Scree

noun : an accumulation of loose stones or rocky debris lying on a slope or at the base of a hill or cliff.

Tell me if this sounds crazy

Published May 11, 2020  ·  All posts on May 11  ·  

All of our books have a small dot on their spine.

It’s one thing to try to keep your books physically under control. It’s another task for Sisyphus to keep track of your books in general. Here’s how I do it:

  • Create a free account over on LibraryThing. Set up three collections: One for the books currently in our possession; “Library.” A second for books we’d love to have join us; “Wishlist.” A third for books that have passed through; “Previous.”
  • Get some small stickers, (1/4″ round ChromaLabels work great,) and some sticky notes.
  • Add each book to your “Library” collection in LT and put a sticky note inside the cover marked “LT”. I also track digital books, so I tag all the books in LT with “physical” or “digital”. Then put a dot on the spine so you don’t have open the book to check if there’s a sticky note inside.
  • Why both? Some books can’t accept the spine sticker, and sometimes the dot falls off. So the sticky inside the cover is the definitive mark that a book is in LT.
  • New book arrives? Add it to LT’s “Library” collection, tagged as “physical”, insert sticky note in the front, and add a dot to spine.
  • Book leaving my possession? Remove the dot and sticky note, and shift the book to the “Previous” collection in LT.

As you come across books you might want to read, add them to your Wishlist collection in LT. My Wishlist contains hundreds of books. (That’s not a brag, that’s a confession.) LT has a notes field and I often leave a clue about where/why I’m adding the book. When I later—having forgotten all about that book—go into LT to add it, only to discover it’s already there… “Hmmm, that’s twice now I’ve ‘discovered’ this book. Maybe I should read this book sooner than ‘some day’?” Such books I then tag, “priority.” I’ve about ~20 books tagged priority at the moment.

Yet another reason this is useful is that you can search via the LT website, or the mobile app, to see if you have/have-had any book. You can even wander through a bookstore, and know that your Wishlist is always in your pocket.

Does that sound crazy? Dammnit, that does sound crazy now that I typed it all out.

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Shout out

Published May 10, 2020  ·  All posts on May 10

It’s Mother’s Day here in the United States. So this is just a simple shout-out to my mom, Theresa, Love ‘ya!

(…and, yes, my mother follows my blog. I know, right? It’s like having my mom staring over my shoulder as I do my homework every day. ;)

Anyway. If you’re lucky enough, regardless whether you’re in the U.S. or not, you should probably call your mom more often.

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I reiterate

Published May 8, 2020  ·  All posts on May 8  ·  

If you’d like to retain and secure more of the information you consume instead of letting noteworthy knowledge pass right through you, here’s the best way to do so: share it with someone else. The secret of why this method works is in the number of times it forces you to reiterate, and thus solidify the memory of, a piece of information.

~ Brett McKay from, The Best Way to Retain What You Read

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McKay goes on to make several good points, but one in particular jumps out: That by sharing I am giving a gift to other people, and the anticipation of that—noting something now, that I’m planning to share with others later—is inherently pleasant and that pleasure also helps reinforce my memory.

I had never realized that aspect of blogging; this pleasurable feature, well in advance of the actual writing and sharing of things. But upon reflection this morning, I can assure you that it is a significant effect. I’m often caught yammering on about how everyone should have a place where they write in public, and henceforth I’m adding this pleasurable anticipation of sharing effect to my already long list of benefits to writing.

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Tiny incremental improvements

Published May 7, 2020  ·  All posts on May 7

James Clear talks about the importance of becoming just one percent better every day. This may not seem like much but he writes “The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding. Here’s how the math works out: if you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done.” None of us know how long the crisis will last or how long we’re going to be stuck at home. But we are in control of what we do to improve during this time. Don’t be fooled, the version of you that comes out of quarantine can be much better than the person that went in, if you make tiny positive changes every single day.

~ Ryan Holiday from, How To Remain Calm When The Rest Of The World Is Freaking Out

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In any given moment, of any given day, of any given year, wether or not I’m freaking out, there are a few ideas which do well to help me live a good and meaningful life. This succinct collection covers those ideas better than I ever could. ‘nuf said.

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Melissa Way | Art of Space

Published May 6, 2020  ·  All posts on May 6

On Castbox.fm — Melissa Way | Art of Space

How can art be integrated with Parkour to create spaces that engage both practitioners and the general public?

