Remember Who You Are

I had a really amazing weekend for lots of reasons really.  When I decided to leave my job one of the last things I did was to book myself a night away in Wanaka, which is a gorgeous cliche alpine lake town in New Zealand.  I bought tickets to see one of my favorite musicians play with the sole intention of doing something entirely for my own enjoyment. 

It had probably been a few years since I went to a gig that I actually REALLY wanted to be at, so I drove up from my hometown with a friend.  

Stopped and visited some friends I hadn't seen in years, and had great chats in the Arrowtown sunshine.  Arrowtown is a super scenic former gold mining town, surrounded by cliffs and with a cute river running through it. 

Finally arrived in Wanaka, a bit later than I expected, checked into a nice hotel room that was probably less nice than I was expecting. 

Drank wines, chatted, did my makeup, got on a cute outfit and filled with anxiety went out.

It's always nerve wracking going out in new places, there's always the lingering threat of transphobic douchebags. And I am always hyper vigilant.

But anyway I actually had so many nice moments, girls in the bathroom complimenting my outfit, super wasted girls telling me they love me... Yknow the kind of wasted hype squad we all need occasionally. 

The security staff saying have a nice night girls when we walked past was nice little gender affirming euphoria. 

Dancing lots, which I'm generally too self conscious to do, but somehow opiuo always manages to get me to have a boogy. 

All the fantastic chats with my friend, random strangers, and the kinda blurry messes that happen by 2am.

A deep and meaningful with a stranger whose friends looked thoroughly over the fact that I had her captivated too long. 

And the inevitable freezing cold walk back to the hotel at 4am.

But all of these things reminded me that I actually love that stuff, I love meeting new people and having those huge chats, I love those nights that turn into days, and I really haven't done any of that in so long. 

At least not on my own terms, it's always gigs to support other people. 

It's Wednesday, and I still feel the afterglow. 

So remember, do the things you love, with the people you love, and do them as often as you can.