Well, let’s see. I had tea with some lovely ladies at a little place in Hurst. Now, you wouldn’t think me a tea kinda person, but it’s nice to do something different. Plus the food was good!

Afterward I drove to the wilds of Frisco to Stonebriar Centre Mall. It’s not an exceptional mall, but it’s got a good vibe to it, an attached Barnes & Noble, and some decent shopping. When the spouse told me I should forage for dinner (she was running late), I went to the Galleria and tried a little sushi place by Macy’s.

Little Katana is a satellite of the main restaurant on Knox, with a limited but decent menu. Their miso soup lacks, but the rolls were good, and a cold Sapporo helped.  Afterward, a stop at Sephora to blow a discount coupon (I’m sad, I know), stop for Starbucks and on the way home. After getting through a huge jam on the Tollway due to a wreck; Dallas has real problems with traffic control after accidents.

I was out for about ten hours today. My makeup was starting to get a little rough (though the make up artist at Sephora I was chatting with said I was holding up really well), my feet hurt, and I feel great. I went to two large malls on a Saturday afternoon/evening, walked among large crowds, shopped, interacted with people. And got no negative reactions. No odd looks, nobody doing double takes. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the most “passable” person. Not that that matters to me. I believe you can only be the best you you are. But I dressed nicely, acted like an adult, was confident in who I was and that I belonged there. And I was treated like just another woman.

When I hear someone tell me how they wish they could go out, I remember how I used to be. Intensely scared. Nervous. Anxious that someone would out me. And it never happened. Yes, I had some negative reactions, but as I became more comfortable going out those disappeared.

You can do this.