Designing Parkour spaces with artistic elements can make them appealing to the public while enhancing their functionality for practitioners.

A pattern interrupt is something that kind of catches your attention and messes with that in some way. So that could be, visually, just seeing something interesting that you want to explore further. Or this happens with movement people all the time, where we just see opportunity everywhere.

~ Melissa Way (3:34)

The conversation explores the intersection of art and Parkour, emphasizing how integrating artistic elements into Parkour spaces can make them more appealing to the general public. By designing environments that engage non-practitioners visually and physically, communities can foster interest in movement and create inclusive spaces. The idea of “pattern interrupts” is highlighted as a method for drawing attention to spaces and encouraging playful interaction with the environment.

A key point discussed is the challenge of proposing Parkour-specific spaces to communities and city officials unfamiliar with the discipline. By presenting these spaces as art installations or public works, the likelihood of approval increases due to the existing support and funding for public art projects. The conversation reflects on the importance of approaching design from a broader perspective, making spaces accessible and aesthetically engaging for all, not just Parkour practitioners.

Takeaways

Pattern Interrupt — Parkour and art can disrupt routine thought patterns, encouraging curiosity and play in public spaces.

Art-Parkour Synergy — Integrating art into Parkour spaces can attract broader community interest, bridging the gap between practitioners and the general public.

Designing for Accessibility — Public Parkour spaces should be visually and physically inviting to everyone, not just experienced movers.

City Engagement — Framing Parkour spaces as public art projects can increase support from city officials and community leaders.

Community Feedback — Involving the public in the design process can enhance the relevance and appeal of movement spaces.

Public Perception — Shifting societal norms about who moves in public and how they interact with art is crucial for expanding Parkour’s accessibility.

Collaboration — Engaging artists and designers outside the Parkour community can bring fresh perspectives and increase the success of proposed spaces.

Presentation Value — Presenting ideas at community retreats or events, even without being a definitive expert, fosters valuable dialogue and generates new ideas.

Resources

Melissa Way — Artist. Mover. Explorer.

Melissa Way @melzika_03

Parkour Generations Lehigh Valley — Melissa Way’s affiliated Parkour coaching organization in Pennsylvania.

Art of Retreat — A Parkour leadership and education retreat focused on advancing movement and community-building initiatives.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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40 knots in the freezing Atlantic

Published May 6, 2020  ·  All posts on May 6  ·  

The point is, you’re basically this walking, lumbering habit machine. And these habits — a.k.a. your identity — have been built up over the course of decades of living and breathing, laughing and loving, succeeding and failing, and through the years, they have built up a cruising speed of 40 knots or so in the freezing Atlantic. And if you want to change them — that is, change your identity, how you perceive yourself or how you adapt to the world — well you better slam that steering wheel to the side and be ready to hit a couple icebergs, because ships this big don’t turn so well.

~ Mark Manson from, Shut Up and Be Patient

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I’ve been saying, “big ship, little rudder,” for a long time about my own attempts to change course. I’m certain I’m right about myself, but it’s reassuring to hear other people say they see this about themselves too. Wether or not Manson is your cup ‘o tea, it’s nice to hear things that confirm your assessment. “That looks like a shark, right? That’s a shark; we should get out of the water, right?”

The reason—not “one of the reasons”, but the actual, single, I’m-not-kidding, this is really why, reason—I tell the truth is that it helps other people form a good model of their world. Sound bonkers? …try this:

You know what it looks like, and/or sounds like, when a car is approaching along a roadway. You have a model of your world that, I hope, predicts that being struck by said car would be Very Bad. So you instinctively adjust your actions—get out of the way that is—when you see or hear a car approaching. That’s you using a model of reality; in this case a really good model that almost always works. Your model isn’t perfect: The driver could swerve to avoid you, and end up hitting you. In which case your model of the world has failed; you should have stood stationary, in the street to avoid being hit.

Where did you get that model?

What if I had arranged it so that every car you encountered as a child was driven by a confidant of mine. I had them all swerve to avoid you, and I taught you that cars will avoid you. You’d have a very different model! …and you’d agree I had done some SERIOUS lying to you!

