Friday, September 5, 2014

Nature and Pride

June started with a 50K with my other best friend.  After a harsh winter and long spring, seeing greenery was so welcome!  This race, unlike most that start in the morning, started in the afternoon.  And since I was running with my friend, who is slower than I am, that meant we'd be running in the dark.  So we enjoyed the daylight as much as possible!

I'm trying to remain anonymous here so I can feel free to be open and honest (very few people in real life know about this blog), but here is a partial picture of me, in front of some trees:

We wound up finishing just before midnight, and had an amazing time.  We were singing on the trails, a la Weird Al, laughing, and having a great time.  Which was great because she got injured during the run, so I lost one of my favorite running partners while she rehabs and gets better.

The next day, I did a Beer Run -- about 2 miles with 4 mandatory beer stops -- though since I'd run a 50K the day before, it was a Beer Walk for me.  And I didn't officially finish since all of my friends were faster and ran back to the last beer stop to find me.  So it's taken me over 3 months to finish so far!

 
I ran into a guy I'd dated the previous year, which was a little uncomfortable, but we chatted and had a nice afternoon.  And then I had to leave because it was PRIDE!!!

One of the most amazing parts of my new beginning is the new friends that I've made.  Thomas was a loner sociopath who was isolating me.  I didn't realize it at the time, and I'm not so sure he did, either.  In any case, when he cheated and I left (well, he left first, for his mom-clone mistress, but then he wanted me back and I declined), that meant I didn't have a lot of friends.  Luckily my acquaintances understood, and became my friends.

Among my new-found friends is my coworker who, along with his husband, have welcomed me with open arms into the gay community.  Through them, I've made other life-long friends and had what has, so far, been the summer of my life.

My best friend and I went down to the gay pride parade, and it seemed like we were friends with half of the people there!
Then, we went out to dinner and had pie.  It was great.

I am so happy that I live in a time where people are more and more accepting of gay people.  I have two gay siblings, and it used to worry me -- that they would face discrimination, or mean-spirited people, be beat up, etc.  My mom broke down in tears when my sister came out because she was worried about what the future held for her, thinking of Laramie.  But now?  With all of the progress that has been made in the past few years?  There still is room for improvement, but I am so heartened for my friends who are reaping the benefits of those who came before.  There were so many people celebrating at pride! 

That my coworker and his husband had a wedding and invited everyone we worked with (he hid the fact that he was gay for the first 10 years he worked there since we work at a very conservative company in a very conservative industry.)  That so many coworkers came and celebrated.  That I didn't hear a single negative remark about it.  That so many people said it was the most fun wedding they'd ever attended.

This was just the beginning of an amazing summer.

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