It’s day two and here are three good things for today from each of my three categories:
Good things in my life:
On Sunday when there was already over 30 cm of snow on the ground, I hopped on the bike and joined a bike ride on Zwift. This software changed my whole experience of winter. At its most basic, it allows me to take the back wheel off of my bike, and put a “smart trainer” in its place. This trainer lets me run programs like Zwift that control the tension on my trainer to make it feel like my ride gets more or less difficult depending on the terrain then adjusts my speed in the game in response to my effort and the terrain. Lately I’ve been doing many group rides. At the simplest it feels like being out on the road when there are lots of people and you feel like you’re in a group even if you’re not riding together or even at the same speed. But some rides like the ride for LGBTQ+ and allies was an actual social ride. 44 people from around the world got together to enjoy each others company, chat in text and relax. Topics were light, everything from cycling specific stuff like what kind of pedals we liked to what we were all making for dinner or what recipes we might suggest for someone who had some pork to use that night. As many such groups are, this one felt friendly and welcoming. And as one cyclist said as we were wrapping up the ride: “Lots of bad shit going down. Good to have a safe space to recharge.” Ain’t that the truth!
I’ll definitely be doing more of this in the future. That combination of exercise and friendly connection is really good.
Good in the world:
Social connection is super important for everyone. It keeps our minds sharp and staves off loneliness which can be a lifesaver. But it can be a literal lifesaver as well as you can see in this story. A 79 year old man was a daily customer at a restaurant who one day stopped coming in. The chef worried so much about him he went to check on him.
If you’d prefer to read the story you can here.
One thing you can do:
And last, here is one thing you can do to make a difference somewhere:
In many parts of the world, education is underfunded. Sometimes teachers don’t have the materials they need to teach. Sometimes their students might not have what they need to succeed such as pencils, notebooks or even snacks when they don’t get enough food at home. Other teachers may have ideas for projects to do with their students that they can’t get funded.
In all of these cases many teachers go to the fundraising platform DonorsChoose, post their ideas and people fund them. Some only need a few dollars to fund. Have a look at some of the examples of what’s been recently funded:
I forgot how helpful it was for me to do the research and reflection and sharing it here. I hope you also find it helpful. See you next time!
Keep moving, keep smiling!
Thank you Todd. We need to look at all the good that is happening in the world.
For sure – it’s still there but wow is the bad stuff much louder sometimes!