Does my definition of True make sense now? I’ll say something if it will help you build a better model of the world. One can try this test on everything; it always works perfectly to tell you what is morally correct [in the context of speaking]. Anyway, I digress.

So I’ve been saying to myself, “big ship, small rudder,” and here I have an external bit of evidence from Manson that my model is correct. *shrugs* Sorry, this is what happens when you peek into my head.

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Blindingly obvious

Published May 5, 2020  ·  All posts on May 5  ·  

A few weeks ago I had a rapid sequence of ideas related to reading books. All of these are blindingly obvious in hindsight:

One can gang books together when reading. Grab Aurelius’s Meditations, Frankl’s, Man’s Search for Meaning, Seneca’s Letters, and Epictetus’s Discourses, Handbook and Fragments—and read a little from each of them in each sitting. Or grab the Constitution of the United States, The Federalist Papers, the Anti-Federalist Papers, and Stevens’s Six Amendments. (What “gang” of books springs to mind for you?)

One is permitted to place multiple bookmarks in the same book. Yes I’ve long advocated adding sticky notes to mark various things in a book as I go along. But the idea of reading in multiple places simultaneously in the same book hadn’t really occurred to me.

One can make their own bookmarks from 1/4″ satin ribbon! I have all sorts of bookmarks; things which slide onto the edge like a paper-clip, printed cards (“Remain calm. I’m the Doctor.” for example) with the usual string or ribbon from the end, 3×5 cards stuffed in randomly, and large sticky notes. But it’s way cooler to cut a length of ribbon and drape it through the book… just like really cool and expensive books which arrive with a bookmark sewn into their binding.

If you’re cutting ribbon to make bookmarks, you can easily attach it into the book just like the fancy books’ marks. Cut it long enough to: lay one end between the last two pages of the book, tight in against the binding, with the end near the top of the page, and the ribbon laying down the page. Flip a few pages on top of it to hold it in place, and lay the ribbon back up across the entire book again tight in against the binding. Now you have a bookmark that feels like it’s sewn into the binding when you grab the lower portion sticking out of the book as your mark.

My final thought in that recent cascade was of course: Okay, wow, I really have a book problem.

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Frog or bird?

Published May 4, 2020  ·  All posts on May 4  ·  

He described himself as a frog not a bird, as he enjoyed jumping from pool to pool, studying their details deeply in the mud. The bird’s-eye perspective was not for him, and he had a lifelong suspicion of grand unified theories.

~ Robbert Dijkgraaf from, Remembering the Unstoppable Freeman Dyson

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Freeman Dyson’s, Frogs and Birds is also worth a read.

There is such an insanely huge amount of things I want to read. Web pages, PDF files, ePub documents in Kindle and Nook, and of course stacks of physical books. I read a lot, but of course I’ll barely scratch the surface of just the things I’ve actively decided I want to read. Fortunately, I’m no longer reading to reach a goal, or to finish.

My mind is but a tiny eddy of order, maintained every so briefly within the grand arc of time.

…and what fun it is to go frolicking through the works of mankind, sharing the occasional bit here with you!

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The size of your identity

Published May 2, 2020  ·  All posts on May 2  ·  

I think what religion and politics have in common is that they become part of people’s identity, and people can never have a fruitful argument about something that’s part of their identity. By definition they’re partisan.

~ Paul Graham from, Keep Your Identity Small

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There are two ways I can think to aim this: outward as a way to lecture others, and inward as a way to lecture myself. Lately, I find I’m choosing to aim inward with every lesson I encounter. I’m frequently trying to catch myself being untrue to my morals.

Yesterday I was asking myself: What would it mean to be, “so good, they can’t ignore you?” Asking myself such things is an ongoing theme, and I’ve always considered it from the mindset of more; from the mindset of searching for ways to improve by addition. Yes, I’ve intentionally left the subject unspecified here. Thinking about Graham’s article this morning leaves me wondering if the best way—for me today at my current place in my personal journey—might instead be to improve by removing things.

What would that look like, specifically?

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P.S.: The question, “what can I do to be so good they can’t ignore me?,” is part of my personal list of daily reminders.

Penmanship

Published May 1, 2020  ·  All posts on May 1

I write in my journal, basically, every day. I use a combination of styles to craft my—

…honestly, I’m freaking out watching the computer turn my keystrokes into this INSANELY perfect penmanship. Sorry.

