The Things I Love Need to be Better

This will be the last book in my series with Doodle. It is the seventh one and written at the end of my transition. My SRS was done in Thailand last year. I am surrounded by the most steadfast of friends, and I am finally very pleased to be me. The impetus for the book was two tennis matches in which my opponents were incredibly rich white women who decided to take it upon themselves to express how distasteful it was to be in the company of a transgender person. Just to be near me seemed to be more than they could bear. Perhaps their reasons were religiously motivated or MAGA related, or just due to the fact they did not play tennis well and had to have a place to put their frustration. The events made me painfully aware of the quality of my friendships. It helped me remember that the word "teammate" is powerful with extensive layers to it. There are teammates that are just friends that are enjoyable to play ball with, but there are "teammates" that can make you feel completely safe even if like me you feel safe almost nowhere. My teammates reflect what could be. They are that forlorn hope that we can get to the point where we see the best in each other rather than how we are different. In considering the last 2 years, I just wanted a book that said plainly that I love my country, my neighbors, and even my foes, but that we need to be better. We need to raise the expectations for this country so that the United States is at least as morally and ethically sound as a tennis team full of middle-aged women in Las Vegas.