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I’ve been running for a few years now. I never did this when I was younger. I was never athletically motivated. My wife (then partner) is a runner and would go to park to get one in when she could. One day I started looking up running out of curiosity and fell into that rabbit hole. It all seemed very daunting. Then I watched a montage of a overweight man who struggled with weight loss put in the work. He started with walking, and slowly but surely built up a base, went through the rigors and pain and ultimately got in great shape and finished a marathon.

I was inspired. If he could do it, I could too. I told my wife. She was shocked and delighted to have a new adherent come into the fold. So I started with the Couch 2 5K program and it went from there. The growing pains that happen when starting a new habit were there, but this sage advice from Bojack Horseman reminded me to see it through. I finished my first 5k (3.1 miles) in September 2021, then worked towards a 10k (6.2 miles) and can run it comfortably.

Running is something that I have to carve out time for, because it’s so easy to just not do it. We can offer so many excuses:

“I have a long day tomorrow.”

“I don’t have time.”

“I’m tired…”

“I’m not in the mood.”

Sometimes you have to push yourself to get out there. Once you do though, you get moving and you got over the biggest hurdle. A tired cliche? Yes. True? Also, yes. Despite that struggle to get out there, it always feels good after a run. I put in the time and work. I did something for my physical and mental health. I accomplished something and I earned those endorphins. It never fails.

There are two big draws for me regarding running. For starters, running for me is a solitary activity. I don’t do running clubs. I don’t have a need to be social when running. I love that I can put on my music and go. I take pride in my Running Mix of 158 songs and counting, totaling 9 hours and change. It spans multiple genres from Hip Hop to video game music with constant removals and additions as the mood strikes. I’m looking to host said list on my blog here, but I’m still trying to figure out how to export it to text or a spreadsheet. Typing it all manually would be VERY annoying. 🙂

I do races sometimes because the energy at those events are infectious. Plus collecting race t-shirts and finisher medals is pretty sweet. But that’s as far as it goes. It’s me, my running shoes, my watch my headphones and I’m off. It’s simple and I answer to no one but the run when I’m out there. Perfect for decompressing.

The second draw, which is a totally different angle for most: Running for me is an “ego trim” of sorts. I’m a pretty humble guy to begin with. Running is a reminder that I am not the best at something. I am no marathon runner. I’m no track star, and that’s ok! Whenever I run in my local park, there are countless people who leave me in the dust. Early on, I came to the realization that running is about you, your performance, and how you’re feeling. Its not about how much faster you are than others. There’s always someone faster than you. That humility keeps me grounded. Centered. I give myself patience and grace. I check my ego once my running shoes are on and proceed to put in the work.

Not to be preachy, but in an age where narcissism is on full display via social media, and our culture as a whole – humility is a value that we should probably embrace more. We are not born perfect. We have to work at being our awesome selves. You never really see that part on social media. (Maybe it doesn’t get enough views?) We always see the end goal, the success. We always see the person on top of the proverbial mountain (whether gained legitimately or not is a different story…) rarely do we see the effort involved. Its not often that we see the progress; the journey.

It always astounds me when I see someone perform or do something effortlessly when I know it took countless years to learn and practice. I’m always cognizant of that kind of commitment. We should appreciate not being the best at something and putting in the time and work to improve; that thirst or desire to learn. For us mere mortals, we should celebrate the small victories in the process and use that as fuel for the road ahead. Tackling something new feels daunting, or overwhelming but you have to give it time. Don’t let that stop you.

As for me and running? I’ll keep plugging away, mile after mile and I’ll see where I end up.

I’ve been on an audiobook kick lately. Usually, I’d listen to some longform YouTube video via background playback but have made an effort to shift that focus to audiobooks. Some were spectacular, like Rainn Wilson’s The Bassoon King, or Marc Maron’s Attempting Normal. Some were not… Like The 48 Laws of Power, which to me felt more like “How to get ahead in life using manipulation and lies.” Right now, I’m listening to A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst. It’s a tale of Maurice and Maralyn Bailey, a couple who took up sailing decades ago. They went on a voyage by themselves from England to New Zealand. Tragedy strikes when their boat is struck by a whale and they end up adrift in the Pacific for 118 days. It’s non-fiction, and spoilers: they made it back! But it’s a tale of survival in spite of unbelievable odds.

This ticked a few boxes for me. Like Maralyn in the book, I can’t swim. Floating itself is tough, let alone traversing water. I’ve also had this sense of awe, respect and fear of the ocean and its vastness. Staring out into the ocean, seeing it stretch on into forever makes me contemplate things. I think about how enormous it is, and I think about how small I am in the scope of things. It leaves me feeling humble. Anything large will do that. The ocean, Waimea Canyon in Kauai, Hawaii. People are so small in the scheme of things. We’re like motes of dust in the universe. It helps to put things in perspective.

I’ve also always enjoyed survival stories. One of my favorites is Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, which goes over the tragedy on Mount Everest on May 10, 1996 when climbers were caught in a blizzard and eight perished on the mountain. It went into detail on the climb itself, the gear, conditioning and expertise required. There were stories of some who survived the blizzard at great cost and the over-commercialization of this endeavor. Over time it turned into an tourism industry that made the inhuman feat of summiting Everest accessible to anyone with the money, while forgoing the expertise of mountain climbing with disastrous results.

