ONE MILLION VIEWS!!! ONE MILLION VIEWS!!! ONE MILLION VIEWS!!! ONE MILLION VIEWS!!! ONE MILLION VIEWS!!! ONE MILLION VIEWS!!! ONE MILLION VIEWS!!!

just since June of 2020! I'm honored and humbled...thank you to all those who have found some small value in my efforts!

I used to envy those with a million views but now it actually happened. I have no idea how many individual people it takes to get to ONE MILLION VIEWS, but I want to thank each and every one of you for achieving this milestone! (6.20.21)***

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LIFE IS A STRANGE AND SOMETIMES WONDERFUL THING. SERENDIPITY HAPPENS.

NOTE ON MY PHOTOS: While almost all of my pictures were taken indoors, I have gone out into the real world in every outfit shown in my photostream. I depend on the camera to show me what I look like, and not the mirror, because unlike the mirror, the camera doesn't lie :-)

I seek kindness, intelligence, humanity.

I am white, 67 years in 2020, a non-smoker, and 6'4" in my stockings. I have been dressing for years and have made it my goal to live in the real world as Diana. Despite being quite tall and not a tiny thing by any means, I am very glad, and very grateful to say that I have achieved that goal. I have been living full-time as Diana since January of this year, and every day is filled with a serenity and gratitude I had never known before. (If you like, read the dated UPDATES below to track how that decision came about.)

Even though I am quite tall (taller than you, especially when I wear heels), I am comfortable in and accepted by the world at large. I go wherever women go, I do whatever women do. I wake up as Diana, I put on my clothes and makeup, I shop for groceries, I run my errands, I go to my part-time job, as Diana. Even though I am retired, and even though the pandemic closed the world down shortly after I transitioned, my life, and heart, are fuller now than they ever have been.

Fuller, but not complete. There is one thing missing from my life, and that is Someone Special to share it with. I have to confess that starting and maintaining this Flickr page is largely in the hope that that Someone will find it, reach out, and perhaps share a bit of magic with me. It hasn't happened yet, but I know it's not impossible, and isn't that the definition, after all, of hope?

I should add that I do not limit my search to men; I would love to have a close relationship with another mature transgender who shares my philosophy regarding dress and comportment. And I would also like to take a handmaiden into My service--a properly dressed transgender servant to keep My house, cook My meals, assist with My dress, and generally be of service to Me.

But should that Someone be a man, then he should know that I am an old-fashioned kind of girl and quite traditional in my manner. I enjoy reading Miss Manners every day and I regard the exhibition of courtesy--simple human courtesy--as the hallmark of the civilized person. I like it when a man holds the door, engages in good conversation, has good manners. A gentleman, in other words, as the complement to the lady I am.

I live in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

2.9.21

VALIDATION CONFIRMED

In the update below, dated 8.16.20, I talked about validation. Well, something happened to me today that is a wonderful example of it

I usually shop at a fairly large grocery store in my neighborhood, and I often stop at the Deli counter to pick up some chicken or a sandwich or some such. Today I asked for some roasted chicken, and as the attendant behind the counter was boxing it up, she said, "I have a compliment for you. There are two ladies who come in here who are always very nicely dressed...you and one other. You are just beautiful and always dressed so nice...even down to the color of your nails."

Well! There was more, but as one might imagine, I was deeply flattered and I told her so. " Oh, thank you...that means so much to me!" I said. "I'm so tall that I decided a long time ago that I could try to hide it, or I could work with it and say 'Here I am.'" She smiled and agreed. We exchanged names and a few more pleasantries and I went on with my shopping.

Of course, I had to second-guess the whole thing. Because I have been shopping there at least twice a month, did someone realize that I'm transgender, and share it at with the rest of the employees, so this one was actually patronizing me? I don't know, and never will, but as most of one's happiness depends entirely on how one frames experience, I have decided to take her very welcome compliment as just that, and enjoy the warmth, on this coldest day of the past year, of her validation.

4.29.21

DIANA'S PHILOSOPHY: On Being Tall and "Passing"

I get a bit frustrated with the lament, "I'm too tall to pass". I am bigger (size 13 shoe) and taller (6'4") than literally 99-point-something percent of the people on the planet--taller than anyone so far on this thread. Yet I live full-time as Diana and never have a problem in public. I go anywhere I want or need to--including the ladies' rooms in stores and gas stations in the reddest parts of the country--and the world just ignores me. No one bats an eye. I'm just a (very tall) senior lady going about her business.

You're tall. OK, fine. That's only a problem if you make it a problem. The keys are close attention to detail, comportment, body-shaping (don't even think about not padding your hips, or you won't pass, no matter how good your clothes, hair, and makeup), and CONFIDENCE. If you think you're not passing, you won't. If you think people are looking, they will. If you think you're a man in a dress in a place you shouldn't be, you are.

