22 /
Happy Pride Month, y’all. There’s so much bad in the world, I wanted to spend some time this week sharing things that make me happy (and that I’m proud of).
A little over a year into the pandemic, I canceled my gym membership. I had my account on hold for months and even masked felt like it wasn’t safe or smart to go back. Instead, I used that money (that I would’ve spent on the gym) to buy a bike.
In 2021, I rode almost 2,200 miles. My longest ride was 44 miles. This year I’m hoping to beat both of those numbers. Every time I ride, I try to take a selfie. Usually, I just text them to my friend, Josh, in order to goad him into riding or tease him for not riding. Looking at them all together though, I like knowing that I'm usually smiling while out there. Bike rides are the best form of therapy I know.
Speaking of, I got to ride my bike on assignment a few weeks ago. The comments on the story are terrific. I learned about a bunch of new bike-friendly cities.
I’ve read about 20 books so far this year (several are on my Kindle and haven’t been logged yet and several I’m almost done with). If you’re looking for a good read: The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois and The Sentence are both wonderful. And for the record, book Twitter is my favorite Twitter. I loved this response to this nonsense.
I have incredibly talented friends. Tim Burke (who made the really scary Sinclair Broadcasting talking head video a few years ago) just edited this powerful piece together and my goodness… I got chills. I wish it’d air on TV nationwide.
Every year, for Xmas, I try to donate money in my parents’ names to causes they’re into. And every year, I’m like why didn’t I donate more? Or… why didn’t I donate to that great local cause, too? Listening to this podcast convinced me that I not only should be donating more but also that it’s easy to. What swayed me? Well: It’s automated (I have a modest $10 a week taken out of my checking account). Donating through them accrues interest, while it sits in their funds. So that’ll make my $520 a year, hopefully, go a little further. They have all of the big NGOs and a ton of local and regional non-profits listed. They make it easy to find your receipts at the end of the tax year, for write-offs. And it just feels good. Start giving today and get a free $25 to give to the charity of your choice.
Speaking of money, love knowing that a newsletter on the business of photography has been my most read, most liked, most shared post so far.