There is a fascination with survival stories that people share. I was in Hawaii for a vacation recently. On my cab ride to my hotel in Honolulu, my driver and I ended up chatting about travel. She revealed that she was afraid to fly, and that she watched Mayday: Air Disaster. Let me tell you, it was as if I found a kindred spirit right in that car – I enjoy that show as well! We then went on about why I believe flying is absolutely the safest way to travel. Other shows came up like “I Shouldn’t Be Alive” as well. When she dropped me off at my hotel she told me she wanted to go home and binge a couple episodes. Clearly this is something she really enjoyed, and it seemed she couldn’t readily share that with others. I was the guy though in that moment. We connected in that way, and then I was gone forever. There’s something cool about the transient nature of that interaction. Probably the greatest Uber ride I ever had.

So the question is: Why is this genre appealing? It’d scare off people who prefer a lighter fare. Is it morbid curiosity? I think its something a bit deeper than that. For me, I enjoy survival stories because it shows how people can persevere in the face of an impossible situation. Its a metaphor for life: for whatever reason, or no reason at all a lot of times, unfavorable things will happen,. But with ingenuity, tenacity and a little bit of luck – you can eke out a win. I would argue that this is hard-wired into our collective psyche as a species.

Humanity has survived wars, famines, plagues, natural disasters and inhospitable conditions since our time here. For better (or for worse, you can argue) we’ve tamed the Earth to bolster our survival. Our very existence is the hallmark of the virtues of ingenuity, tenacity and luck that our ancestors practiced millennia ago, back when we were huddled in caves and not complaining that the takeout we ordered on our cell is a few minutes late. They made the best decisions they could in a harsh, uncaring world. They survived, adapted and the chain continued on. Maybe seeing someone make the right decisions at a crucial point, or trudging on in spite of setbacks tugs at our heartstrings because it calls back to that ancient struggle.

This probably goes hand-in-hand with comeback stories. Everyone loves a comeback story. The Knicks winning the NBA Finals felt so good, even to someone like me who isn’t into sports! Game 4 of the Finals had the Knicks coming back from 29 points down to get the win. Watching it happen was something else. My wife and I tuned in for the last quarter after a night out and figured there’s no way the Knicks could do it. Slowly but surely they made their way. They fought from underneath and came back to cement the largest comeback in NBA Finals history. We literally saw history made in that series that night and it was amazing. Even in gaming, the sweetest wins are the ones that come back from the brink. Losing seems inevitable, but somehow… The miracle happens, and it feels so good when you snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. This is why I always say regarding competition, never, EVER give up. You never know.

It might all be one in the same. To me, its all tied to the core concept of survival. It’s a thread of humanity that we all share subconsciously. Besides, real life has always been stranger than fiction any day of the week.

Earlier in the year, my wife and I signed up for a penpal program at a local bookstore. Every month we go to the bookstore to receive a letter from our penpals, and in two weeks’ time we have to bring our responses back, and the cycle repeats. During the course of this program, I realize how much I enjoy writing. I’ve always had a love for it and the written word. Even if I don’t write nearly enough. (This blog is my attempt to right that wrong!)

I’m the type of person to hear a “cool” word, look it up and make a mental note in order to build a wide vocabulary; the same way someone would collect stamps or coins. I love the way some words sound, how they’re pronounced. I love the delivery of lines in a play, movie or video game. I’ve always had that fascination even when I was a kid. It even stretches into different languages! Although I do merely “ok” in Spanish and not very good at all in Japanese.

Writing letters back and forth is an analog anomaly in 2026. No one ever does this. If you had to write a letter, you’d fire up Word, rattle off a document, print, mail and off it goes (or just send an email). However, the gamer in me likes working within a set or parameters and restrictions. For example, it’s hard to remember what you wrote 2-3 or more letters ago. I feel like I probably repeat some chains of thought, maybe… I make it a point to not take a photo of what I’ve written to my penpal. I’ll write it and send it off. Also, no communication outside of written letters. It would be all too easy to say “Hey, I saw this cool thing, text me at x and I’ll send you a link” but to me that doesn’t feel like it’s in the spirit of the program. I understand that I’m quite a stickler but in some things that’s how I’m wired. Writing the URL manually in the letter would be ridiculous also. So I tend to avoid anything that references the Internet in a specific way. My penpal and I get by just fine!

I also tend to write long, long letters and to do this the day I send it. So my letters are pretty freeform, and what I’m feeling at the moment, what I recollect at the time. I write and just let it flow. That’s usually how I do things. “Don’t overthink it… Just go” and it works itself out usually. Then with a cramping hand, I realize “Oh wow, I just wrote 9 pages…”I always say to myself to keep the next one shorter and more concise but it NEVER happens. There’s always something to write about. There’s always some story to tell, some thought to express.

It’s nice to turn that into a physical activity with pen and paper. I tend to be the kind of texter that can write a couple sentences with ease, which defeats the purpose of quick, instantaneous messaging. I just like being heard. Who doesn’t? At my job however, I am the master of succinct, terse sentences in emails and official communications. Kevin from The Office nailed it when he said “why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?” In reality however, everything has to move with urgency. So communication has to be quick, concise and with good grammar. (Sorry Kev!) Strong writing can be both long, and flowery, taking you on a journey and on the other side of the coin , be able to distill information in a way that’s easily communicated. Both are valuable gifts.

So there’s the through-line from penpals to blogging. Although, now that I think about it: when I produced content, script-writing was one of my favorite parts: to be able to create a snappy monologue. I’m no Aaron Sorkin of course, but I did enjoy how to best weave words in a way to communicate what i wanted to say effectively. To me, the writing is the core of the content. You mold everything around the writing and your narrative. Your video should serve the script not the other way around. The writing process takes a chunk of time as a solo content creator, but I found it to be satisfying when you got something good.

To wrap this up, I leave you with Rod Serling, creator of “The Twilight Zone” waxing philosophically with students on writing. I find his writing to be tremendous, and relevant even now, which is the hallmark of any great creative work.