As a kid, I learned to “pause” my true self. School was the pause, and my hobbies, dreams, and passions were the unpause—something I’d rush back to during lunch or after class.
Over time, the pauses got longer. Tiredness and responsibilities crept in, leaving little energy to unpause at the end of some days.
At work, sometimes the pressure and the demands were so relentless that I couldn’t unpause for weeks or months at a time.
Then came marriage, fatherhood, and the joy—and work—of raising a child.
I want my son to get to know the real me but I worry that by the time he is grown I won’t have any “self” to unpause to.
Honestly I can’t remember the last time my life was on “Play.” I’ve been stuck in the same job so long it’s had two name changes and an acquisition since I started. It’s decent money and I can tolerate the work which is largely why I’m still there, because almost everyone I knew when I started has left or been fired. And I’m so afraid that if I leave or get let go I won’t be able to find anything else because the job market’s been absolute dogshit.
I’ve been experimenting with my gender presentation. I did a full body shave and picked up a skirt. I don’t think it’s helped me feel better about my body. I just kind of want to be a brain in a jar or a stuffed animal or something that doesn’t look like a complete pile of shit no matter how it’s dressed up.