One story ends, another begins

Another year has gone by, meaning it’s another year where I ramble aimlessly into the WordPress editor to sum up my experiences in this year. Admittedly that’s pretty on brand, considering the title of my blog, and I feel there is actually a lot more to say than my last one of these posts.

2022 was an absolutely jam-packed year for me, in that I decided fairly early on in the year to place a brick on top of the accelerator and then decided to not take that brick off at any point. In this year I have:

• Moved out of the family home and into my own, independent space
• Left my old gaming quality assurance job and moved into a very exciting field with an amazing company
• Took major medical steps in my transition, to the point that at the end of the year my hormone levels are where they’re supposed to be 7 months into my treatment
• Simultaneously made great advances in my social transition, experimenting with feminine things I had never considered prior to this year
• Realised I had someone to love incredibly close to me, and despite many fears and paranoias, work to develop a relationship with them
• Had my most successful year to date with Rosalia’s Rambles, putting out 13 stories, some of which I would consider my best work

However, for all these massive achievements, I have also had my fair share of troubles this year:

• During the middle of summer this year I finally succumbed to COVID-19 and got hit hard by it, to the point I was struggling with long COVID for the better part of two months after finally testing negative
• My hormone treatment, whilst beneficial, has completely turned my energy levels and emotional capacity onto its head, leading to days where I’m scrambling to find energy or sobbing over nothing
• Asserting myself as the transgender woman I want to be has placed strain on some of my interpersonal relationships, the effects of which I will likely be navigating through all of 2023
• And whilst this has been my most successful year of Rambles, including taking two paid commissions for the first time, I end this year having suffered a major creative burnout and loss of engagement with my main source of inspiration

Despite this though? I keep moving forward. There’s no way I can be stopped now, I’ve come so far and done so much to not give up now. I’ve fought for my place in this world and have waived my right to be forgotten, because living as myself for the majority of this year has shown me how beautiful life is.

I said in last year’s post that I wanted Rambles to become a celebration of who I am, about being a trans woman who wants to inspire others. My stories and personal writings reflect this, and every triumph and every setback is part of my personal story collection now.

And as one story ends in 2022, another story begins in 2023.

I will continue to create, my desire to tell stories might be smouldering, but like the phoenix it will always come back, however long it takes.

Every new achievement, and every new hurdle will become a part of this story, letting me continue to write my place in this world and provoke inspiration through my writing.

What will I write about? Who knows! My primary inspiration might have flickered, but there are always stories that need telling. And I’ll be here to tell them as and when they come to me.

Thanks for sticking by me through this year, see you all in the next ❤