And so ends a great weekend...

            I really don’t mind train rides. I’d mind it less if my back weren’t killing me but that’s life. I’ll get over it. I got the opportunity to go down and visit my sister for a couple of days. Friday was travel day and we went to go see Eric Church. AMAZING show. If you get the opportunity to go, take it. Saturday was a day of food and staying out of the rain. Of course this included things like happy hour and television. Clearly we live on the edge.

           

Our television day was successful. We watched Scandal and so many episodes of Modern Family it was insane. Of course we watched the most recent Grey’s Anatomy episode and spent a good amount of time yelling at the television set because of it. We also watched the Bruce Jenner interview. That… That was interesting.

           

            I will admit, until I watched Keeping Up With The Kardashians I had never heard of him. Maybe the name came up but he was not someone I knew. Once the show started he quickly became my favorite character and I learned a few things about him. That’s why when this interview was first talked about months ago, I didn’t believe it. I thought it was either A – a publicity stunt or B – the tabloids are evil. Many guys have long hair. I’ve seen many guys have painted nails. Nothing surprises me anymore and I took the “let him do what he wants to do” approach to the situation. When my MOTHER (yes, mother) told me he got his Adam’s apple reduced I thought it was a little strange. Again, let him do his thing. Maybe there was a health problem.

            When this interview was aired I was at the Eric Church concert so I did not get to see it live. I heard that 17 million people did so I knew it had to be good. Bruce Jenner was everywhere Saturday morning and we were quickly drawn in. My older sister does not usually get involved with information like this but even she couldn’t look away from the television. This once great athlete, the best in the world, was identifying as a woman. He is going to go through a process to actually become the woman he has always been inside.

            The hardest part for my sister was knowing that he was once this world-class athlete and now he is a woman. I’ll give it to her, it is hard to wrap your head around it if it doesn’t apply to you and/or you don’t know anyone going through that situation. Me? It all made sense. I made the comment (don’t judge), “Of course! He would be a woman!”

            The decathlon is one of the most intense athletic competitions a man can put his body through. The training is intense. You have to be a “manly man” to compete. If Bruce Jenner was confused about being a woman, pulling off a win in the decathlon would be a huge way to try to convince himself that he is just a man. Kind of like, “only the manliest of men can compete in this event. If I win, I must be the manliest man ever!”

            Athletics has a history of presenting that kind of thinking. To do some sports or some events, the thought is you have to be a genuine guys guy. You have to be tough. Once that mentality is created the athlete can do nothing but support it if he wants to be accepted or even successful. If Bruce had any thoughts that he might be a woman they had to be quieted somehow. Training for the decathlon and winning was his attempt to silence everything.

            I feel like you see this a lot in sports. It’s an arena where men are supposed to be men and women are supposed to be women. The sports are separate and the training varies on intensity. To make it big, you have to be the best of your sex. It’s hard. If you are having issues with who you truly are sports are a great way to try to quiet those issues and to put your focus & determination into something else. In saying that I guess Bruce Jenner’s secret isn’t too surprising.

            I’ll support Bruce. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him… For Her.

            Also, what was with the huge shock of him being a Republican?! Sure Diane Sawyer can accept him really being a her but the fact he’s a Republican shocked her to her core.

            You go, Bruce! I might just be a nobody in Northern Virginia, but I’ve got your back!