I'd like to thank.......

In the wake of my news about my identity book (which hasn't really sunk in yet!)(and did I mention it will be published worldwide?) I had a review of who made it possible.

This week sees the five year anniversary of my meeting my partner. About three or four months previous to meeting him I had considered giving up my study of identity due to a serious bout of 'life'. When I did meet him he restored my faith in human nature and gave me the inspiration to carry on. We've worked as a team since then and he's always believed in me, like I believe in him. I still pinch myself every day when I wake up to make sure he's real! So it's thanks to him. I know you read my blog sometimes, so thanks :-)

Another person who inspired me was my former boss, Bruce Guy. He was the first person I had met close up and saw on a regular basis who had achieved something I and was willing to give me advice on how to do it. A lot of it involved abandoning the drama that was wrapped around my life and focusing on what was important. It took me a long time to do that but Bruce always believed I could do it. Certain people have empowered my life with belief including, Mr Welsh, my former English teacher, Peter Banister, my social psychology OU tutor, and Bill Schofield, my grandfather. This goes to show that in this world of patriarchal oppression there is still a dialectic that recognises initiative and tenacity outside the limits of gender.

Then there are all the people at Manchester Metropolitan University who mentored me. They helped me to see that knowledge is there for the taking, it isn't some rare commodity, you just have to be open to it. I heard somewhere that it's how you relate to the subject that counts, and MMU helped me to see that my path was psychology and philosophy but not in university lecturing.

Of course, I must thank my children, a constant source of wonder and inspiration. When I began my job at SaRS I kept a picture of them on my desk to remind my why I had to work so hard. When I was doing presentations at university I always kept a picture of them on my folder to make my continue when I froze with fear. Now I don't see them so often, particularly Anthony, but all of them are equally constantly in my heart, along with my grandchildren, reminding me of my purpose in the world.

Finally I would like to acknowledge everyone who tried to oppress me, to keep me down and who were mean to me: it just made me stronger in the long run. In the dark days before I began my new life I used to wonder why I had to endure what I did. Now I know - it's so I could see the difference and help change it for other people.

Like Alanis says, 'You scan the credits for your name and wonder why it's not there.'