Happy new year.

I’ve been thinking about both the past year and the past decade.

Ten years ago I was finally making transition progress, after 15 years of fighting therapists and getting nowhere, but it was glacially slow. I wondered if the physicians were going to let me get anywhere before I was 50.

I was working for a well known US public university in its central IT division, which was a miserable experience, but I was blocked from leaving by my then-wife’s demand that no matter how bad that job was I was only allowed to take another job if it paid more. Even being mandated to work 14 hour days M-F and 20 hours on weekends earlier that year wasn’t bad enough for her.

A lot happened over those years. In the middle of the decade I realized that I’d said each of the past several years was the worst of my life and decided to change that. The change wasn’t over night and several more years were still bad but with the property of setting up where I needed to go.

Now I have survived domestic violence and moved on to much happier things and times. For a little over a year I’ve had a roommate who is simply an awesome person and a dear part of my family of choice. I got back to dating early this year and am having the most emotionally healthy relationships I’ve ever had.

I’m excited for the future.