I laughed.
She, like numerous others I had chance interactions with as I walked, discovered that I am just a normal, average person, regardless what she might have guessed by simply seeing me.
I am an ambassador. It's not a paid position. It's not something I volunteered for, even. But others will be judged based on how I live my life. It's not fair, to me or them. It's just how it is. Days before, I had offered to share things about my life in a more public manner. But after I offered, I stopped, and qualified. I can only speak for me. I can't tell you the challenges have been easy to deal with, but based on things I've seen and heard, and I can guess I've had a comparatively easy time of it. The only obvious form of privilege which seems like it's applicable is still privilege: classism. I am a moderately successful, professional adult. That affects people's judgement of me. People at other points of their life, who may be having a harder time of things generally, may not be able to manage as much. That their experience is not the same as mine doesn't mean they're "doing it wrong". Still, especially since it's not hard, there's no reason I shouldn't do my best to play an ambassador if I am one.
I'm just a person. We're all just people. If we all just treated each other that way, things would be so much easier.
Step 76: No one can bear the full weight of being a token. Don't demand it from others, but carry what you can when it's demanded of you; there will be someone else even less equipped to do it that you'll be relieving.
