Follow the path of most resistance

My sister Susie and I, accompanied by our dad Frank and my dog Kona set off to Hocking Hills, Ohio for three days last week. Susie and I were off on our second annual reading retreat. Dad and Kona tagged along for the ride. We read, toured the area, put together a puzzle (a beloved shared past time), failed at starting a fire on multiple occasions (the wood was just too wet), and just relaxed. (If you'd like a little video glimpse into our reading retreat, check out the video I posted to my Facebook feed. It's public so it shouldn't prompt you to log in.)

While we didn't do the park's more strenuous hikes, we did take a couple of the must sees to Cedar Falls and Ash Cave. While Cedar Falls was pretty, Ash Cave is the location I think you're most likely to see if you look for videos of Hocking Hills. It was incredibly gorgeous.

The most captivating thing for me though was the water. Dad spoke to a gentleman who travels to the area at this time every year and he said that it's typically dry at this point. However, all of the rain that has done so much harm across the Midwest this summer at least gave us some extra moments of beauty on this trip.

Water is relentless. I've said this before. Swimmers tire, but water never needs a rest. Good water safety teaches you to never turn your back on open water. Why? Just six inches of water, moving fast enough, is enough to sweep you off your feet. Water that is blocked can, with enough time, erode under, around, and even through just about anything.

As I stood looking at the quietly bubbling stream in the photo at the top of the post, I also thought about how water rarely gets to choose its path. Instead, water makes a path. As humans we're often told to take the path of least resistance. And, yet, there is joy in striving for something challenging.

Have you ever been in a flow state? You may not realize it, but you need slight resistance to enter flow. We can only enter a flow state if the work we're doing is just hard enough to keep challenging us at our skill level. Too easy? No flow.

​In an interesting and thought-provoking issue on GLP-1's, Tangle's Executive Editor, Isaac Saul, closed with this thought:

While I disagree with Saul's characterization of a GLP-1 as a frictionless tool, his idea of our inability to work through complex and challenging situations without becoming anxious, overstimulated, and befuddled does make me think. Okay - maybe it's just my own lack of ability lately to handle too many inputs as easily as I have in the past that's worrying me. But, it's probably all related. Like drops of water in a glass - they have no idea of top versus bottom and left versus right when they are just a drop in the glass.

So, I'm looking for a few ways to make sure there is appropriate resistance in my life. Time spent doing things "the old fashioned way" so I don't lose the skill entirely.

What about you? Where do you want more resistance? Where would embracing resistance help you overcome a challenge? Join the conversation on Circle or click reply on this email.

Some Other Things You Might Find Interesting

What I've Published Recently

• We've been having an amazing time in the 1st cohort of Off The Clock, On Purpose. Most of my additional writing time has gone into the cohort. Cohort 2 as well as the first self-paced edition of the course will begin November 2, 2026. Learn more and sign up today.
• I posted an Ode to my former car Kate and took a look at 10-year treasury bonds.
• As we head into Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October - and as I prepare to do a full reboot of my Facts of Life Book course - I published something that's been on my to do list forever - a video on Getting Started with 1Password.

What's Coming Up?

• There is a quickly growing slate of live, free events coming up in the Circle Community. I'm preparing to relaunch a whole new, redesigned Facts of Life Book course at the beginning of November. I'm hosting both Facts of Life Book Power Hours and Getting Started with 1Password Workshops through the third quarter to bring life into the community. Check out the Events page for a full schedule and join us for one or more events.
• And, don't forget to register for Cohort 2 or the self-paced versions of Off The Clock, On Purpose - both release November 2, 2026.

A Different World

In Hollywood, what's old is new again. We enjoyed binge watching the reboot of A Different World. It was thought-provoking and funny. I highly recommend it even if you didn't watch the original version.

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