getting back to it
where i've been and where i'm goin'
It’s my birthday again! Or at least it was yesterday :)
For the last few months, I have been in a bit of a writing slump. It isn’t that I have been trying to write and unable to make the words come out—if anything it might be the opposite. I have found my life creating a dam around my thoughts which has prevented me from being able to sit down and take some writing time.
The last real thing I published was last May. Really, by my standards, that’s not a hugely long amount of time, but so much has happened in the intervening time.
It’s become my tradition to write something reflective for my birthday at the beginning of the year but I think that’s still coming right now. I think the big thing I need is to just break the seal and get some writing out there again to brighten my heart. So let’s start with this for now!
I’ve mentioned it before, most notably in my essay about my Mercury-Capella talismans, but I have been in a long process of completing my education as an interpreter working between three target languages. In May, I completed that program and started my business working as a freelance interpreter.
The interpreting profession in the USA often follows a process that reminds me of the medieval guild system. We start out our profession as highly supervised apprentices, often providing our services for free with the support of our teachers and mentors. After leaving school, we enter into something like a journeyman position, entering the profession as full practitioners of our craft without supervision—but still with some guardrails on the type of work we can perform. Eventually we find ourselves seasoned and experienced. Achieving the master level, we begin to take on the role of supervising and mentoring the next generations of apprentices.
Last summer I made the huge transition to becoming a journeyman interpreter.
Taking on the next level of my career was a big move for me. I’ve been working towards the qualifications to enter this profession in one way or another for many years and it has felt like a huge relief to finally be able to get after it. Through my experiences so far I’ve been really impressed with myself with the quality of work I have been able to produce and I’ve found so many areas where I still have a lot of room to grow.
Language will always be a big part of how I experience the world but as I begin my interpreter era it’s come more to the forefront than ever before and it’s teaching me a lot about myself. Being an interpreter for me is more than just a job I do, it’s a core piece of how I conceive of my own social role.
On top of that, my partner of nearly 10 years and I got married in October!
I selected our wedding election years ago and I’m really very proud of it. For life-changing events like this the right election really finds you—like I searched a fair bit, yes, but also in a way I kinda didn’t. I’ve certainly worked much harder for much lower stakes elections.
From my vantage point as a queer and trans person, marriage was never something I thought was for me. Many girls spend their early years dreaming about their marriage. It’s not uncommon to meet a woman with no viable partner but a clear idea of what she wants for her wedding, up to the tiniest of details like what kind of neckline she wants for her wedding dress and what cut and carat she wants for her engagement ring.
As far back as I can remember, I tuned out that entire conversation. There are many people who don’t care about weddings and there are equally as many queer people who marriage wasn’t a viable option for and who dreamed about it all the while. I just wasn’t one of them.
When Obergefell v Hodges came down and legalized gay marriage in the US when I was a youngin, I sneered at its assimilationist implications.
But things change as you accumulate more Saturn.
I realized that my beloved Eli, who I had built my entire life with, was someone I wanted to craft my life around. As my life widened it became clear that we would each need each others support in the future and that marriage was the easiest way to guarantee that for each other. I met them when I was barely in my early 20s and we had seen each other through all the phases of young adulthood…it became very obvious what we needed to do.
We arrived at our appointed time, selected years in advance, in late October to the party of my dreams that lasted about two weeks, between all the prep and the endless afterparties. And now, a couple of months later, my spouse and I are still working out our plans for the future and discovering what being married means for us.
I’m looking forward to returning to writing on this blog this year. I have had a lot on my mind and I have some fun projects planned for the future :) It’s been a lovely break and I’m looking forward to what the next phase holds. Last year held many challenges and this year holds many more, but I know that returning to my writing is something my heart and spirit need me to do in the coming year.
Thank you for being here with me,
Shuly Rose
Happy belated birthday, and congratulations! Looking forward to reading more from you ✨