Day 10 of Thankfulness: Writing

I've had the fortunate pleasure of being able to write for so many different publications and in a wide variety of styles. My passion to write is what drives me (along with my photography and about a hundred others) and I love to be able to express myself, my thoughts, my experiences, and anything else in writing. I am lucky enough to write daily at work and then when I get home from my job, I keep writing. That is the true sign of love, right?

Anyway, as I have frequently explained on this blog --and will continue to-- I enjoy writing about all different topics and just this week I recently published another article at MyHOFS.com, the tremendously exciting and up-and-coming website that I am a contributor for. As I mentioned, I have hundreds of other hobbits away from the writing and photography and one of them is sports. I love watching, playing, commentating, and being a fan of nearly all sports and so this week I decided to cover the upcoming NBA season that we all were so lucky to have return to our lives. Although so many have gone without even noticing that professional basketball is back, others were relieved to see that the incredibly wealthy owners and the incredibly wealth players could agree on how they both would be getting incredibly wealthy this season.

So to give you a taste of my article on MyHOFS, here is a portion of it:

MyHOFS NBA Preview:
I have many gripes. The one most vocalized is my hated for the length of the baseball season. There is nothing worse than following a sport that lasts practically the length of the first two trimesters of pregnancy.

17 Days of Thankfulness

I knew this would happen. I knew it.
I would say that I will write each day until Thanksgiving about the things I am thankful for. Well just like New Year’s resolutions, that consistently fail after half a week, I have fallen behind. BUT that doesn’t mean that I am giving up, I just will have some gaps along the way. So to make up for this week’s thankful things that I missed due to my trip to Las Vegas, I will get you caught up (Tuesday-Monday):

#17: Sisters: I just stumbled upon a post from one of my friends, Luke, that inspired this one. It read: “SISTER WEEK: If you have a sister (or sisters) who has made you laugh, punched you, stuck up for you, drove you crazy, annoyed you, hugged you, watched you succeed, saw you fail, picked you back up, cheered you on, wiped your tears, calmed you down, made you strong & is someone you are proud to have in your life, re-post this if you have a sister you love!!”
(Side note: Luke is the lead singer of an excellent band, A Cool Stick, and just released their most recent EP "Bird's Eye View" this past week and it is amazing. I highly HIGHLY recommend you checking out his site and try to see them perform live! It’s always great to see good ol’ Loyola peeps doing big things. And it’s a plus when they are successful at being a very talented bunch of bros.)
So clearly, being born the brother of two great sisters and then being fortunate enough to add four more throughout the years, I had to show my love for mis hermanas.


Being able to be thankful for such wonderful people is truly something special. Being the youngest of all my siblings, I often found myself being appreciative specifically of my older sisters who were always there for me. I can remember way back in elementary school I was given an assignment to write an essay about someone special in my life. I decided to write about my two sisters, Emily and Erin and separately lists all of the things that made them such great sisters. I highlighted events where they individually stood up for me or simply times where we had a good time together. And being that I was only 11 years old at the time, I felt my introspective words were genuinely accurate-- even to this day. I sealed the essay off with specific photos of all three of us throughout our lives. Photos that will forever be linked to that specific essay for both them (as it was before the time of digital photos or scanning images). Each year I get the chance to visit my sister, Emily's house during the holidays to see my nephew Logan and I usually sleep in the guest bedroom where my framed essay from 1998 sits on the desk near the bed. I read it every year and think about how lucky I am for both my amazing sisters and how before any of my more significant moments in my life I could see pinpoint moments of joy and appreciation for both them equally, separately, and together as a family. To this day I don't think I could write a more accurate portrayal (giving leeway for grammar) of what it meant to be the “baby brother” to two great sisters.

Now they are older, wiser, and have their own families that they have begun. But I remember distinctly, when they both had their first child (my first nephew and niece) I specifically told them both that I knew Logan and Ayla couldn't have a mother better than theirs. I knew because I was the first person to ever experience their warmth and maternal love as their baby brother and now it is great to see them with a happy, healthy, and exciting family of their own.

And for my step sister, Kate and sister-in-laws Christie, Christina, and Ginny, I've had the great chance to learn from them as well, as each one of them provides a unique and integral part of this large and growing group of people I call family. I am incredibly thankful for all of you.

19 (and 18) Days of Thankfulness

Today I am thankful for two to make up for missing Saturday:
First, I am thankful for water. You often forget how important water is for life (whether it be our planet or our bodies).

