One Year?

My plan today was to do laundry, clean house and go grocery shopping. But I’m here at my phone instead. Okay, well laundry is running. I’m not a complete lump 🤦🏻‍♀️

It’s been a year. Right!?!

For me, I’ve been reflecting a bit of late because, in a way, I’m sort of “celebrating.” This is my “anniversary” of sorts. Not exactly a “Cake Day,” [a Reddit term] as I honestly can’t tell when exactly I started this Substack. I just know it was “about now.”

My first actual publication date for an Article is January 8, 2025. However, I “lurked” for a bit first ☺️

When I started, “about a year ago,” I had a mission: to try my damnedist to counter the incessant anti-trans hate. See, when my father disowned me after I came out to him, I tried my best to “humanize myself” to him, and trans people in general. However, he recoiled from that prospect as much as he recoiled from me. That’s when it hit me, his flat out refusal to even see “us,” and the effect of his revulsion, gave me my mission.

When I started this Substack, I told myself, “If I can get 30 Subscribers, well, that’s the size of a classroom.”  I even dared to dream of 250 to 300; the size of a college lecture class.

I never ever conceived of this 🥰

A year later and I have 5.2K+ Subscribers 😱

With that, I have the pleasure of “talking” with you each day via my “platform” and it’s been, for me, an absolutely amazing experience, despite the year we are all collectively experiencing.

I’ve been extremely lucky. It’s been a true pleasure to have met each of you. You, and the community you’ve built here - that we’ve built here together - has truly, despite the “madness,” been the best year of my life 🥰

Thank you ALL so so much ❤️

As for my reflections? Well, now that I’m “a year old,” I have many 🥺

My “most important” takeaway right now, as I get ready to take “us” on the radio, is to spend a lot more time reflecting first, and “in the moment,” so as to have fewer “not good, Samantha, not good” reflections at the end of year two.

In year one, I was “winging it” 🤷🏻‍♀️

Year two is about getting better at communicating “the mission” ☺️

Thank you for bearing my growing pains. I’ve said some really stupid shit this year and you’ve stuck by me and given me grace despite it. I’ve learned more than a few lessons from some specific Subscribers, many other Substack content creators, and the Substack community at large [honestly far too many to mention, Substack is a spectacular community with vast stores of knowledge and love 💕].

I appreciate your patience and perspectives. I grow through all of you.

Hopefully, I’ve also entertained and informed you back ☺️

I really do love you all 💕

And now I’m crying.

LFG!! 🥹

Samantha