Is This Thing On?
As a kid, I copied passages from my favorite books into my spiral notebook. As a teen, I wrote songs and angsty poetry in my journals. As a young adult, I dipped my toe in journalism and published my much-improved poetry in zines and literary magazines.
My earliest experiences of being "online" were writing and publishing blogs. First about being a Christian teenager. Later about navigating faith while embracing my queerness as an adult. Writing is the friend that's seen me through every iteration of myself.
So it's felt quite strange to have spent the last few years without writing much at all. No blogs, no journals, no poetry. Where did it go? Where did I go?
I needed to get out of my head and into my body. I needed to expand my comfort zone, to grow up, to experience my worst fears and not be undone, to love and be loved. I needed to live a little. Why am I back?
I've often seen Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein say "the universe is bigger than the bad things happening to us." I'd like to borrow and remix that awe-inspiring quote:
Biking reminds me that humans are capable of more than the bad things we do to each other.
In this moment in the United States, it is overwhelmingly obvious that humans know how to maximize the suffering of others. And yet when I bike, it is abundantly clear to me that we can also maximize human flourishing. I've seen glimpses of the world I envision within in my local bike community and others around the globe. And for the first time in a long time, I want to write about it.
I'm writing to remember the chaos, the freedom, the infinite possibility. I'm writing to conjure my own hope and sustain my own joy. I'm writing to connect with dykes, bike enthusiasts, and dyke bike enthusiasts.
I'm excited about this blog and what this new era of writing will bring.
Image description: deep blue sky speckled with fluffly white clouds.