Where is the space where you hang out with other people doing whatever it is you do? I’ve mentioned this idea before, for example, Setting and scene. This is something I come back to often because it is really important to me.
And by “space” I mean a physical space, like the proverbial 19th century café with writers talking and drinking coffee. Third places are clear candidates for our scene.
What about virtual third places? All of us know each other virtually, including through various video calls over the years. But a virtual space has to be very special to be a true “scene.” In fact, I’m not sure just how special, and I’m not sure what exactly the features it needs to have…
That’s what I’m thinking about this morning:
What are the special feature of a virtual space that make it into a scene?
Here’s a few I’ve come up with so far…
People :) obviously. We need to know others are there (I see “likes” or a head-count in the video call).
Engagement. We (me, you, the person seeking the scene) need to soak up energy from other people. Yes, even introverts need at least a little bit of interaction, particular in the realm of one’s creative endeavor.
Questions. Questions don’t have to be about getting an answer! “Revealing your questions in such a way points to the shape of the knowledge you are seeking.”
Mistakes. …not sure about this one. “Mistakes” isn’t quite the right word. I’m trying to point at the idea that seeing other people attempt things, and not succeed, shows that the scene is a space safe for experimentation and challenging ourselves.
Silence is the absolute poise or balance of body, mind, and spirit. The man who preserves his selfhood ever calm and unshaken by the storms of existence—not a leaf, as it were, astir on the tree; Not a ripple upon the surface of shining pool—his, in the mind of the unlettered sage, is the ideal attitude and conduct of life.
…and then it goes on, CAPSLOCKed, for several paragraphs. The only thing better than math-nerds, is when a math-nerd who is also a reason-nerd stomps on the vanilla-variety math-nerds. This stuff? This stuff makes the world a better place.
Just as I have my own role to play, so does time. And time does its job much more faithfully, much more accurately, than I ever do. Ever since time began (when was that, I wonder?), it’s been moving ever forward without a moment’s rest. And one of the privileges given to those who’ve avoided dying young is the blessed right to grow old. The honor of physical decline is waiting, and you have to get used to that reality.
[We] didn’t discover his work in the theater, much less at Cannes. Rather, we found it at the video store, ideally one that devoted a section specifically to his work—or at least to his signature genre of “body horror,” which his films would in any case have dominated.
Do you remember video stores? …I mean the individual stores, from before Blockbuster came along? Sections. You had to walk to the section in the store. New releases. Maybe there was a staple employee who knew every movie. Maybe you—like me—wondered if working there meant watching each movie before putting it out… what a job that would be!! Maybe there was a hand-written sign whose perennial message stands atop this missive. Maybe family movie nights? The lottery that was the occassional “doesn’t play” tape. “Tracking”—and then the magic of “Auto Tracking”. And all of that from two words: video store.
Storms make us stronger. If I had one message for young people embarking on life, it would be this. Don’t shy away from the hard times. Tackle them head-on, move toward the path less trodden, riddled with obstacles, because most other people run at the first sign of battle. The storms give us a chance to define ourselves, to distinguish ourselves, and we always emerge from them stronger. The other key is to be kind along the way. Kindness matters so much on that journey of endeavor. It is what separates the good from great.
I understand now that I’m not a mess, but a deeply feeling person in a messy world. I explain that now, when someone asks me why I cry so often: “For the same reason I laugh so often— because I’m paying attention.”
How can we incorporate nature and movement into our lives to foster health, reflection, and personal growth?
How does a professional tri-athlete become a barefoot nomad? The path has never been clearer to Jessi Stensland. She discusses the role of movement in her life, before diving into her passion: feet. Jessi unpacks her own journey of foot discovery, and shares foot recommendations for others. She describes her personal reflective practices, and her focus of prioritizing nature in her life.
In other words, if people come up to me on the trail and they say, ‘Do you run barefoot?’ And I said, ‘I don’t run barefoot. I run. You run in shoes. And why?’ Because we have a shoe company called Vivo Barefoot, ‘live barefoot.’ The first time someone asked me, ‘What does barefoot mean to you, Jessi?’, I was like whoa! If someone has to ask me—very, very wholeheartedly ask me—what I think the word barefoot means… Something’s wrong with that word in our day and age now, unfortunately.