We just reached 7 billion people on planet earth and 1/7 of that (nearly 1 billion) people live without clean drinking water. Clean, drinkable water is such a vital asset of life and when you have the great fortune of living in a country with drinkable water highly accessible, you sometimes forget that.

Water surrounds our everyday lives. To replenish our bodies, to bring life to plants and trees, to clean our laundry, dishes, cars, bodies, etc. We rely on water and we can often take it for granted by wasting it.

Sadly, when something is so crucial to life, someone/company tries to profit. One film that I highly recommend checking out --which will forever change the way you look at the bottled water industry-- is called Taped. Check out their website which discusses the injustices and robbery of free municipal water.

But --like everything-- with every negative, like the previously mentioned rich water bottling companies, there is a positive. That positive is the awareness and overall charitable actions of those so lucky to have water and money to donate to a good cause like The Water Project. This great foundation provides information and ways to help those in need of fresh, clean water.

While in Africa, I got to see many people who's lives revolved around water specifically. Their days were driven by the long, grueling trips to water for their families. And their use of it was conservative and strategic. When living in a home where the water was literally looked at as "liquid gold" or one's "life blood" your perspective is changed. I challenge you to donate to such a great charity that can changes the lives of not millions, but billions of people. (Be sure to check out Water.org as well for more information)

The second thing I am thankful for ties into the water discussion and that is charities and being aware of the world around you.

20 Days of Thankfulness

Today I am thankful for medicine.
I got my flu shot today and we'll see if it actually works or if it gets me sick but I must say, without modern medicine, I would not be here today. Quite honestly, it's something I do not think about very often, but now getting my flu vaccine, I thought about all of the vaccinations I received before living abroad and how terribly I did not want any of the foreign diseases or sicknesses that are common of southeast Asian and Africa. Because of some vaccines, I may have avoided them, and I appreciate that. I know it's a little glim, but sometimes its necessary to appreciate the things that are keeping you balanced and healthy.
Thanks, medicine.

21 Days of Thankfulness

Today I am thankful for travel. I think a lot of people take travel for granted and believe it is strictly to far off destinations. Many people consider that when I talk about travel I only am referring to abroad because of my somewhat extensive resume of foreign locales that I have been to. But many people forget that travel includes so much more; the commute to work, the walk to the bathroom to brush your teeth, the trip to the grocery store, etc. Travel is everywhere and it's appreciating those trips as much as the big ones to faraway places that makes you realize how vital travel is to us as human beings. It is overlooked and under-valued. People who get the "travel bug" don't realize that they probably do travel each and everyday, and it's a matter of simply recognizing it and filling that void. Yes, I miss traveling internationally, but I can still connect with other types of trips and travel within my everyday life.

For instance, everyday I read National Geographic(Traveler) to and from work... while traveling. It makes me long for the times when I could pack up my bag with a couple pairs of underwear, two pairs of shorts, some sunglasses, couple shirts and sandals and head to some remote location and soak it in. That was the life. But I fill my void with reading about travel and appreciating the beauty of domestic travel. Today, I don't live the life of a foreign backpacker anymore, but I still enjoy the daily commute and the life that I see around me. I find it enjoyable and eye opening.

Holding discussions with people on the bus to work, clicking through thousands of old photographs of past trips in intense nostalgia, interacting with the world outside of my house, or even the planning of future trips and destinations are what I thrive off of. As some may that you wear your passions on your sleeve, I say that I recognize my passion and fulfill it in some way each day. I am truly thankful for the gift of travel and how much it means to me. I look forward to integrating more of my life with travel whether it be in writing, photography, or some other facet, but I know that if that day comes when I am presented with that pristine job, I know that my entire life has been resume building in travel experience.
So thank you, travel.

(To give anyone some motivation to get up and "Move", watch the video below)

22 Days Until Thanksgiving: What I am Thankful For

As there are 22 more days until Thanksgiving, I figured I would start a little tradition and put what I am thankful for as my status each day (somewhat stolen idea):
Today, I am thankful for all of the support of friends, family, colleagues and co-workers of W Michael Tirone Photography. Your presence in my life keeps my passion strong. Without all of you, I would not be so fortunate to have websites, galleries, books, and photo shoots and also an outlet. My appreciation of your support is beyond words and I am truly thankful for that.