She’s Topless (and doorless) and It’s May

my favorite car of all time

The Jeep is topless, doorless, and ready to party.

And that’s how I know it’s May.

From spending time out at the Speedway to Sunday bloody mary’s in Broadripple–it’s my favorite time of year in my favorite city.

Maybe the sun is making everything look brighter. Maybe the beer is making everything look better. But this May is looking delightful, shining bigger and better than I remember from years of past.

One of my mentors commented last week that, “you seem to be in a good spot, your writing is the happiest I’ve seen in a long time.”

There’s a lot of reasons for that, life is good…professionally, personally, fate and time and paths seem to be aligning to make 2016 a polarizing year of ups and downs. but the ups seem to be plenty right now, and it’s a welcome change from the first couple months of this year.

I was sitting at Flatwater today, cocktail in hand, looking at what I’m thankful for that’s come into my life over the last year. The community, the friendships, the relationships, the professional development, the personal development….worlds colliding in ways that make me appreciate the chaos of life more so than ever before.

my favorite view

Honestly , I just feel content. Maybe it’s that for the first time in years, chaos doesn’t seem to be reigning supreme in my world. It’s an odd shift to be making decisions based on me and only me…to not really be so integral to a bigger picture that I’ve been able to look around and appreciate the slower pace of the finer things.

Now, I’m still figuring out how to navigate all of this. It’s somewhat new territory. Honestly, being in a position of relaxation and security is a place I’m not sure I’ve ever been in. When I was racing, May was the kickoff to the entire cycling season. Since my cycling career ended, I’ve always gone into May with mixed emotions of life reflection past/present/future—-and yet, this year, the energy in the air just seems incredibly different.

I think I know who to thank for that, and I know that person is reading this—so thank you, for being a refreshing reminder of laughter and smiles here in Indy. You’ve picked me up more than you realize and I’m forever appreciative of that and the relationship we have.

Now, I’m off to the Speedway to enjoy Pole Day. Because my work is done and I’m ready for the week.

Cheers,

-th