~ Jessi Stensland (14:05)
Jessi Stensland is a Nature-based, movement-inspired, wild and free human currently in living in Oaxaca, Mexico. She has a background in human performance, was a college swimmer, professional triathlete and mountain sport athlete who more recently began exploring parkour and dance. Jessi is working on a concept designed to inspire a rerooting of our collective core values within Nature. She is passionate about living with Nature, moving in Nature, and about permaculture, foraging, growing food, floor sleeping and, as always: free feet.
The conversation explores how reconnecting with nature and understanding our bodies can inspire profound personal growth and reflection. Jessi shares how her journey into barefoot living transformed her approach to movement and life. She discusses the physical and sensory benefits of engaging with natural environments, emphasizing the importance of texture, variability, and sensory stimulation for healthy feet and overall well-being. Her self-discovery highlights how societal norms, like reliance on shoes, can obscure our connection to natural movement.
Another central theme is the mental and emotional clarity derived from living in harmony with nature. Jessi explains how daily exposure to natural elements and reflective practices, such as mindful interaction with the environment, allow her to process her thoughts and recharge. The discussion also touches on broader topics, including the importance of childhood freedom, permaculture, and foraging, as ways to deepen our relationship with nature and enrich our lives.
Takeaways
Nature as a priority — Incorporating nature into daily life enhances physical and mental well-being.
Barefoot living — Exploring the benefits of minimal footwear and natural ground textures.
Self-discovery — Movement and reflection serve as tools for understanding the body and mind.
Childlike curiosity — Adopting a playful, exploratory approach to movement and life.
Permaculture and foraging — Engaging with local environments through sustainable practices.
Sensory connection — Using natural sensations to reconnect with the body and the earth.
Cognitive load matters. Mullainathan and Shafir believe that scarcity imposes a similar mental tax, impairing our ability to perform well, and exercise self-control.
Short of food: starving. Short of water: dehydration. Short of money: in debt. Short of time: over-committed. Short of attention: distracted, mindless. But also, short of outlets for creativity? Short of satisfaction? Short of peace? Short of meaning?
I suspect some people need to cultivate a sense of urgency to motivate them. I need less motivation. I need less urgency.
I managed to create a life where my perception is that every waking moment I’m either on-task or off. Every waking moment is either doing something that moves me towards my goals, or a moment of relaxation and unwinding—self-care practices so to speak. (Of course, there’s another third of my life when I’m asleep.)
It’s perfectly obvious that there is no such thing as work versus life balance. There’s just life. Some moments I’m doing this thing. Some moments that thing. Some moments resting my eyes. Some moments eating. Some moments interacting with this person. Some moments with that person. Many moments I’m alive.
The only way it would make sense to talk about work versus life… I don’t mean work, defined as when money is changing hands. I mean work as in efforts spent progressing towards a goal. The only way it would make sense to talk about work versus life balance would be if I were two—or more—different people; the work me and the life me. I can readily see how that could be a thing. I can see people who do that, or at least they try to do that. It’s completely obvious when people try to be one person in work contexts and another for themselves. I’m not sure I ever tried to do that. I’m sure that I don’t want to do that.
There’s just me. There’s just life. I need to catch myself making a distinction between work and life. That would be a moment, earlier than where I’m currently trying to solve my problems, where I might have more purchase.
There is entirely too much human judging, too much flippant criticism of the acts of others. Suspicion is permitted to displace evidence, cheap shrewdness to banish charity, prejudice to masquerade as judgment. We imagine, we guess, we speculate—then pass on through the medium of indiscreet speech and idle gossip what may bring bitterness, sorrow, heartache, and injustice to others. The very ones we condemn may be battling nobly under a hail of trial and temptation where we might fall faint in the trenches or, lowering our colors, drop back in hopeless surrender.
