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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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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Wild animals run from the dangers they actually see, and once they escape them worry no more. We however are tormented alike by what is past and what is to come. A number of our blessings do us harm, for memory brings back the agony of fear while foresight brings it on prematurely. No one confines his unhappiness to the present.
~ Seneca
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When we work out while listening to a podcast or checking messages, we lose out on being present with our bodies, feeling the experience of moving, exerting ourselves, being in nature.
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I try to walk as much as I can. Usually I make it out to walk every day for about an hour. For years I was simply walking in nature with myself and my thoughts. A few years ago, when I got really into podcasts as a listener, I started listening while walking.
But about a year ago—after noticing I’d stopped writing things down about my walks—I realized that I had lost something valuable: My time alone with my thoughts. So I cut back to listening to podcasts for about half the walk.
I’m often asked if I meditate. Yes, particularly in the past year, and it looks a lot like walking.
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This is the upper fall. It’s 1,430′ (440m). The photo is from a foot bridge at the trail’s closest approach. If you look closely, there is a hiker wearing a blue jacket, standing atop the largest rock.
Now when I pass the sign, I try and think of at least one thing I do myself that willfully ignores truths I’d rather not accept. Things I know I should change about myself that I choose not to.
~ Steven Pressfield from, «https://stevenpressfield.com/2015/01/willful-ignorance/»
On one hand, I disagree: The sign’s purpose is to save ducks; it was not created “for everyone.” In that sense, the bad grammar of the sign makes it work better. But, the ducks sign is simply an example. Pressfield’s point about willful ignorance is clear and—at least for me—on target.
A question I like to reflect on periodically in my journaling is: What habit did I curb [today or yesterday]? Also, reflecting on what parts of my behavior I dislike—which was a huge part of my initial journey rediscovering movement 10 years ago—gives me specific things to work on. I think it’s a deeply useful practice to ask oneself difficult questions and to reflect on the answers, (or lack of answers as the case may be.)
Are there any questions you ask yourself on a regular basis?
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Creating value is unrelated to busyness. When you find yourself — as I sometimes do — working long hours, day after day, reacting and e-mailing and hatching schemes, it’s useful to remember that you’re working more than some of the world’s most respected and impactful thinkers.
~ Cal Newport from, You’re Working too Hard to Make an Impact
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I often write about focus because it’s something I’m trying to improve. When I’ve lost focus, it’s a challenge to call myself back to the important things. But a better plan for improvement would be to not lose focus in the first place, or at least to not lose focus as often.
Recently I’ve been keeping in mind Viktor Frankl’s thought about there being a space between stimulus and response. I find that when I’m able to remember that space, I’m able to consciously decide when, and if, I should shift my focus.
For example, I sat down to write and a myriad of other thoughts arose. Instead of trying to ignore them or make them go away—don’t think of a pink elephant—I zoom in on each idea: I consider the sense of urgency; no, actually there’s nothing urgent about the action this thought is suggesting. I consider the sense of entitlement; no, actually there’s no reason that I should be congratulated or rewarded for this thought or what it’s suggesting I attempt to do. I consider the benefit to myself or others; no, actually this thought isn’t vastly better than the other ideas and projects I’m already working. Soon enough the thought moves along like a petulant child. I think, “let’s see, where was I? I had sat down to write.”
Externally, that whole process—even if I repeat it for multiple thoughts—looks very unlike busyness. It looks much like I’m sitting still. It looks like I’m gazing out the window. It even looks a bit like I’m focused on writing. In fact, I am still focused on writing.
It’s my choice: Is this the moment when I want to change where I’ve placed my focus? If not, then terrific, I’m still focused where I had chosen.
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Here’s an interesting way to use Morse Code to generate running intervals. It’s complex enough to generate infinite variety, but simple enough to generate a workout quickly.
The dot duration is the basic unit of time measurement in Morse code transmission.
