Long Summer
When I last put out one of these newsletters, it was barely June. I definitely hadn’t intended on being quiet for such a long time, but a lot has happened between then and now.
So, here’s a personal catch-up post.
First, I got let go from my job. Being unemployed for a month is never easy, but especially right before the wedding.
Being unemployed has helped me to recognize that I was incredibly burnt out. I wasn’t enjoying my job and, frankly, the one I had before that was in a toxic environment as well. But, having this time to rest and talk through what I really want to do, my skills, etc., has been really helpful.
I realized that burnout has been a pretty consistent issue for me, especially dealing with the harm that can come with being transgender, disabled, and neurodivergent. Laura K Buzz put out a video just this morning highlighting her experience, and it really resonated with me as well.
Thankfully, I’m starting on some paid project work beginning next week.
Having this time off has also been helpful to work on wedding stuff! We’ve got just three weeks to go and a lot of our to-do list is wrapped up — or at least starting to get wrapped up. Plus, I’ve nearly deep-cleaned the entire house in anticipation of guests and the little open house we’re hosting the day after.
Speaking of the wedding, aside from this update, I’ll be taking off the month of September off from newsletter writing to focus on the wedding and my project work. So, the next edition will be coming out in October.
Stay tuned!
Things I Wrote
When People ‘Don't Want Us to Exist’: Chronic Pain and LGBTQ+ Patients
Dawn Gibson: Using Butterflies And Community Support To Navigate Challenging Pain
Highlights of My Work + Quotations
What Else I’ve Been Up To
I talked with actor Sara Ramirez privately about how they found this meme I made last year incredibly relatable. Having that happen the day before I was let go from work made the blow a lot less painful.
I’ve painted and done a little crafting, too!
Oh! And I celebrated the second annual “I survived top surgery despite MCAS trying it’s hardest” day!
I’ve also gotten to spend a lot of time connecting and reconnecting with people after having so much of my time monopolized by work. That’s led to some fun things…
Upcoming Podcast
I’m super excited to share that my college roommate Katy and I are starting a podcast later this year — More Questions Podcast. We’ll be doing deep dives into interesting topics across just about every spectrum, inspired by our late-night conversations in college.
This is replacing my previous podcast, the Spooky Sconnie Podcast, since it feels weird to cover Wisconsin-related issues when I no longer live there. You can learn a little more about More Questions and a lot more about Katy on the most recent episode of Love, Your Strengths with Kyle Johann-Baker.
I promise I’ll share updates around each episode in later editions of this newsletter.
If you have feedback or anything you’d like to share, feel free to reach out to me on social media or by email (all linked here).
Talk to y’all in October!
Grayson