Gaining Independence

We all need to be Independent

Happy Independence Day everybody!

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most patriotic person.  Many people would say that I'm unpatriotic, but these are generally the type of people with a can of bud in one hand and a sparkler i the other that are screaming out "'Merica!" at the top of their lungs (or the type of people that believe rolling tanks down the streets of our capital is patriotic!).  But while I don't feel it's necessary to celebrate the birth of our nation, I do love celebrating independence.  What ever that independence is from and whatever you had to do to gain that independence, gaining independence is so worth celebrating.

So in that vein, I've been thinking about this cap for awhile now.  It's more introspective than many of my caps and could probably be classified as a 'therapy' post/cap.  You see, while I'll never be beautiful, let alone never be as beautiful as the woman in this cap, I feel beautiful on the inside.  The more I look inside and accept what I'm seeing and feeling, and the more I translate that acceptance into being... well, the more independent I grow.  I don't look down at masculinity as a whole.  In fact, there are times where I still feel completely masculine.  It's just that I no longer feel forced to feel that way just because I was born with a penis between my legs.  I can be loving and sweet and emotional and feminine, no matter what my body says on the outside.

And that's an independence that I will truly treasure and celebrate!

Now, I want each and every one of you out there to note the tense I write this in as it was a very deliberate choice.  I am NOT independent of all these things.  I am GAINING independence from these things.  I don't believe my journey to full independence will ever be fully over.  I imagine myself sitting back in a retirement home in my old age and still pondering how I'm continuing to grow independent of society's grasp.

So, I hope you can all celebrate your own Independence Day, whether you're honoring your country's or your own independence.




Oh yea... I found this image, as ever, at fuskator.  And boy, it was hard to select just a single image from this set!