Two years and one day ago, I was in an endocrinologist's office having an "informed consent" conversation. That afternoon, I picked up my prescription, and two years ago this morning, I started spironolactone and low-dose oral estrogen.

I was terrified at the time, and my "transition goals" were very different than they ended up becoming. I wasn't interested in breast development, though I wasn't *necessarily* opposed to it — these days, I struggle to imagine a self-image without boobs. I had only come out as non-binary to friends a month before, so there was part of my brain that was worried I was moving too fast.

Ultimately, starting estrogen ended up being one of the best things I've done for myself, and tweaking my regimen earlier this year has been nothing but positive. The person in the mirror feels like "me" now, and the mental/emotional changes have me feeling much more "in the driver's seat" and operating less from a place of reaction.

There was no way for me to know whether this was right for me without giving it a shot. I'm glad I did, and I'll advocate that anyone else should consider giving it a shot if they're interested. There are caveats, of course, but in the majority of cases, trying HRT for a couple of months won't result in permanent changes, is extremely safe, and can always be discontinued if desired or necessary.

I don't like to connect HRT with gender labels, even if it may be very closely tied to gender for many. Lots of trans/queer/intersex folks can't or won't pursue it. Lots of cis folks end up needing to lean on it — "gender affirming care" applies to everyone. I guess the point I'm trying to make is: HRT isn't about fitting a stereotype. If you think it may help you be yourself, it's absolutely worth exploring, but don't pursue it or discount it just because you're trying to fit into the "box" of a specific label.

Anyway, here's to two years of building a self that feels like me, and hopefully many more years of appreciating and refining that self.