Damn, I really did that
and honestly, I'd like to do more of it
I’m feeling weirdly vulnerable about this, so I’m going to try to keep it short and sweet.
I spent [embarrassingly long amount of time redacted] hunched over my laptop this week updating my website with links to all the articles, podcast episodes, video segments, radio interviews, speaking engagements, and more that have been published over the past few months in relation to my work on The LGBTQ+ Travel Guide for Lonely Planet.
When I finally finished, I heaved a quick sigh of relief, stretched my shoulders for a moment, nodded and muttered “okay” to myself, and picked up my planner to see what needed to be taken care of next.
That’s when my partner interrupted me, pulling me away from my computer and toward him, grabbing my shoulders with a gentle shake until I trained my eyes on his. He told me to pause for a second and think about the task I had just completed. He gestured toward all those different media moments I’d captured on the page. ”You did that. All of that. Have you actually stopped to reflect on how cool that is? How cool all of this is? How cool you are? You deserve to be really proud of yourself.”
This was not an unusual exchange for us. He knows my AuDHD brain is quick to jump from task to task without pausing to celebrate completing any of them, and he was right that I hadn’t really given myself the time to let it sink in how cool all of this has been.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a second, letting myself feel it. I knew before I even opened my eyes that his face had broken into a grin, and I allowed mine to do the same as he pulled me into a hug. Our dog jumped off the couch and trotted over to grumble at us for daring to touch each other without involving her, tail wagging as soon as we both reached down to include her in the embrace.
It was a wholesome moment and an excellent exercise in mindfulness, gratitude, taking time to appreciate the ordinary and the extraordinary in my life all at once, and all those other woo-woo, touchy-feely, good-for-your-brain-and-soul things I try to remember to do in my daily life but often forget to in the spaces between checkboxes on my to-do list.
It also reminded me that if I want to be able to do more cool things like all those I’d just updated my website to feature, I should probably be better about actually putting it out into the universe that I’m interested in them.
So, this somewhat indulgent preamble is my overexplain-y way of setting the context in which I feel comfortable saying to all of you here with my whole chest: This is an open call for collabs.
If you, your company, or anyone you know happen to be interested in connecting with me about a speaking engagement, interview, article, press trip, or any other project related to my work as a queer, neurodivergent travel writer, please don’t hesitate to reach out, because I’m definitely interested in more of those kinds of opportunities.
And not just during Pride Month, either—I know that’s wrapping up in just a few days, but I promise, I don’t turn into a pumpkin the moment we move into July. Anytime you want to talk about travel, LGBTQ+ issues, neurodivergence, moving abroad, or any of the other topics I write about on here, you know where to find me.