It’s All Journey

 Some years ago when I was relatively new to the “movement culture” world, I had an idea that if I could do a 30-second freestanding handstand, I would be able to consider myself a “real mover”. I dedicated years researching training protocols, spending thousands of dollars on coaching and hundreds of hours on practice. 

 One night I was training after business hours at my old workplace, a large and beautiful gym in downtown Toronto, along with a great friend and colleague named Steve. It was just the two of us, Steve was doing some strength training on one end of the room and I was practicing handstands on the other. I knew deep within myself that I could do the 30-second hold as I had previously come close, and I decided I wasn’t going home that night until I achieved it. Steve had been watching me between his own sets and encouraging me with every attempt. Eventually, finally (!), it happened. I held a handstand for 30-seconds without falling. As I came down I burst out with joy, roaring with pride. I turned to look over at Steve, expecting praise, but he looked up from his phone and apologised — he’d completely missed the moment. 

 I wasn’t angry, or disappointed. It was pretty funny, really. Curiously, the rush of joy subsided within moments and I was left with a simple realisation — all there is to do is practice. All that exists is the journey. 

 So it is with all things. Life is an infinite game where the purpose of the play is the play itself. 

 You might be wondering, and reasonably so, why then should we be concerned with aim? If there is only journey, only process, only practice, what does aim matter? It’s because aim gives us a trajectory and something to focus on. It makes our struggles meaningful as they are given context and purpose. It’s about process and not destination, states and not stations. The state of a practitioner is that of being deeply and meaningfully alive. Each of us is free to choose how we wish to live, and living with purpose and meaning seems, to me at least, the best of all available options. 

 Thank you, as always, for reading. Our attention is a precious thing and the greatest gift we can offer, so it’s no small thing that you are dedicating a small part of your day to giving your attention to these words. 

 With love,

 🙏🐒