Humor and heart.
Every now and then I stumble upon things that CHANGE ME.
And maybe they’ll change you, too—make you laugh or cry or see a new color for the first time.
Here’s some from this month including a vacation spot you must visit, a comedian I’m in love with, and a philosophy to guide your life choices.
Provincetown, MA
They call it Ptown.
It’s beauty. It’s magic.
A small, charming town with no shortage of gay-as-in-happy vibes (and gay-as-in-gay vibes haha).
I’m recently back from my second visit. Steven (husband) and I met up with some friends and had incredible food, ice cream cones (two in one day omg!), a sunset cruise, beach time, bike rides, naps, and sitting at bars gossiping about Albert Camus or which brands of loafers make us feel the most confident on a hard day.
I had extra time to read. I felt inspired. And I felt gratitude that I could take a vacation.
Hope you find some time to recharge this summer.
Maybe you can make it to Ptown.
Here are some pics from my trip:
Zach Noe Towers
Comedian Zach Noe Towers is hilarious and magical. We’ve known each other for years but aside from his brilliant special, his podcast, and the many pods where he’s a guest or co-host, I’ve not had the chance to see him perform live in front of a giant audience—until recently.
He opened for comedian Jessica Kirson (also brilliant) at The Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs.
It’s rare that I belly laugh at comedy shows. Zach had me hurting.
Another interesting thing happened at his show—he had a drunk heckler. Shame on her! But good on him! I sometimes love when things like this happen because it shows you a kind of unscripted truth you’d not see otherwise.
Zach handled the heckler with humor and grace. He remained bright-eyed and decent and offered a masterclass on conflict management.
Humor and humanity—sign me up!
Find Zach on tour, follow him on socials, and listen to his podcasts:
Beau Ciolino
This guy is an Instagram influencer and designer. And, turns out, philosopher.
He was on “That’s a Gay Ass Podcast” recently and talked about life and love. I was really struck by a philosophy he adopted:
“And so I’ve kind of shifted my view from how can I get to the top of a field or to the top of a tax bracket to how can I every day feel like I want to be alive? And that’s not always been something that I have felt. And so I am really trying to get to that point.”
Love.
His question stuck with me: “How can I every day feel like I want to be alive?” Truly a grounding north star. Grateful for his openness and insight.
Here’s his full interview:
Beau Ciolino on That's A Gay Ass Podcast
“Miami Wellness Bestie”
TikTok serves me some wild things. And sometimes I get some insights.
This influencer has a saying: “Keep it neutral it’s already done.”
It stuck with me. I often try to reframe things and shift perspective. I find myself reassessing whether the stakes of a situation are really as high as I think they are. (Almost always, they’re not.)
Fun to see someone else on the same journey. And I’ve found myself adopting her mantra lately, whether I get cut off in traffic or my computer crashes.
Those things are neutral. They’re just things happening. They’re neutral occurrences. The suffering is from the story I’m telling myself about them—this is hell or this is a disaster. Is it really? Usually, nah.
Here's her TikTok if you’re curious:
Kate O’Flynn
Sometimes you see someone on screen and they transcend it.
This is Kate O’Flynn.
She popped on my radar from Widow’s Bay. Truly stunning performance. I enjoyed the show but I LOVED her.
I can’t wait for her to star in her own series. SOMEONE GIVE THIS GENIUS A SERIES (OR TWO). She’s got a pretty impressive resume already. Can't wait for what’s next.
She’s the kind of artist who makes me love art, who makes me so grateful that people are brave and pursue their talents. Cheering you on, Kate!
Here’s an awesome fan edit of her performances in Widow’s Bay:
Got a recommendation?
What’s thrilling you these days—books, podcasts, streaming?
Or, do you have a question about life, creativity, mental health?
Would love to hear from you.
Leave a comment or email me at byrontology@substack.com.
What’s the point?
I was so inspired this week. Too inspired?
I got overwhelmed with ideas for new books and plays and was like, “What’s the point?”
And then I had a revelation! I think I discovered the point.