—to craft my journal entries as a snapshot of my mood in addition to recording the written content. No I’m not going to share my journal here.

I generally go pages and pages and pages of writing without making a mistake. I write in ink. (Although, I did take a 2-year foray into writing in pencil—ick.) When I make a mistake, I simply place a single line through the mistake and move on. I picked up this habit from working in laboratory notebooks when I was a physics student; mistakes, especially if you go on to redo the work correctly, are part of the work and part of the record of your work. So in a lab notebook, you never remove a page, and you simply draw a single diagonal line through your mistakes. And then you move on. It occurs to me that’s also a great life lesson.

This morning, I tried to write the word “He”, but I flubbed the strokes of the “H” and got something that looked more like the word, “the.” Without the slightest hesitation, I lightheartedly crossed it out, and began to rewrite “He.” I made the first downward stroke of the “H”—mind you this all happened in a split-second—and when I lifted my pen at the bottom of that stroke I couldn’t remember how to write a cursive, capital “H.”

What followed was an hour-long detour into the bowels of the Internet. First I had to figure out which cursive writing style I use. I’ve no idea what I learned in ’76; it just comes out of the end of the pen when I think writing. The best I could do was look through how-to writing worksheets until—stroking the letters in my mind (get your mind out of the gutter)—I found one that seemed right. Then I looked at the H. Then I flipped back through a bunch of pages looking for one of my Hs. To my flabbergasted astonishment I’ve been cheating. I’ve been writing a block letter capital H, when I need a “He,” “However,” or “Hellion.”

In the end I learned three lessons:

  1. How to correctly stroke a cursive, capital H, and for good measure I brushed up on—see what I did there?—my capital K, since they are dangerously similar.
  2. OMG don’t ever try to think about something that you normally do fluidly without thinking. I hurt my neck and nearly broke my wrist in all of this.
  3. WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT LOOK AT EITHER OF THESE WEB SITES…

    https://www.boredpanda.com/beautiful-handwriting-lettering-calligraphy/

    And of course there’s a sub-reddit for it…

    https://www.reddit.com/r/PenmanshipPorn/

    …it took every ounce of my will to not take up penmanship for penmanship’s sake.

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Quitting at quitting time

Published April 30, 2020  ·  All posts on Apr 30

The best thing you and I can do at the end of the writing day is to stash our work gloves in our locker, hang our leather apron on a hook, and head for the workshop door. If we’ve truly put in our hours today, we know it. We have done enough. It won’t help to keep at it like a dog worrying a bone.

~ Steven Pressfield from, “The Office is Closed”

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…and similarly: Perfectionism is a Loser’s Strategy

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I’ve recently learned that “inertia” as a word, was first applied to the cosmos during a fairly recent philosophical shift in thinking. People like Copernicus were looking at the cosmos and used “inertia” to point out the universe’s inherent, not-alive property; as in, the cosmos possesses inertia, the property of being inert. Newton’s idea of inertia, in the sense that slow moving dump trucks have a lot of inertia, aligns with the idea that the inert cosmos resists. It resists starting and it resists stopping. Newton’s equation, “F=ma” is a result of inertia; If (F)orce is zero on the left, then (a)cceleration is zero on the right. If acceleration is zero, then velocity remains constant.

Aside: “velocity” is speed, “how fast?” and direction, together as one property. Turning a corner in a car, at the same speed, is a change in velocity. To do so requires force from the steering tires of the car. The steering wheel is simply a well designed control for applying lateral force to the front of your car to control your velocity without changing your speed.

Where was I? …oh, right! Inertia. The cosmos. Back to it…

The inert cosmos resists starting and stopping. But I am not inert! I long ago recognized that when I was not moving—figuratively speaking, moving by being engaged making progress toward some goal… When I was not moving, then I needed to do something to get moving. I needed to start, and realizing that I was bad at starting, I needed to practice starting. Okay, did that.

Unfortunately, I have created a new problem: I don’t know how to stop. It turns out one really needs to also be able to start and to stop. Now that I’ve mastered starting, I can finally begin to learn to stop.

<sarcasm>And surprise!</sarcasm> F=ma. Starting and stopping are equally difficult.

