A Picture Says a Thousand Words

By: Erin E. Wood, Ph.D.

May has been a hard month. I don’t think I need to go into details. We’ve all seen the headlines.

Between the leaked Supreme Court draft, the murder of Mo Wilson, and two mass shootings, am I...

Surprised?

No.

Questioning how this happened?

No.

Numb?

Absolutely.

In several ways it feels like life is about to completely change, and that absolutely nothing is going to change. All at once. And not for the better.

For the blog this week I was intending to write about my misadventures in trying to be my own bike mechanic. However, in light of recent events I can’t being myself to put words to paper. I’m exhausted by the guilt of how numb I am to all the tragedy surrounding us.

We are living in a deeply damaged and broken country.

In lieu of a fun article today, today I want to share the memories that I am most thankful for. The ones that make me smile. The ones that make me realize that while this world is badly wounded there is still something worth living for.

If you’re like me, struggling to figure out what “next steps“ will be for you or your families, I encourage you to go through your old photos and come up with the things you are thankful for. Maybe it will help. It did for me.

So, if a picture is worth a thousand words..... I’ve written a hundred thousand.

I’m thankful for the ability to move my body.

I’m thankful for memories of past trips.

I’m thankful for this hyper-photogenic dog.

I’m thankful for bagel rides with my dad when I come home to visit.

I’m thankful I had the opportunity to travel to Poland, and that this country was my introduction to Europe.

I’m thankful for new bike days.

I’m thankful for the “Great Colorado Road Trip” I took with my dear friend, Lydia.

I’m thankful Montana is my girlfriend.

I’m thankful to be a member of the #salsasquad

(Janine, I will not apologize for using this photo again. It is my favorite)

Point proven :)

I’m thankful I got to ride with Scott on his first century.

I’m thankful friends stayed to celebrate with us at the finish, too.

I’m thankful my parents still like me enough to take me on family trips.

Especially trips to the beach.

I’m thankful that crossing Carsten Creek is always a surprise.

I'm thankful I'm still friends with my friends from college.

And that I've watched some of them grow into amazing parents.

(child not pictured)

I'm thankful for camping, and backpacking, and bikepacking trips.

Especially if they include dogs.

I'm thankful for my running friends.

I'm thankful for how much the San Antonio Gravel Collective has grown.

I'm thankful for the flowers surrounding campus.

I'm thankful that dogs love the beach.

And $5 kites.

I'm thankful that I can always look at these photos if I need to laugh.

I'm thankful for cute goats.

I'm thankful Larin captured this moment.

I'm thankful for abandoned furniture.

I'm thankful for my family's yearly miniature golf tournament.

Lastly, while I know there are a hundred other things to be thankful for, I am thankful for the calmness of a sunset, and its hopeful reassurance of a better tomorrow.

Here's to hoping a better day is only a sunset away.

most of the pictures pressnted today were taken and edited by Erin Wood. Other photos were taken and shared by friends.