Lowrah asked a wonderful question during Grease Rag introductions last week: what are you proud of (and it doesn’t have to be bike-related)?

It’s much easier to answer the question “what are you not proud of?” There are a lot of media images that tell us our bodies, our clothing, and our actions are wrong. There are attitudes from others that say “girls” aren’t strong and can’t fix bikes. There are also internal voices: I’m not proud of X, Y, and Z events from my recent life, of A, B, and C that didn’t get done, or choices D, E, and F. Pause. Stop. Think. It’s easy to get caught up in the bad things. I know there are things that I’m proud of, so it’s time to remind myself of what they are.

I’m taking on another challenge during 30 Days of Biking. I’m going to write down, somewhere, something that I’m proud of (I’m defining “proud” as “something I feel good about”). It doesn’t have to be from that day. It doesn’t have to be bike-related. And it’s ok if all I want to write down is “I’m proud that I rode my bike today.”

I’m proud of the wheel I built at Grease Rag last week, with lots of instruction and help from Jamie. Even moreso, I’m proud to be a member of such a wonderful community. I love you, Grease Rag! What are you proud of?