincerely believe would NOT be possible if I had kids. My husband and I are literally weeks away from moving from New Jersey to California. We've been talking for some time about our desire to live nearer to the ocean and we are making that happen.  I flew out to California at the end of May. I had a week to look at apartments, see if I could find one within our budget, and sign a lease. The day before I was due to fly back to Jersey, I found one. Since then I have given notice at my job, gotten movers and have been going crazy throwing stuff away, donating items, and filling box after box after box.... Chaos and excitement all day, every day! If we had children, there is no way this would be possible in this time frame. There would be no way I would be...

We wore ourselves out today....I know I did... I left the house around 7am...car loaded with bags of books and such. I dropped off book donations, then heading to the store to get more totes and space-saver bags. I came home to my beloved hubby, cleaning, packing, sorting. Sean was determined to get most of the clothes he didn't need packed today. So, he emptied out one dresser and one small closet of his things. He puts pressure on me sometimes to make decisions on what stays or what goes because I truly have SO much STUFF to go through. I need the kick in the pants or I'll never get to it... Despite my inner packrat screaming, 'But I NEED all that stuff!'...I sat down with a tote and trash bag at my makeshift vanity table. Emptying out crap (both used and unused) that I stuck in a drawer, on a shelf, or just overlooked because I was too lazy to make a decision what to do with it. One full tote and two empty trash bags later, my vanity area was devoid of all my girlish...

So, as some of you may know, I am in the middle of packing up my shit and moving to Southern California.  This is definitely a complete leap into the unknown for me and I am looking at this entire process as an adventure, rather than an ordeal. I've been trying to focus on what I'm 'learning' instead of what I'm 'enduring'. Seems to be helping to have a more positive outlook...since I am prone to worry myself into major stress and anxiety. Also, despite the anxiety of my witchy friends who couldn't help but remind me I was planning this major life change in the middle of Mercury Retrograde, I've had a relatively smooth go of it so far.  There have been a few bumps, to be sure, but so far I'm working it all out. One 'bump' was the complete FAIL of my job to coordinate and ensure that when I gave notice, the State and National organizations were notified. They didn't, and therefore, despite giving 2 weeks notice, I almost ended up leavi...