The Dannish even have the sunset sorted. #frig17
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Sunset
Published July 21, 2017 · All posts on Jul 21 ·
Sunset
Final dinner
As Gerlev ’17 wraps up, we gather for our final dinner. #frig17
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Gerlev
Just a couple shots I grabbed randomly. parkour, dance, and great people everywhere! #frig17
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If today were the last day
I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” and whenever the answer has been “no” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
~ Steve Jobs
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Coffee master class
Five meals a day and really -no, really passionate -about coffee. Hard to describe how specual and diff this event is. There are five Americans here and we’re trying to sort it out so we can share/explain it and maybe bring a hint of it home.
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What what WAT
wat day is it? dontcare. Country? dontcare! Run. Jump. PLAY!! What exactly is stopping you??
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Arrival
Dinner, and some time to unwind
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Paul Graves: Capoeira, conversation in movement, and nature
What unique perspectives can be gained by exploring the interplay of movement disciplines like Capoeira, Parkour, and natural movement?
Paul brings his extensive experience to bear to provide insight into Capoeira. We go on to talk about how movement itself can be a conversation, before we dig deep into the human need to experience nature as part of our lives, as well as part of our parkour practice.
You see it coming, you get out of the way.
~ Paul Graves (10:04)
The conversation begins by exploring the transformative role of Capoeira in shaping social skills and personal identity. Paul Graves shares his journey through Capoeira, detailing its cultural richness, the dynamics of the roda, and the life-altering impact of movement-based dialogues. He explains how his Capoeira nickname, identity, and eventual departure from the practice marked a profound personal shift.
Transitioning to Parkour, the discussion highlights how Paul’s movement philosophy evolved to embrace play and adaptability. He goes into Parkour’s roots in both urban and natural environments, emphasizing the importance of connecting with nature to rediscover primal human movement. Themes of engagement, community, and the psychological impacts of training environments are central to understanding how movement disciplines shape both personal and collective growth.
Takeaways
Capoeira’s roda — A dynamic microcosm of life involving movement dialogue and mutual respect.
The impact of leaving Capoeira — Marked a significant identity shift and opened the door to new explorations.
Parkour’s appeal — A practice that emphasizes freedom, exploration, and connection with the environment.
Natural movement’s relevance — Returning to nature reveals deeper aspects of movement and human connection.
Philosophy of play — Play as a central concept that fosters learning and adaptability across disciplines.
Overcoming challenges — Movement practices mirror life’s obstacles and solutions.
Community dynamics in training — Engagement with others shapes the experience of growth and achievement.
Balancing structured and free movement — Combining discipline and creativity to maximize potential.
Resources
Parkour Visions — An organization focusing on Parkour education and community.
Evolve Move Play — A program exploring natural movement in outdoor environments.
Capoeira: Roots of the Dance-Fight-Game — A book exploring the history and philosophy of Capoeira.
Julie Angel’s Videos — Documenting movement practices like Parkour and natural movement.
Art of Retreat — A gathering for movement practitioners to explore diverse disciplines.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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The trusy Puffin
Where’s the Puffin? Chillin’ in Newark as I work on episode 7. If you zoom and squint, you might be able to make out episode 7’s guest’s name…
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Last lunch
Lunch at The Barn (local yummy restaurant) before T drops me at bus station…. I *really* hope she slows down before pushing me out of the car.
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Eat less and move more. Nonsense?
There is a difference between being true and being useful… These are not mutually inclusive things.
~ Brad Pilon from, Eat less and move more. Nonsense? – Brad Pilon’s ‘Eat Blog Eat’
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What strengthens and weakens our integrity
The problem with human nature is that we are all prone to what might be called “virtue forgetfulness.” Our principles and values – our vision of the men we want to be — do not stay at the forefront of our minds at all times, ever at the ready to sway our choices. Instead, our craniums are so busy processing our day-to-day issues and concerns that more philosophical data ends up stored in the reserve trenches rather than the frontlines. It is for this reason that moral reminders are so effective and necessary in our lives: they act as cues in our environment that summon thoughts about our values from the back of our minds to the front, where they can influence our behavior and be brought to bear on the temptations before us.
~ Brett McKay from, What Strengthens and Weakens Our Integrity – Part IV: The Power of Moral Reminders | The Art of Manliness
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Escape from the crush of circumstances
Today I escaped from the crush of circumstances, or better put, I threw them out, for the crush wasn’t from outside me but in my own assumptions.
~ Marcus Aurelius
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§12 – Don’t jump
I wish I could have read this section from Thibault in the early days of my parkour journey.
If there’s an aspect of parkour training which is alien — or at least, was alien to the entirety of my experience — it is the idea of not jumping, of not doing the challenge, and having that truly be training.
Sometimes, parkour is simply spending time with fear. Sometimes, parkour is simply being calm in proximity with danger. Sometimes, parkour is simply learning to love oneself despite not reaching goals. Sometimes, parkour is simply walking away. While that may seem ok, it’s better than ok: It’s terrific!
