She used to be man

I was interested today from what one of my colleagues said. I work in an office where there are three of us girls and one male colleague in the office and there is a workshop in which fourteen men work. One of the girls partner works in the workshop. 

Over the weekend she had mentioned to her partner that he should give his mother more time as she was getting on a bit (in her seventies) which sparked a conversation about me. Although I do not admit to it, I am also in my seventies (shhh mid-seventies) and the girl said how different I was from her partner’s mother. She never thought of me as any different from her own age, (late forties) and how I was busy doing things getting on with life, driving 150 miles a day etc, etc.

What interested me was her partner’s response. “Well it is different, she used to be a man”. This was not said in anyway to be offensive. It was an observation that men age better than women and of course I would have more get up and go.

I have been thinking about that statement. To him it was quite clear cut…..”she used to be a man”. Simple men are a superior species. 

My observation over the years has been that what I see as premature ageing is prevalent in both sexes. I know many men who seem ancient in their early sixties hanging in at work waiting for retirement and then going down a gentle downhill slope…old before their time.

Is it different for me? Is he right? It was so straightforward that was the reason. It did get me thinking. I don’t feel I have ever been a man and that for want of a better way of putting it there has always been a hormonal imbalance. I have never been a man’s man full of testosterone taking on the world. Yes I am on oestrogen and my body has changed significantly, more easily than I would have expected and I would suggest that how I am now is more to do with the oestrogen than having previously been a man. As with many women, HRT has kept me young avoiding physical and psychological changes in more mature women.

However I do not think the difference is one of biological sex. I think the difference between being able to stay young at heart and active is essentially in the mind and holding a positive attitude.

The same person who made the comment also recently said (please forgive the forthright language ) “the only person in this company with any balls is going to get rid of them”. How confusing it must be for him. I feel he has no concept of what being transgender is like. Why should he? I am just lucky I am accepted completely by him whatever his thoughts on the matter.