I've been reading Impact Players and learning that simply seeing our projects through to the end (unless there is a good reason to adjust or pause) can make a person stand out at work. When we show up reliable over the long term, we develop a reputation for trustworthiness. thewisemangroup.com

We are pleased to share a Girl Scout Cookie option that benefits the dojo community. Here is the link to purchase from Alan Sensei's daughter. Thank you for supporting our local young people. digitalcookie.girlscouts.org/scout/anna76...

“The point about connectors is that by having a foot in so many different worlds, they have the effect of bringing them all together.” ― Malcolm Gladwell paulitaylor.com/2023/12/08/w...

It's a super interesting time of changing course in many areas. I've given thoughtful parting messages to the dentist, massage person, and various other organizations. The time is here to go in a new (and simpler) direction. It's about more space for grace.

Ofer Zur was an incredibly soulful person, and used the power of story to impart wisdom. He discovered YouTube and the medium of short form video towards the end of his life. Here is a sample, about the recovery from a phosphorus grenade at age ten. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLxq...

We give ourselves and each other a fresh start every day. That means there is always space to change.

We are getting ready for the one year ceremony of Ofer Zur‘s passing. Here is the stone and more information on the Jewish ritual. www.myjewishlearning.com/article/yahr...

I've been thinking about intelligence and how it's really about our ability to learn through observation, reflection, and experimentation.

We are pleased to share a beginner series at Aiki Arts Center. It meets on Fridays in March (at our usual time, set up at 6pm). We'll learn vocabulary, basic movements, and freestyle. @aikiartscenter.bsky.social aikiarts.com/upcoming-doj...

We are having a great time in the youth class. As many of our students are younger with the current enrollments, here is a helpful video on how to put on the jacket and belt. Hope you like it.

We are pleased to share a beginner series on Fridays in March (6pm arrival and 7:30pm pack up). If you would like to start practice, it's a wonderful time. The series is free for dojo members or you can reach out through the website for payment options. aikiarts.com/upcoming-doj...

"If your heart is large enough to envelop your adversaries, you can see right through them and avoid their attacks. And once you envelop them, you will be able to guide them along the path indicated to you by heaven and earth." - O Sensei

It was a good week. We got sales at work and a new member joined the dojo. Aiki Arts Center is now heading into the spring promotion season, starting mid-February and extending through mid-May. It will be fun. @aikiartscenter.bsky.social

"This isn’t a call to stop changing. It’s a call to stop adapting to what no longer deserves accommodation." Gretchen Kubacky, Psy.D. gretchenkubacky.substack.com/p/everyone-i...

We are delighted to share this post from Dean Gloster on YA Outside the Lines. It's about how we can show up for each other with a depth of care. @deangloster.bsky.social yaoutsidethelines.blogspot.com/2026/01/adio...

I'm visiting a sweet climate hub in SF tomorrow with the SCS Global Services group. It should be fun. 9zero.com/san-francisco

"Techniques employ four qualities that reflect the nature of our world. Depending on the circumstance, you should be: hard as a diamond, flexible as a willow, smooth-flowing like water, or as empty as space." O Sensei @aikiartscenter.bsky.social

It feels good to stock the dojo with waivers, hair ties, and tape for mat repair. The little things add up to a reliable life.

We are making two new black belts this year at Aiki Arts Center. It takes about ten years to prepare and is a beautiful rite of passage, where we step into deeper levels of joy and service. aikiarts.com/upcoming-doj...

Among the important gifts we can give each other is clarity and kindness simultaneously. And you can save money on leadership books by practicing exactly that. The way we communicate with each other builds trust in the relationship, and from that foundation comes all other progress.

“There are important elements of that that hadn’t been told, or hadn’t really made the news cycle. The fact that the Muslim community came together and paid for all the funerals, that’s the kind of information that needed to be out there.” shorturl.at/W6jib

It's such an honor to publish Dean Gloster in Spoon Knife 6 (Rest Stop) and Spoon Knife 9 (Numbers). You can get to know him through this wonderful aikido interview. aikiarts.com/dean-gloster...

We are going strong with free classes at Aiki Arts Center this month. It's a chance to learn the skills of play and calm in a supportive group. If you are in the Bay Area and looking for a practice, come on through. I am teaching tonight, show up at 6pm. @aikiartscenter.bsky.social

We are having fun in the youth class. Today we jumped up this flight of stairs while counting to three in Japanese. There was also time to whack sticks (taller than the students in several cases) and do forward rolls. It's a playful group.