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Elizabeth Cunningham | Yoga for Life

Published April 29, 2020  ·  All posts on Apr 29

On Castbox.fm — Elizabeth Cunningham | Yoga for Life

How can yoga principles and breathwork enhance movement practices and overall well-being?

Yoga principles extend beyond the mat, offering insights that reshape how we move and manage stress.

I want you to get that you can use your breath in any moment, in any circumstance for whatever you’re doing, to calm yourself down to expand your movements to be able to tap into your parasympathetic nervous system.

~ Elizabeth Cunningham (4:34)

The conversation highlights the role of breath and yoga principles in enhancing physical movement and mental clarity. Elizabeth shares how her personal experiences with spinal fusion surgery and back spasms led her to rediscover yoga, which ultimately relieved her pain and transformed her perspective on movement. She emphasizes how breath control can calm the nervous system, improve posture, and foster creativity, encouraging people to integrate these practices into everyday life.

Elizabeth explains how posture and breath awareness serve as foundational tools that extend beyond yoga into disciplines like parkour or even daily interactions. She underscores the importance of breath for managing stress, preventing injury, and achieving flow states. Through humor and hands-on demonstrations, she aims to make yoga accessible and practical for all movement practitioners.

Takeaways

Breath as a tool — Breath can calm the nervous system, expand movement, and bring awareness to the present moment.

Posture alignment — Proper posture starts with engaging the core, which prevents lower back pain and fatigue.

Breath and movement — Inhalations create expansion, and exhalations drive contraction, aligning with physical movement patterns.

Breaking assumptions — Approaching yoga and breathwork with a beginner’s mindset fosters creativity and discovery.

Applicability of breath — Breathwork applies not only to physical practices but also to daily conversations and stressful situations.

Resources

Elizabeth Cunningham’s website

Elizabeth Cunningham @elzcunningham

Art of Retreat — Official site for Art of Retreat, a leadership and education retreat for movement professionals.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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And then it gets harder

Published April 29, 2020  ·  All posts on Apr 29  ·  

I don’t think we emphasize enough the importance of evidenced-based metrics. Deep work is important. Making lots of bets is important. But if these efforts are not grounded in the reality of your field — including the hard truths about what you really do need to potentially succeed, not just what you know how to do — they are wasted.

Cal Newport from, You Need to Master the Rules Before You Can Reinvent Them

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Deep work; yes. Making lots of bets (or, fail faster, pick yourself, iterate quickly, etc.); yes. Grounded in reality; yes. Are those all necessary? yes—actually, hell yes, amen and once more, louder, for those in the back!

But are they sufficient? If you have those three, will you be successful? Setting aside the timing and random luck parts of success, nope I think you also need tenacity.

I’m not sure if it’s learned, innate or both of those. But there’s a necessary tenacity. Ever play tug-o-war with a dog and a rope-toy? That dog has the tenacity, in Spades. (Without Googleing, can you tell me where the phrase, “in Spades” comes from?) holy shit no you dont thats my rope toy i am never gonna let go as long as you want to play this is my favorite game oh my gawd best day ever!!

But, a good dog also knows it’s a game. Tenacious? Absolutely. Drop that toy like a hot potato when something better comes up? What rope toy?

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TK: Tantra, authenticity, and eye contact

Published April 29, 2020  ·  All posts on Apr 29  ·  

TK: Tantra, authenticity, and eye contact

What role does tantra, authenticity, and interpersonal communication play in enhancing personal growth and human connection?

TK openly discusses her experiences with tantra, explaining what it is, what it means to her, and how it relates to her goals with Lovecraft Collective. She shares her thoughts on the power of eye contact, radical honesty, and interpersonal communication. TK delves into her love of climbing, her relationship with movement, sexuality, and how the two are connected.

There’s something kind of magical that happens when you— We’re making eye contact right now, and it’s kind of silly, but if we allowed ourselves to continue to make eye contact…

~ TK (19:39)

The conversation explores the multifaceted nature of tantra, diving into its definition and its applications in fostering human connection and holistic healing. It highlights the significance of balancing energy, exploring pleasure, and integrating movement practices such as climbing and parkour into a fuller, more embodied experience of life. TK shares personal anecdotes that underline the importance of understanding and addressing sexuality as a fundamental part of being human.

The discussion also dips into the profound power of eye contact, vulnerability, and radical honesty as transformative tools in interpersonal relationships. Insights into TK’s movement background, including climbing and parkour, provide a glimpse into how physical activities intertwine with personal development and creativity.

