Perception is reality?

• Posted by Caroline Brookes March 5, 2016 1,813 views
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  I'm having a lazy Saturday afternoon. Cup of coffee at hand and a jam doughnut that has just dripped it's insides down the front of a new blouse.

  The reason behind my lazy day is because I went on a "lads" night out last evening. I'm just not able any more! The headache is slowly subsiding now and I'm starting to feel more like myself.

   

  The reason I ask the open ended question of perception is reality?....is because something happened last night that both filled my heart with gladness and also made me feel a bit disappointed with myself.

   

  There were 6 of us. All good friends from ages ago, schooldays, so we know one another pretty well.

  The beer was flowing, we were having a laugh and a joke and exchanging stories as old friends do.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw a beautiful girl in red enter the bar. She was with another girl. I pretty much knew right away that the girl in red was trans. That didn't stop me admiring how glamourous and beautiful she looked from head to toe. Her height, facial features and hand size were the tell tale signs that said to me that she was trans.

  The girl she was with was obviously a GG. She too was stunning, but in a different way. I smiled as I saw them head to the bar and place an order for drinks. I've done this myself when all glammed up on a few occasions and always wonder if eyes are looking and trying to decide what I am or am not.

  On this occasion I was happy to admire the girl for just going out and doing real life things and not caring what others felt. I am in the same boat when out and about.

  That was till one of my so called friends spotted the girl in red at the bar and announced "Hey, that's a tranny over there!"

  "So what, she's just having a drink with a pal" I said and turned back to the lads conversation.

  My friend wouldn't let it go though and elbowed a couple of our friends and pointed with his pint saying "tranny!" I suppose I must have been thinking the same thing but without wanting to announce it to the whole bar. Of course both my own and my friend's perception may have been entirely wrong. The girl in red may have been a GG, but I doubt it.

   

  As none of my friends are aware of my own "hobby", I didn't want to get into to too much of a debate about it and in reality, I wanted to knock my mates head off because of his ignorance.

  I reminded him that he was bordering on hate crime if he persisted and we wouldn't be bailing him out. The girl was just out for a drink, so leave her alone.

  Luckily something trivial came up in conversation and my "friend" was drawn away.

   

  As we left the bar, I felt disappointed with myself for not being more vocal against my friend's obvious ignorance and perhaps even my own.

  In my friend's mind, his perception is reality and is as simple as black and white or sea and sky. We here all know that perception is not always reality.