Easter Sunday - A look backwards. (A short post)

 

By the time you read this, Easter should be a memory.  Yet, I find important to note that RQS and I both got dressed in our nice dresses and attended church for a change.  What I found interesting is how things have changed since we were children decades ago.  Men and women would put on their Sunday finest, and wear many of the same clothes that they could be decked out in before they were buried.  Today, people are much more informal, and we saw quite a few people wearing jeans in the church.

Is this bad?

Not really.  As much as I like getting dressed up for social functions, I appreciate the informality of the current age. We are much more socially relaxed now than in the 1950's when we were born.  (Politics is just as divisive, save that society is much more polarized today.  Who'd have dreamed that the Orange Snowflake would normalize hatred, anger, and nihilism among members of his cult and hijack one of the two political parties in the USA?  But I digress.)  When I watch videos of old game shows, I often see women in evening gowns and men in "dinner suits" (Tuxedos) as panelists for shows such as "I've got a secret" and What's my line?"  Today, with the exception of summer casual wear, it's uncommon to find women wearing dresses or skirts.  We have become a much more equal society than the one we were born into.

There are many among us who'd return us to the 1950's and the "Red Scare" era.  People would blacklist others, keeping them from gainful employment if they didn't toe the party line and hate communism with a passion.  Any defense of people holding contrary views were to be shunned.  Over time, we saw that the Red Scare was way overblown. Many lives were ruined because of our national fear.  Yet, we overcame that fear and moved forward to our current era where people again have lost faith in our institutions and civil norms.  We have overcome our fears before as a society and will do so again.

The message of Easter is a message of redemption and of life.  Let's hope we can remember it while we struggle to go about our daily lives.

Our Viper Holiday (420 Day) falls on Easter Sunday this year.

 

Those of you who know me know that I am moderate in my vices.  Although I have partaken in Snoop Dogg's favorite "Medicine", I am far from being a Viper like Snoop and Willie Nelson.  With maybe a couple of exceptions, the last time I partook of the the wonderful herb was in 1983.  Yet, I have always been a strong advocate for its legalization, and am glad that I can get it legally (according to New York State) in a convenient dispensary near me.

One year, the Transgender Day of Remembrance fell on Easter Sunday, and then the GOP hypocrites condemned President Biden for recognizing the Transgender community.  These are the same jerks who tried to deny the American public the right to enjoy the mind altering substance of their choice while smoking their "Tea" in private.  There is something they don't like about other people having the same freedoms that they want to reserve for themselves.

I can't say too much for the intelligence of the average MAGAloon.  Like many people, they aren't able to articulate why they support the conservative movement in this country, nor can they justify their beliefs with objective evidence.  I'll admit that the person in the above linked discussion is likely an uneducated person who follows their political and religious leaders without question.  Even when I was in therapy, my therapist would argue against the legalization of cannabis while smoking it in private.  Like many in the conservative movement, there is a blatant inconsistency in his reasoning that offended me; and I was glad to end my therapy sessions when he retired.

Although I doubt that I will partake of any cannabis on Easter, I will be glad that we are no longer putting people in jail in my state for enjoying their smoke of choice.  Hopefully, it will soon be legal in all 50 states, so that no one need worry about being arrested for illegal possession if they cross state lines.

On Easter, some people must be blind

The above picture was taken on Easter, when I drove an hour to get together with the Fun Time Friends.  The fellow in the picture went out of his way to get another picture taken with me.  I wonder what he sees, and I wonder what's on his mind.  But, if he were to invite me out, I'll politely decline.  I'll make up some story about seeing some gentleman near me that I've known from childhood, and hope that he backs off.

- - - - - -

This is the first time that I've looked into a picture taken by someone else and started to see something resembling a feminine form.  The more I live a good deal of my life as a woman, the more that I'll experience both the good and bad sides of what cisgender women experience every day.  Sometimes, it can be something as simple as having to wait for a restroom stall to free up.  And at other times, it may be something as risky as having to be on a poorly lit street waiting for a bus to come by.  There are so many good and bad scenarios I can think of, that I won't even try to make a list of them here.

One thing I can say when I look at my face in the picture is that this is the face of a confident woman. In a sense, I can understand why the ex girlfriend broke up the relationship - she was afraid of what this path of life would do to me.  When given a choice between courage and fear, I chose courage while she chose fear.  But enough of her already, as I mention her only in passing.

Does the above picture of me show someone who can exude confidence?  I'm not sure, but it is the picture of a person who hasn't yet developed her own style.  Over the past 8 years, I know what I want to look like when I go out the door, and I know what I need to look like to blend in with other women.  Yes, I've made a hell of a lot of mistakes to get to where I am in life.  But, in certain ways, I feel better now than I did a decade ago.  (This is not true in all areas of my life.  It is my growth as Marian that is helping to give Mario reasons to have hope.)

As I like to say, when the Easter Bunny brings you some eggs, make sure that you ask:

Chicken Eggs or Cadbury Eggs?

And then act accordingly....