Select a corresponding amount of running time for the basic unit; Let’s say a “dot” will be 10 seconds of running.
The duration of a dash is three times the duration of a dot.
…so we’ll be running 30 seconds for each “dash” in Morse Code.
The letters within a word are separated by a space of duration equal to three dots,
…so we’ll have 30 seconds of walking between each letter.
and the words are separated by a space equal to seven dots.
…so 70 seconds of walking between each word.
…from Basics of Morse Code, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_code
Finally, you need a handy Morse Code converter, such as moresecode.world. (No relationship to me.)
Grab a word, phrase, whatever you want to try “running”. For example, “I AM SLOW”, in Morse Code, is:
.. / .- -- / ... .-.. --- .--
The word “I”, one letter, is simply two dots, ..
…two dots at 10 seconds each, that’s 20 seconds of running for the letter, “i”.
For the space between the words, 70 seconds of walking.
“AM” is, two letters, .- --
…dot-dash is 10+30, so 40 seconds of running
…space between letters is 30 seconds of walking
…dash-dash is, 30+30, so 60 seconds of running
Another space between words, 70 seconds of walking.
“SLOW” is four letters, ... .-.. --- .--
run 30 (S = 10+10+10)
walk 30 between letters
run 60 (L = 10+30+10+10)
walk 30
run 90 (O = 30+30+30)
walk 30
run 70 (W = 10+30+30)
…or more simply, the whole running sequence can be written:
20 / 40 60 / 30 60 90 70
You get a 70-second walking break at the “/” between words, and the 30-second walks between letters at 40-60, 30-60, 60-90 and 90-70.
“Mississippi” leads to:-- .. ... ... .. ... ... .. .--. .--. ..
60 20 30 30 20 30 30 20 80 80 20
(with a 30 second walk between each of those letters)
“run faster” is:.-. ..- -. / ..-. .- ... - . .-.
50 50 40 / 60 40 30 30 10 50
…and “movers mindset” is:-- --- ...- . .-. ... / -- .. -. -.. ... . -
60 90 60 10 50 30 / 60 20 40 50 30 10 30
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On Castbox.fm — Alan Tran | Peer Pressure
How can movement practices, such as Parkour, enhance social connection and communication through exercises involving eye contact, physical touch, and shared space?
Parkour coaches can deepen their practice by incorporating elements of Tai Chi, dance, and breath-work to foster social awareness.
I wanted to bring this to Art of Retreat because social connection is so powerful, on our mental health, on relationships, on our happiness. I want to share and see how coaches can build a stronger connection for their communities, their students, their peers. And it can be as simple as eye contact or a high five or a hug.
~ Alan Tran (23:41)
The conversation explores the intersection between movement practices like Parkour and social connection. It highlights how physical exercises involving eye contact and partner interaction can reveal hidden boundaries and deepen interpersonal communication. A particular focus is placed on how different modalities, including dance, breath-work, and Tai Chi, can integrate into Parkour to enhance awareness and foster stronger community ties.
There is also discussion around cultural and gender-based differences in how people approach exercises involving physical touch and personal space. The challenges faced when presenting these concepts to different demographics, including at-risk youth, emphasize the importance of social context in movement training. These reflections demonstrate how movement can transcend physical boundaries to facilitate emotional growth and community bonding.
Takeaways
Simple eye contact in movement — Transmits significant unspoken information and alters partner dynamics.
Gender differences in space — Male participants often hold back more than female participants during physical proximity exercises.
Movement as social connection — Sessions on touch and eye contact highlight the importance of social engagement in physical training.
Cultural variations — Comfort with physical proximity varies between participants from different regions, influencing their engagement.
Touch as a practice — Teaching touch sensitivity and awareness improves not just movement, but broader interpersonal skills.
Resources
Enso Movement — Alan Tran’s Parkour gym and movement training space.
Art of Retreat — Annual Parkour leadership and education retreat.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
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