Watched a great adventure doc recently (thanks Semi-Rad for sharing), the story of friends Connor and Steve-O tackling a 14er in Colorado. One interesting way of listening to a story is to ask, “Who do I relate to?” or, “Who am I in this story?” Watching Weightless, I naturally related…
One True Sentence
“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” Ernest Hemingway My quirky writing project, RunHaiku, hit 1000 little poems this week. Begun about 1500 days ago, on Oct 15, 2017, I’ve documented my (nearly) daily runs three lines at a time…
The Year of Big Magic
As we close 2021 and look to the new year, I’ve had the benefit of a slowing down, sleeping in, joining the natural world in settling into winter. I picked up Liz Gilbert’s Big Magic, which re-kindled a familiar flame within me to dream and create in the new year….
For Your Ears
I had the opportunity to chat with a few podcasts recently about the upcoming Longest Night Run. Have a listen! Inspired Soles Hosts Kim and Carolyn put a ton of care into their weekly shows, interviewing runners from across the spectrum of running styles and backgrounds. We reminisced about past…
First Tracks in the Snow
The following is a poem from my new book, Morning Rounds. Is there somewhere you can find this book? Why, glad you asked! It’s available in digital form on Amazon and Gumroad, but you can find more details here. On quiet winter mornings, the whole town hesitates, waiting for someone…
Signs of Life
The ol’ blog’s been quiet lately, time for an update. Contrary to the apparent silence in my corner of the internet, I’ve been writing more than ever of late. Truth is, I’m working on… a little book. My last blog post marks about the point where I signed up to…
Shared Attention
One of my favourite things as a father is to experience nature and wildlife with my kids. The problem is that, until a certain age, some kids have the most difficult time actually seeing what you’re trying to point out. A couple years ago we took our kids to a…
The Prize of Simply Seeing
Some of my favourite moments growing up involved encounters with wildlife. I poured over wildlife books, watched vigilantly from the backseat on long drives, and learned to walk or sit quietly in forest or lakeside. Wildlife rewards the observant with rare sightings. Even today, I find no greater delight than…
Making Things Out of Junk
One of our kids returned proudly from pre-school one day holding up a creation made entirely from objects rescued from the recycling bin. If we were unsure what this random glued-together collection of cups and sticks was, exactly, so was she. But it was her creation, and that was enough…
Winter Reveals
“Summer conceals, winter reveals.” – Annie Dillard A few short months ago, the forest trails were but a thread through the lush green tunnel. Without a trail, in fact, travel through the woods in summer would prove nearly impossible. After a rain, the crowding branches leave you drenched. At times…
© 2022 Brent Manke