We have a normal. As you move outside of your comfort zone, what was once unknown and frightening becomes your new normal. Robin S. Sharma Eleven years ago, I saddled up and cycled from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. I had never ridden a bike for 300+ miles over a week camping every night, carrying all my possessions on my bike, and having no idea what…
Nothin’ happened the way it was supposed to happen
“Nothin’ happened the way it was supposed to happen.” Will Smith’s character, Robert Neville spoke those words in the movie I Am Legend. That summed up 2021. In any given year, countless New Year resolutions are made only to be forgotten by February 1. COVID restrictions and the barrage of news stories were the norms at the end of 2020. The first vaccine arrived mid-December…
Christmas 2021
Snow on the ground, toys under the tree, and the aroma of Christmas wafting from the kitchen are my fondest memories of Christmas. 67 Christmases have come and gone. Many familiar traditions have faded away while many new ones have taken their place. Another year of the pandemic is nearing its end as it continues to rear its ugly head this holiday season. It is…
Making it felt
Just when I thought 2020 was behind me and brighter days were ahead, the US Capitol siege turned that optimism sour. Scenes brought back memories of 1968, a time when it seemed America was coming apart. For those younger than me, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. The Vietnam war was raging. Racial unrest and riots were raging in cities. I wanted…
Accountability and #365wordstolive
I shared a shift in how I look at goals in my previous post, #365wordstolive. My Facebook and Instagram feeds reflect that shift over the past week. I wanted to share some more insight into what you are seeing and how it came to be. I began 2020 journaling in the Day One journaling app. It is easy to use and flexible. I found myself…
#365Wordstolive
2020. the dumpster fire of a year, was kicked out the door at midnight. It did not go out with much fanfare but with a sigh of relief. It would be nice to say that it is history. It never will be. 2020 will live on for years in our memories, changes in our lives, and stories. Most of us are grazing on the last…
Christmas memories trilogy for 2020
Tom’s memories of Christmas past for 2020
Tom’s top 3 bicycle touring reads of 2020
Reading books lingered on my list of habits I wanted to develop. Setting goals, a celebrated New Year’s ritual, is good but developing a habit is better. Habits sustain goals and yields lasting benefits. Early this year, I discovered Goodreads, an online community of readers sharing book reads, recommendations, and reviews. Members build virtual bookshelves of their library. A feature that spoke to me was…