In order to feel that one’s life is flowing more slowly — and fully — one might seek out new situations over and over to have novel experiences that, because of their emotional value, are retained by memory over the long term. Greater variety makes a given period of life expand in retrospect. Life passes more slowly. If one challenges oneself consistently, it pays off, over the years, as the feeling of having lived fully — and, most importantly, of having lived for a long time.
~ Marc Wittmann from, The Psychology of Time and the Paradox of How Impulsivity and Self-Control Mediate Our Capacity for Presence
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§2 – Unpacking
Every time someone was looking for something my grandfather would bark out:
Put it where you got it! It’ll be there when you go for it!
When I was little, I thought that was pretty cool. Turns out it’s a variation of the old adage:
A place for everything, and everything in its place.
Unpacking begins with things having a place
In certain productivity and self-improvement circles there is an idea called Clearing to Neutral. Simply put, when ceasing work on something think ahead to the next time a task will be worked on, and eliminate as much start-up friction as possible.
Having all your travel and packing items in their place means packing for a trip is simply taking things out and putting them into your bag. (And perhaps some things should simply be kept in your bag.) That’s as close to zero-friction as possible. So clearing to neutral suggests I prepare for the next trip by immediately putting everything away.
So where to keep the stuff? The first iteration is to simply have a pile of things on a shelf, or in a drawer, where you know you keep “the travel stuff.” The next iteration might be a dedicated bag, or large box. But the best solution I’ve found is to use translucent plastic filing tubs. (For example, these filing tubs.)
These tubs are perfect; you can see what is in them and they are easy to handle. I have one which holds things I grab most frequently; for example, my micro-flashlight and M’Urgency kit. I have another tub which holds the less-used random stuff; for example, the replacement o-rings for my flashlight, those little toothpaste tubes the dentist gives me, refills for my cartridge razor, and my rarely used, travel laundry kit. When packing, I just pull the tubs out and grab what I need.
The tubs can be stored on a high shelf, on the floor in the back of a closet, or in the garage. Regardless how exactly you store your travel gear, it should have a dedicated home where things don’t get dirty, lost, or eaten by your cat.
Exploding
So now everything has its place, and I’m mentally prepared to spend time putting things away when I return. But I have a problem: When I return, some — often most — of my stuff is not ready to be stored.
I gave out a bandaid from my M’Urgency kit which needs to be replaced. The sheet from my sleep system needs to be washed. I lost a zipper-pull on my backpack that needs to be replaced. My flashlight needs a new battery. My razor needs a new cartridge. I need a new bar of soap. …and on and on.
Each of these issues is a very small thing to take care of, and it is tempting to leave these small tasks for later. But this is exactly the moment where a little work now leads to zero-friction later. This is where the magic of clearing to neutral shines. All of those little issues would slow me down — or worse, leave me in the lurch during a trip — when next I pack to travel. By taking care of them when I return, I eliminate all the friction and make packing a breeze when the next opportunity arises.
If I’m exhausted, I may simply set my bag down and go to sleep. But when I’m ready to unpack I explode everything in one place. I pull everything out and if it’s ready to store, (that is to say, it is ready to use again when I next travel,) I put it away immediately. If it needs something, I leave it in the exploded area. Normally, this is right in the middle of the floor, in the middle of a room. So the goal is to clean up the entire pile. Laundry into the laundry basket, or better yet, right into the washing machine. Get a fresh battery, change it and put the flashlight away. Grab a spare zipper pull and fix the backpack. Grab a bandaid and razor cartridges from the spares tub and fill up the M’Urgency and bathroom kits; then put them away. Zip, zap, done.
Aside: I clear everything to neutral. Years ago, my Hueco backpack came with spare zipper-pulls. I put them in a ziplock bag, with a 3×5 card that says “spare zipper pulls for Hueco” in the tub of less-used items. By the time I lost a zipper-pull, I had completely forgotten it had come with spares. But I knew that _if_ I had spare zipper-pulls, they’d be in the less-used tub. And there they were!
Using processes like this will expand outward into the rest of your life. I just used the last of the spare razor catridges from the storage tub to refill my bathroom kit? Add “razor cartridges” to the shopping list that we keep in its assigned place, so everything is on the list when someone goes to the market. Go to the market, buy what is on the list.
As you’re unpacking, sorting, cleaning, repairing, etc all your stuff, you’ll find you’re automatically reviewing; Which is the next part of this series.
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The bull looks different
Encountered this for the first time today while reading a book. I share this not for the parkour/non-pk dichotomy, but for the younger/older dichotomy.
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To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield
Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’
~ Alfred Lord Tennyson
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
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End of another era
I’ve been dutifully tending equipment in this bay for 15 years… little bit sad that I won’t ever drive here again. On the other hand, 10 years ago I nearly died in a car crash (not my fault) coming here in the middle of the night. There’s an invisible army of system admin who work around the world, every hour of every day. We make every aspect of your modern world function. I’m proud to be one of them, doing my little part.
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Yamak
Day two w Stany #ADD #weAreNotGymnastics We start together – We finish together.
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Raleigh
Next challenge… pretty sure this bike is older than me…
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