The Grand Flip
Let me take you back to a pivotal moment in my life that changed things forever. I call it ‘the grand flip’ because it really did turn my life upside down. Its October 2014. I diligently save money from my office job to go travelling across the US in late October/Early November for three weeks. I hadn’t been on any holiday overseas since my teenage years, plus I was three years removed from divorce also.
All the tickets were sorted, all the accommodation booked and my itinerary was locked in. I also wasn’t out as trans to the rest of the world, just a few select bunch of people but I was definitely out as queer and proudly so. Travelling on a plane was relatively easy except for the ‘random’ bag checks before departing from Heathrow. In the plane I felt very relaxed, more relaxed than the person sitting by me, who I gently held their hand while we took off.
Arriving in Chicago was an experience, mostly because I was expecting cold weather but it was warm so I took my thick pea coat and went exploring. Caught up with some friends, had some drinks and headed back uptown to where I was staying. The one thing that stuck with me was how ‘no nonsense’ Chicagoans are, but they were very talkative in social situations.
Moving onto Seattle, I fell in love with how green it was! Outside of downtown, there was green trees…absolutely loads of green trees! It felt like I entered a completely different world. I got to spend Halloween with friends, despite trying (and failing) with a pair of cats eye contacts I had an absolute blast dancing and going to a Halloween themed Battle of The Bands in a dive bar.
Travelling from Seattle to Los Angeles via train was a different experience. The trains are huge, so huge you can easily sleep in your seat with comfort. Also I met a whole segment of people while spending a day and half in transit. I met documentary makers, families fleeing from domestic violence and PhD students going to lecture at universities on the west coast. Also the sunset while passing through Santa Barbara was beautiful and I’m glad I caught a picture of it.
Los Angeles is a vast massive sprawl of a city. I spent a good week with friends trying to cover a lot of destinations (Getty Museum, Griffith Observatory, La Brea Tar Pits, Science Museum) but it was mostly spent introducing me to D ’n’ D (Dungeons and Dragons) and finally meeting friends I’ve only spoken to over the Internet which turned out brilliantly.
Travelling home and getting back did give me the blues, however after seeing so much of the world outside the confines of my desk it was inevitable. I saw that I truly wasn’t happy there. I saw that there was more to life than earning a salary, working for so many years and retiring and dying. It opened a journey through light and darkness. Heartache, identity, doubt, questions on questions and a lot more. However it led me to where I am, typing and telling you this story.
That’s enough for now, but I’m sure I’ll tell you more stories about me, but here’s how ‘the grand flip’ began and the many stories that followed.
Until next time, #embraceinfinity