Here is a video on the complementary roles of nage (the person who throws or pins an attacker) and uke (the person who provides an attack for the nage to work with). aikiarts.com/video-partne...

I've been interested in finesse for some time. Relaxing into attunement with the tao and going with the flow in all its intricacies is truly beautiful. There is a path where energy goes naturally, and it feels simple. @aikiartscenter.bsky.social

I've been thinking about true and useful ideas and how they require no effort to maintain. When we learn a new frame or make a necessary change, it feels like coming home, like it was always there and we're just remembering it.

"There’s no romantic love between these two, but there is definitely love and even a mystical connection. This is why in the first line of the book her ghost appears to him." @jseanallen.bsky.social autpress.com/2025/02/inte...

When we were young: the Aiki Arts Center group six years ago. @aikiartscenter.bsky.social

I always enjoy Augusten Burroughs and Toil & Trouble is no exception. This memoir focuses on his powers of manifesting synchronicity, especially as a child, and is the first instance I've seen of true respect for his (multifaceted, magical) mother. www.amazon.com/Toil-Trouble...

This year, I am celebrating twenty two years of aikido, and nine years free of alcohol and with gainful employment. With every year comes more understanding and an increasing ability to lighten the mental processes that can serve as obstacles to flow.

At work we launched a new program sold by the team of yours truly, and today we got our first project. It was a client adding a program, always good to see that loyalty. www.scsglobalservices.com/services/non...

We've got two more weeks of free classes for adults. It's a wonderful time to start your training, and you can learn more about the art in this fabulous interview with Nick Walker Sensei. aikiarts.com/insights-for...

"Transitional time needs room to finish before clarity can take shape. When you allow that pause, something shifts. You begin to listen to yourself and recognize what you actually want, rather than responding to what’s being asked of you." G. Kubacky substack.com/home/post/p-...

First page of Volume Two of the Weird Luck webcomic goes live at 9pm Pacific Time tomorrow! Are you all caught up on Volume One? #webcomics #comics #indiecomics #urbanfantasy #fantasy #scifi #oc #art #books #worldbuilding #espionage #crime #weird weirdluck.net

Skill of the Week: the scientific method. We form a hypothesis and then experiment, adjusting until the results match our goals.

It's been so fun teaching kids again. We meet Tuesdays and Thursdays and the program is open to ages seven through twelve. Classes are playful and students learn practical skills related to coordination, grounding, and creating solutions together. aikiarts.com/kids/

I've been thinking about pressure and whether it's useful. Most humans put entirely too much pressure on themselves and on the people nearby. It may be time to lighten way up.

The Weird Luck Patreon is up to 88 members! Can we get to 90 before the first page of Volume Two goes live next week? Membership is FREE, and it's the best way to make sure you never miss a new page! #webcomics #comics #indiecomics #oc #urbanfantasy #crime #weird www.patreon.com/c/weirdluckc...

Much of our daily experience is determined by the quality of our listening: to the internal cues about changes ready to come through, to the desires of the people around us, and to the conditions that lead to equanimity and balance.

It's a beautiful day. We got six sales at work this week (thus far) and I have a cheeseburger date with Marilyn Steele tonight.

We are delighted to celebrate ten years of practice with Dean Gloster. In addition to preparing for black belt later this year, he is also a writer, brightening the lives of his readers.

I've been learning about Human Design (another system for understanding ourselves and each other). Apparently the manifestor type calls up large amounts of energy targeted in a new direction (to get things started). And then we ought to rest.

We are on a regular schedule again next Friday, and this also begins a month of free classes for new students. If you have friends and family that want to come practice, it's a great time. We'll keep it light and focus on the fundamentals.

It's been a fantastic year of practice at @aikiartscenter.bsky.social. We are on a short winter hiatus and return in January. That also starts a free month of classes for new students. If you are in the Bay Area and looking for a practice (with friendships), we look forward to meeting you.

"The knowledge becomes embodied rather than external. In clinical practice, this shift is crucial: when therapeutic insight is internalized, it no longer requires constant justification, explanation, or self-monitoring. It resides in the body and the relational field." substack.com/home/post/p-...

Source of the day: innate goodness.

Intentions for next year: wash dishes every day and meditate for twenty minutes a day. I ordered a new hour-glass for the occasion.