C'est un deuil

I saw Ghislaine on the walking path. A spry 82 year old, she looked up and smiled:

"Comment ca va Joanna?

We chatted for a couple of minutes about how she is doing and then she asked me about my retirement. She then said something which struck a chord:

"C'est un deuil" (it's a grieving)

I think she was right. Although you are happy, you need to grieve your former life before you fully move to the next one.

This is even more so for a trans person.