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Reclaiming Puberty
It’s not complicated, it’s just funny. No matter who you are, adolescence is most likely the worst time of a person’s life. Everyone is awkward in their own way and insecure no matter what their social ranking. What makes adolescence so special is that that we lack the perspective and wisdom it takes to see the bigger picture. My teen years were quite simply, horrible. Necessary to endure, but horrible. Once those days shifted into adulthood, the relief was indescribable.
In 2003, as I began my transition from female to male, puberty reared its ugly head once again. I unwillingly experienced mirror moments of the teen age, physically, mentally and emotionally. Learning to walk the world again in a budding new body and appearance was exciting and grueling. Like a puppy with massive feet stumbling through a world of full grown beings, the choice became clear. Give into the horror and fall or realize how humorous the situation really was. Of course I would have to repeat the worst time of a person’s life in adulthood. Of course.
Reclaiming Puberty is quite simply the story of repeating adolescence as an adult. The moments I longed to experience from the other side became a reality, seven years late.