Takeaways

Eye contact — A powerful tool for creating intimacy and understanding in human connections.

Tantra — A practice focused on integrating light, sound, and form for holistic healing and personal growth.

Movement and embodiment — Movement practices like parkour and climbing play a significant role in connecting with oneself and the environment.

Radical honesty — Emphasizing the importance of truthfulness in building trust and fostering genuine interactions.

Sexuality and self-discovery — Understanding and addressing sexuality as a core aspect of humanity and personal empowerment.

Integration of practices — Combining physical movement, tantra, and mindfulness for a balanced and enriched life.

Resources

LoveCraft Collective — The guest’s coaching and empowerment collective focused on tantra and sexual healing.

Urban Tantra — Barbara Carrellas’s book exploring tantra practices, initially developed during the AIDS crisis, to foster connection and healing.

Seattle Bouldering Project — A climbing and community space where the guest developed connections related to movement.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Honing your craft

Published April 28, 2020  ·  All posts on Apr 28  ·  

We’ve created this fantasy world where everyone is just 30 days of courage boosting exercises and life hacks away from living an amazing life.

But when you study people like Martin, who really do live remarkable lives, you almost always encounter stretches of years and years dedicated to honing craft.

~ Cal Newport from, Closing Your Interests Opens More Interesting Opportunities

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This is the eternal challenge of seeing the forest through the trees; of maintaining perspective.

I’m constantly reminded of the scenes in the Hobbit where they are trying to walk through 250 miles of a forest named, Mirkwood. “Do not leave the path,” is the only guidance they are given. After what seems like endless daily struggles, they eventually dispatch a party member to climb a singularly large tree to the uppermost branches. Unfortunately, even from that lofty perch all that could be seen was more forest forever and ever in every direction. In fact, they were in a low lying area, reasonably close to the forest edge. Crushed by the misleading perspective, their journey takes a turn for the worse.

I have so many projects where I start into the forest with the best intentions. I steel myself with, “I know this is going to turn into a slog at some point, and I’m going to remember why I went into the forest to give me the strength to carry on!” Yeah, that never works out. If the project is actually worth doing, then the forest is necessarily crushingly vast and the journey through must eventually become hopeless. Of course it’s hard; that’s what makes it worth it.

The secret? You have to love living in the forest, just for the sake of living in the forest. Then every morning is an adventure. Sure, some days are going to suck, but every morning will begin a new day of opportunity.

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Tension

Published April 25, 2020  ·  All posts on Apr 25  ·  

I’ve been thinking about ways to create more opportunity for engagement among the people who are following the work of the Movers Mindset project. We’ve reached a point where we’re creating plenty of content and sharing ideas—but currently almost entirely in the broadcast direction. We’ve a considerable collection of people who are passively consuming.

Meanwhile, every time I manage to engage with someone [in this context of Movers Mindset], it’s an energizing exchange of ideas about movement, movement’s place in society, and sometimes even philosophy in general.

The whole project is intentionally aimed at people who are becoming, or already are, reflective. Such people tend to have made the growth step beyond low-value interaction and engagement and are increasingly aware of how they engage and expend their time especially online. I suppose the key is to simply engage with them one by one, until that becomes untenable for me.

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Redefining our mission

Published April 24, 2020  ·  All posts on Apr 24  ·  

Our assignment, like that of any new boss or coach, is to overhaul the organization (i.e., ourselves), strip it down to its basics, redefine its mission, its goals, its virtues and its vices. We have to fire every part of ourselves that can’t or won’t get onboard the new mission and we have to achieve buy-in from all the other parts that we have allowed to remain with the franchise.

~ Steven Pressfield from, Why the Raiders Suck

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This exercise always proves beneficial for me; systematically going through everything that I’m doing, my habits, my friends—everything. Take the time to assess, and in particular to consider: Knowing what I know today, if today I was offered this “opportunity” to allocate my time or resources, on this thing, would I take it? It’s a powerful way to work around our inherent tendency to fall for the sunk cost fallacy.

