Notebook 1

A few pens parched by long disuse

Imagine your favorite pens sitting quietly in a drawer. Days turn into months. The ink inside slowly dries. The pens wait, silently thirsty, for your hand to reach for them again. This isn’t just about pens. It’s about the parts of ourselves that sit untouched when life pulls us away. But even parched pens can write again. Sometimes all it takes is one stroke to bring the ink back to life.

A dead leaf might as reasonably demand to return to the tree

We all feel the pull to return to younger years, past roles, and former versions of ourselves. But like the leaf, what has fallen belongs to where we’ve come from, not where we’re going. True strength comes in honoring the season we’re in, standing fully in today’s moment, and growing from here. Life moves forward. So should we.

Abstemious diet

There’s a certain strength in choosing less. Not out of deprivation, but out of clarity. An abstemious diet isn’t punishment. It’s a quiet decision to nourish the body without excess, to find energy without indulgence. In a world of constant surplus, sometimes restraint becomes its own quiet luxury.

This simple word combo shifted something for me personally. It was the spark that led me toward intermittent fasting, a small but powerful protocol that continues to shape my energy, balance, and health. Sometimes, a single phrase can quietly reset how we live.

A mighty wind, like a leviathan, plowed the brine

Life sends forces that feel vast, like a Leviathan cutting through the sea, unstoppable, towering, beyond our control. But courage isn’t about defeating such waves; it’s about learning to stand steady, to move with the current, and to let even the strongest winds carry us forward. Mastery comes not by resisting the Leviathan, but by understanding its rhythm.

A heart from which noble sentiments sprang like sparks from an anvil

Imagine an anvil glowing under a blacksmith’s hammer: heat rising, sparks flying everywhere. Some hearts feel like this. They endure life's pressures, blows, and fiery trials, transforming them into flashes of courage, kindness, and conviction. What appears to be a struggle becomes a forge. That’s how heroes are made. Because a hero carries the strength of two, and their secret power is always love.

Adamantine rigidity

Adamantine means unyielding. Rigidity means inflexibility. Put them together, and you have double inflexibility, an unbreakable stance that refuses to bend. In some moments, that’s power. In others, it’s a limitation. It can shield you from chaos or shut you off from growth, all depending on how you use it.

This phrase reminds me to ask: Is this the time to be adamantine rigid, or is this the time to release my grip? Sometimes strength means holding your ground without budging. Sometimes it means stepping aside so something new can enter. Knowing the difference is the real skill.

Adaptive wit

When I think of adaptive wit, I think of Mark Twain. He once said, “The secret source of humor itself is not joy but sorrow.” His humor wasn’t just clever, it was perfectly timed. Anyone can be witty, but without timing, the impact disappears. For me, adaptive wit is about reading the room, sensing the mood, and adjusting your words so they land with maximum effect.

Wit can be humor, irony, or even a subtle jab, but adaptive wit is agile. It shifts in real time, choosing the right moment and tone for the setting. That’s what made Mark Twain unforgettable, not just the sharpness of his words, but also his adaptive wit.