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Five Things to Share:

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1. ​Tadej Pogačar and Netflix's Tour de France: Maybe the greatest athlete you've never heard of, and a show you should probably add to your queue. I'll write more soon about the fun of following and learning much about the Tour de France for the first time, but for now wanted to share praise for the best cyclist in the world. As the 21-stage Tour de France concluded today, the 25-year old Slovenian stood atop the podium with his third yellow jersey in five years. He won the Tour in 2020 and 2021, before placing second the past two years to rival Jonas Vingegaard. The 2024 Tour was a revenge tour of sorts for Pogačar, who after 2,100 miles and 21 days, crossing the Alps and Pyrenees, is back on top again. To win a race like that requires a mesmerizing set of complementary and sometimes conflicting skills and strategies -- individual grit and ambition balanced with selfless teamwork; data and discipline mixed with artistic technique and intuition; steady caution versus risky attacks; and this almost unfathomable combination of physical and mental stamina. All while riding with the backdrop of snow-covered mountains, beautiful countryside, and narrow, sometimes cobbled streets of charming, ageless French towns.
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2. A(nother) writing metaphor for life: In an interview, author Taffy Brodesser-Akner shares a funny scene of once seeing a psychic to fix her writer's block, ending the anecdote with this great line about writing: "...I don't think whatever she did (nothing) was what cured me, though. What cured me was writing the next sentence. And then the next one. Then the next one. We like to think of writing as spiritual, but, actually, it's just physics." ​
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3. Pete Wells retired as the longtime NYT food critic and penned this personal goodbye citing health as the primary reason for his relinquishing the post. Following a bad report card from a recent doctor's visit, it occurred to Wells that "...I am not my job." Earlier in the piece he had this to say: "...you eventually have to ask yourself whether you are standing in the buffet line for the audience or for yourself."​
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4. From E.B. White's famous letter to a man who lost faith in humanity: "As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness." You can read the rest in the link.
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5. Joe Biden and the Integrity of Our Intentions: I had an essay ready to send with this same title. In light of Biden's announcement today, I scrapped the essay but kept the title. After the debate, it became clear to me as it did to most that Biden’s best shot (and ours) at defeating Trumpism was to step aside. He beat Trump in 2020 and his presidency is one that history may end judging better than those of his illustrious and much more popular Democratic predecessors. Biden's contrast of sane and steady to Trump's moronic, self-obsessed chaos was enough to win in 2020, but it wasn’t going to be enough, sadly, in the year 2024 in America. He's not as steady as he once was. He can't prosecute the case the way the moment requires. Biden played defense and won in 2020, but more than that is needed to win now. He may have been pressured and was stubborn enough to try and hold on, but he did ultimately make the right decision. That's what matters. A bitter and unimaginably difficult decision, but a courageous one that proves the integrity of his public service and affirms his convictions about the importance of the values and ideals at stake. One political party has cratered so deeply that all that remains is to proclaim blind fealty to a narcissistic lunatic with no care or concern for where it might lead. Contrast that with what Biden did today, perhaps with nudging by Pelosi. Better than anyone she modeled how to choose legacy and continued service over personal ambition and ego. This decision is a signal that we still have leaders and a political party that mean what they say, remain true to their convictions, and are willing to stand up for our ideals. I have no idea how all of this shakes out, but I’m confident that Joe Biden made the right decision for the country, and proud to see a leader do so when it requires a painful personal sacrifice.

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Next Sunday

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