Here I have 500 books on my “read this” bookcase. Picking up one book, knowing all that I know today, would I read this book? Considering all that I know today, would I buy a TV, subscribe to Netflix, and arrange my living room in this fashion? …would I call it my sedentary entertainment room instead? Knowing what I know today, would I agree to have dinner or drinks with this person who I currently have labeled [in my mind] as a friend? How does each of these things move me forward?

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Diligence alone

Published April 23, 2020  ·  All posts on Apr 23

Remarkable accomplishment requires a remarkable amount of focus; this much is clear. But focus without grounded direction is unlikely to hit the sweet spot.

~ Cal Newport from, Learn the Landscape Before Putting on Blinders

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I’ve come across this point/idea many times in my journey. It took me a long time to learn how to focus, but it’s proving more challenging to figure out what to focus on.

Diligence? Focus? Single-mindedness? …whatever you want to call it. I am able to get a lot done. But I find I’m always second-guessing myself after I’ve gotten a significant portion of the way through some project…

Today, more questions than answers I suppose.

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Blake Evitt | The Parkour Community within the Larger Urban Fabric

Published April 22, 2020  ·  All posts on Apr 22

On Castbox.fm — Blake Evitt | The Parkour Community within the Larger Urban Fabric

How can Parkour communities foster diversity and inclusivity while balancing the growth of gym-based models and maintaining engagement with broader urban and local spaces?

Inclusivity in Parkour is not just ethical but also essential for long-term business growth.

Building a strong and diverse community is not something that is against your business interests. […] A lot of the models are based on a gym only model, which means that we are kind of vastly under serving and ignoring and kind of walling ourselves off from large swaths of the population.

~ Blake Evitt (4:44)

The conversation focuses on the intersection between Parkour as a growing industry and its role in fostering diverse and inclusive communities. One recurring theme is the tension between the rise of gym-based Parkour models and the need to engage with broader urban environments to ensure accessibility. Gym-centric models risk excluding those who cannot afford memberships or lack access to gym facilities. Outdoor training and public space utilization are emphasized as strategies to broaden participation and maintain Parkour’s original roots.

Another topic highlights the role of community leaders in shaping public perception of Parkour. Positive engagement with local governments, schools, and community centers can open doors to wider recognition and acceptance. Initiatives such as after-school programs and collaboration with recreation departments are presented as effective ways to expand outreach. The importance of coaching standards, insurance, and building relationships with diverse groups is also underlined as key to sustainable growth.

Takeaways

Building diverse communities — Inclusion and diversity benefit both the Parkour community and business interests.

Gym-only models — Limiting Parkour to gyms excludes large segments of the population and reduces growth potential.

Public space use — Training outdoors fosters visibility, normalizes Parkour, and improves public perception.

Community engagement — Partnerships with schools, recreation departments, and community centers expand reach and deepen community ties.

Coaching and standards — Developing coaching skills and engaging with certifications enhances professionalism and safety.

Insurance barriers — Finding insurance for outdoor training remains a challenge but is critical for growth beyond gym walls.

Urban integration — Viewing Parkour as part of the urban fabric encourages outreach in varied settings beyond major cities.

Long-term perception — Positive public behavior directly influences Parkour’s reputation and future opportunities.

Resources

Parkour Generations — Organization involved in Parkour coaching, events, and leadership.

Art of Retreat — The leadership and education retreat for the Parkour community.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Stop drifting

Published April 22, 2020  ·  All posts on Apr 22  ·  

Stop drifting. You’re not going to re-read your Brief Comments, your Deeds of the Ancient Greeks and Romans, the commonplace books you saved for your old age. Sprint for the finish. Write off your hopes, and if your well-being matters to you, be your own savior while you can.

~ Marcus Aurelius

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Normally I would simply let a quote from Aurelius stand on its own. If you’re not familiar with Meditations—Aurelius didn’t choose that title for what he wrote, it was added to his work much later—it was a collection of writings he meant only for himself; this is the emperor of the Roman empire remonstrating himself.

Here’s a second helping of remonstration: Explore. Dream. Discover.

I write this blog for myself. (And no, I’m not laboring under the delusion that I’m creating a work for the ages like Aurelius’s, Meditations.) But I am simply pleased if you, Dear Reader, find my ramblings interesting. I am genuinely delighted if anything I write stimulates your thinking. I am downright ecstatic if any of my questions catalyze your changing the course of your life.

Do you read regularly, and what have you chosen to read with the aim of changing the course of your life?

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