Steemit Engagement Challenge, S9W5: "If I were given a chance to be reborn..."

Nobody can tell us how it is to be reborn in real life but millions around the world can tell us how it is to be reborn spiritually.

If I could change one thing by being reborn, what would it be?

It is very difficult to decide what that ONE thing would be that I would change if I had to be reborn, as with growing up, it keeps on changing.

As a child: I wished that I could be born older. I so wanted to have a driving license, and I so wanted to be a truck driver.

As a teenager: I only wanted to change one thing, and that was my legs. I wanted them long and athletic.

As a young adult: I wanted to be picture perfect. Opening the Cosmopolitan made my heart beat faster when I saw all the pretty women. I wanted long, sleek hair, just like the models. I wanted those full, red lips, and I wanted those mysterious eyes.

As a grown woman: I’ve come to the realization that I am content with who I am. There is no longer a need for those red lips and mysterious eyes. I have found myself in my body and in my mind.

If there is one little thing I would like, it would be the experience of being reborn, not as a baby, not as someone else, but as myself. I wonder how it will be.

If I were given a second chance to be born, would I choose to be a man or a woman?

A thought that has never crossed my mind. Make no mistake, I have often thought about those who say, "If only I were a man".

As a child: I can remember how I wanted to be a boy. Oh man, they had so much more fun than our girls. They were not called to bath first; they could visit their friends more often; they were the first to be asked to milk the cows; and most importantly, they never washed dishes.

As a teenager: I discovered who I was as a young lady, and I liked it. Looking back, it might have been those Valentine's chocolates that made me happy.

As a young adult: Hooray! No national service (army) for me. I was content being a woman. A whole new life has just opened for me.

As a grown woman: It was during these years that I often wished that I was a man. Those times when I could not get that jar open, when I wished I could sit after a day’s hard work and ask for coffee, or when there was a leaking tap in the house that no matter how often I asked, just didn't get fixed.

I still would not like to change anything. I am a woman, and I LOVE being a woman.

My thoughts about transgender people changing their destiny?

Life is too short for us to worry about others and judge them. As I often say, "Different strokes for different folks".

What I do know is that they have their reasons for going through all the paperwork for new identities, the pain of operation after operation, and hormone treatment. If it makes them happy, so be it. We have to treat them with respect.

I have met a few transgender people in my life, and they are as normal as you and me. Often soft-spoken, with gratitude, a lot of wisdom, and full of joy.

So often they are those BFFs we all look for.

If I had to register a Steemit account, would I use my real name?

To answer this question, I think it is important to look at the when and the how.

The when
Times are changing. The internet now is not what it was six years ago when I joined Steemit. In those days, it did not matter what name you used; identity theft, hacking, etc. were hardly spoken about. Today, it is a totally different story. People will think twice about signing up with their real names. So would I.

The how
I am proud of who I am, and I have no problem using my real name. However, I think using your real name and surname as a woman on Steemit is silly. Look at me, my surname changed, and now I am stuck with my old surname. So if I had to register an account on Steemit I would still use my real name or part thereof, but I would definitely not use my real surname. It might be, "PatriciaSA," "PattiSA" or even "Patsy007."

Oh my word, why did I not think of using the name "Noblestone" when I signed up in the first place. Patricia means "noble," and Jewell means "stone." That would have been the perfect account name.

I also think that so often, when we sign up, it happens so quickly that we don’t give our name much thought. We forget that we will be stuck with it for a very long time.

This is me, and I am happy with who I am!

I invite:
@nahela @sailawana