Practice, make mistakes, learn from them, practice, make mistakes, learn from them--again and again. Yes, it's a lot of work, but it's the only way to figure out how to counter the elements of your physical shell that keep you from an acceptably female image.,

By the way, I never use the word "passing". No one passes, not all the time in all situations. I instead use the phrase "in public successfully". It's a little unwieldy, and not as concise as "passing", but much closer to the truth. All photos on Flickr, including mine, are carefully curated to give the best possible image; in real life, no one (I repeat) passes perfectly all the time, in all situations.

If I can do it, anyone can!

8.16.20

DIANA'S PHILOSOPHY: The Search for Validation.

I was asked by a new online friend recently to tell him "what I'm looking for." This is a common question, and it's usually, really, just a dog-whistle for "what are your kinks?" But this time I think that he was sincerely interested to know, and so I responded with this: "I can sum up 'what I'm looking for' in one word: validation. After many years I have come to the conclusion that validation of who we are is what we are all looking for. It's more powerful than the desire for love, money, power, or sex. All of those are just manifestations of the need to be validated; for the whole world, or just that one important person, to say, "I see you, the real you, and it's good."

DIANA'S PHILOSOPHY: The Fragility of Definition

There seems to be a lack of consensus on what it means to be "transgender". I have discovered that for some it can ONLY be applied to those who have had surgery or are on hormones. I have chosen to do without either (for reasons of cost and underlying medical risk), but I absolutely consider myself to be transgender. Once I transitioned to living full-time as Diana, I am only Diana--at work, at home, shopping for groceries or clothes, to my family and friends--and that makes me transgender. I live as a woman, and I deal with life only as a woman; I no longer have the safety net of white male privilege to fall back on. What is between my legs or under my skin or in my bloodstream matters not in the least. I am Diana.

UPDATE 3.28.20

On January 18 I transitioned to living full-time as Diana. It has been about 10 weeks now and--except for a global pandemic--it has all been wonderful! The support has been incredible, and I am truly living the dream. There have been challenges, of course, almost daily, but I meet them as Diana, and only as Diana.

Several people have said things like, "you should have done this years ago", but I have to disagree with them. Yes, I'm well into my senior years, but for many reasons I know in my soul that I wasn't ready until now. Of course I wish there were fewer lines in my face and that the sagging parts would somehow defy gravity, but I can't do anything about that. The world accepts me as a (very tall), nicely dressed older woman--even the increasingly large part of the world that knows I used to be a man. And I am thrilled with that.

Life is good, and I wake up every day with gratitude for this one more day as this person--this woman--I am now.

UPDATE 12.15.19

The last hurdle has been cleared. I have made my decision. I will begin living full-time as Diana, hopefully by the end of January 2020. It's a huge decision, of course, but in many important ways, not that difficult a one. I have been rehearsing for this moment my entire life, and now all the pieces are in place.

No more furtiveness, no more hiding, no more fear of being "found out". Just Diana, a real person in the real world.

UPDATE 11.30.19

Last month I went on a road trip through Pennsylvania and western New York, full-time as Diana. Two weeks, 1500 miles, never in a shred of male clothing. I had no problems and was accepted everywhere I went: stores, gas stations, truck stops, museums, and national parks. The world handed me the best possible compliment: I was ignored, just another nicely dressed older lady (albeit a tall one!) going about her business.

Yes, it was just as wonderful as might be imagined, and I can't wait to do it again...possibly down through Texas the first two weeks of January 2020.

In fact, the trip was so successful that I am giving serious consideration to going full-time. When one gets to a certain age, one has to ask oneself, "If not now, when?" I think that possibly "when" may be close at hand. It would not be easy, but I can see a path, difficult as it may be, towards that goal.

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I hope you've stayed with me through this somewhat lengthy profile. If it (or my photos) has piqued your interest, then please feel free to reach out.

Diana

PS: I am sorry, but smoking is something I just can't tolerate. And I am not interested in hotel dates. I fully understand the need for them, for those who must be discreet, but I am a grown woman, and those days, thank Goddess, are behind me.

ADDENDUM:

Chat rooms and digital communication can be frustrating, so I think it may only be right to let you know why I may not respond should you reach out to me.

If your profile is blank--no photo, no content or very little content--I will probably not respond, and indeed will block you. To not include a recognizable picture of yourself on your profile is understandable; many people are reluctant to post images of themselves. But no picture, as well as no words, gives one very little incentive to want to know you better.

If your first greeting is nothing more than some kind of brief, crude comment, even if it's intended to be complimentary ("hey, babe", "Daddy likes", "ur sexy"), I will probably not respond.

If you show a fondness for text speech, I will probably not respond. It takes just a fraction of a second to spell "you", or "are" or "know".

If your profile says, "If you have questions, just ask." I probably won't respond. This puts the burden of finding out about you on the reader, and why should they care? If you're willing to share information about yourself if one asks, then why not take the trouble and the few minutes to put it on your profile?

Perhaps I seem like too much of a fussy school marm to you; if so, we're probably not a good match. But if you understand the value of clear communication, and have something to say, I would love to hear from you!