Happiness is a bike ride on a gorgeous Friday afternoon. There are many challenges to being self employed, but the flexibility and time freedom of taking advantage of opportunities like this are worth the trade off.
Made it to the park. Almost got run off the road by a 60-something white guy with a $75 haircut, a $95K SUV and a 2” penis on his way to work at ComEd. Folks like him & their “My taxes pay for this road!” ethos never consider that ppl other than heteronormative white men pay taxes. May he have the day he deserves.
Made it to this morning’s park (alive). On the way, I encountered 3 motorists who were actively aiming for me, even though I was in the bike lane. I’ve begun to use “may you have the day you deserve” as an affirmation instead of hurling invectives at ppl like them. I first saw this affirmation in Black spaces, and I use it now bc it’s powerful in its simplicity.
It is such a luxury for me that my only real job today is to stay cool. It's already You’ve Got To Be Kidding MeºF outside, and it’s going to reach 115ºF/46ºC by midday. Since most greed-driven humans (primarily GOPrs/“conservatives”) don't do anything about a crisis until it affects them directly, I’m pretty sure we are borked as a species. Instead of despair, it motivates me to be more kind, more appreciative of what I have (while still holding the greedy to account/working toward change).
The bad news: faced with the choice of plowing into another cyclist during this morning’s ride, I instead scronched handlebars-first into a wrought iron fence.
The good news: In addition to being gorgeous, Gladys is built like a tank. Damage sustained to the basket only. Her pilot is also blessedly flexible, with cat-like reflexes and was able to pedal home unscathed.