One of my "facebook friends" is MtF, and early in the stages of transition. I honestly don't know her well (or at all) other than via Facebook. She posted something a couple days ago - "Who is this woman in the mirror looking back at me?" - and I responded "A wonderful person. Make sure you make friends with her. " Just thought I'd say something nice to her. One of her friends wrote back to me a few days later. Apparently, she's been going through a tough time as of late. Her family won't talk to her, and some of her friends have drifted away since she came out as trans. And she's had trouble getting through the first couple of steps without that support. This friend said (in part): (She) made sure to point out your comment today after her post about seeing a woman in the mirror. She was beaming. ...we never know who's listening to us. We never really understand the impact of our words and actions on others. People are quick to point out when we fucked up or influenced someone negatively. We rarely hear about when we say something that makes someone's day. So thank you for making my friends day. You're a good guy. Your words make the world a better place. I was a bit overwhelmed by this, with a bunch of conflicting emotions. I'm kinda bummed to find out that she's in such a place, but I'm really happy the words I typed had such a positive effect. And it made me want to give more thought to what I send out. Maybe spread a bit more positivity. And it also made me feel lousy about all the times that somebody's words helped ME out...and I never got around to saying "thank you". So I'm going to have to start doing that more, as well. Lex
What a heartwarming story, you almost made me :tears:. That's in part because I'm starting that process. Still in too early stages (I'm only past acceptance period) so I can't say I'm in the same situation as your friend. I know that, when the right time comes, I'm going out to my family, and I know well that I can do it without their support, but I don't loose sight what a hellish world will be if I don't have the support from my family and friends. I know that without people supporting you, one may be questioning oneself, that happened to me too. I'm very happy she had someone like you to make her day. As you say, people often forget the importance of a nice word. Keep it up (*hug*)!!!
I'm glad you said what you said! It is unfortunate that your friend is in not such a supportive place but at least you showed her there is hope.
Everything you said is important, but I think the last quoted part (for me at least) is really crucial. Too often I forget to thank those that have given kindnesses, and too often it's easy for me to dash something off that could, with 30 seconds of thought, be a bit more positive. So this is a little reminder of something to work on