Number 36

Enemy of the State

Things I have been in my life:

• 1. a seal. (at my end of the year kindergarten celebration)
• 2. a beer can collector. (it was the mid 70's, and every kid in the neighborhood was doing it)
• 3. a regular church goer. (I won a prize for being the first 3rd grader to recite the Lord's Prayer from memory)(not to mention, as an adult, being in numerous church choirs; a member of a few committees; chairperson of a few others; Sunday school coordinator; member of the church's governing board; as well as a youth group director)
• 4. a kid who delivered newspapers. (Sundays sucked)
• 5. a kid who worked in a grocery store.
• 6. an elementary school teacher. (I have spent time teaching every grade K - 6)
• 7. a life guard. (every summer of my undergraduate years)
• 8. a neuropsychological assistant. (I was a small cog in an epilepsy surgery program that worked to eliminate the seizures our patients were experiencing)
• 9. a husband. (for 22 years, until my wife passed)(we worked hard to build and sustain a home)
• 10. a father. (hi Emma, hi Grace)(my children are well-behaved, hardworking, and engaged in the world - they work hard to make the world a better place)
• 11. an engaged United States citizen. (I always strive to be an informed voter)
• 12. a home owner. (Rebecca and I bought our homes the old-fashioned way - a large mortgage payment every month)
• 13. a yard worker. (seriously girls, would it have hurt you to help out a little bit?)
• 14. a dog owner. (every Saturday, pick up the yard, pick up the dog doo, hope that it's hard)
• 15 a fan of my teams. (go Bucks, go Cubs)
• 16. a mission trip coordinator/participant. (the most memorable time was rebuilding homes in south Florida after hurricane Andrew)
• 17. a person who is polite and well-behaved. (as a kid, I had a friend's mom ask me to teach her son manners)
• 18. a person who keeps my walkways clear of snow and ice.
• 19. a member of my college's swim team. (not to mention being a team member of various soccer, softball, and volleyball teams throughout my life) 
• 20. a musician (notice I refrained from using the word "talented")

In other words, my life has been a lot like everyone else's. I am so ordinary that if you cut me open white bread comes out! I try to get along with others. I don't like to make other people uncomfortable, and I am rarely confrontational. I've never been arrested, and I've only been cited by the police three times in my life (twice for speeding, once for going through the intersection after the light went red). I take turns, look out for others, and when I remember, I'll occasionally buy coffee for the person behind me in line.

However, earlier this year I did something so heinous and dangerous, that I risked the downfall of my country. I declared that I was a trans woman. 

• 21. an enemy of the state