Hi, my name is Tomomi.

I set up a new Roam database to start my “digital garden” in earnest, and have been having a blast writing and linking nodes of thought. It’s like having a blank canvas that only takes a tap to wipe clear or break off into new sections. I didn’t think the near-zero cost would make such a difference but this is addictive! Figuring out the bi-directional links digitally helps so much to make the links in my thinking. The Roam site is private as I prototype form and workflows but I’d like to make it accessible soon.

The other highlight of this week was that the confinement rules have been alleviated so that we can exercise out to 20km for three hours, instead of 1km for one. I’m so glad to be able to properly cycle again - relieved, too. There were plenty of people out on the cycling paths. I’d have liked to say everyone was in good spirits but well, a couple of entitled old farts were annoyed at how crowded it was. Too bad they can’t direct their opinions to policy makers so we get more space for cyclists in general. Anyway we had wonderful weather and I’m going to get a few more long rides in the cold sunny weather before winter sets in.

Interesting conversations

• Why organizations aren’t set up to scan the landscape they operate in, why people don’t have basic skills and habits to do it, and how library science could evolve to fill that void
• The distinction between collaboration and coordination (ran a workshop on this topic with my Liberating Structures practice group)
• The potential of Twitch as a community building platform outside of games and music
• Why it’s so difficult for us to do things purely for ourselves, even when the resources are accessible
• The psychology of flow (participated in an Interintellect salon for the first time)
• The constraints of public administrative content and how they wrestle with private sites who fill the gap but add confusion by not maintaining the advice (another great chat thanks to the ResearchOps Pair Connect program)
• What is a headless CMS (Marion is helping me rebuild my website with Strapi and Vue.js)

Finally got this out the door - “On mentorship as a vector for growth. The editing process was a steep learning curve, the good kind of painful, and I’m proud of how it turned out. We have a ways to go to engage a broader audience but I think we’re onto a rich line of inquiry.

I spent Friday and Saturday attending Intersection conference, which I hope to write about later.

I decides to start running as the best option for exercise within the confinement restrictions, and managed to do it four days out of seven. I don’t particularly enjoy running but it’s a low friction activity considering I already own the gear, have experience training and live next to a nice course. We’ve had a few days of autumn weather (still!) and it’s been lovely to be outside.

I also made strides in my writing, thanks to the gifts of Writer’s Hour and comprehensive feedback from friends on early drafts. I’m learning so much about the writing process.

And in the backdrop of all of that has been the US election. Congratulations to all the Americans who fought the good fight. I went from being scared that the race would go the wrong way, to incredulous that it could be so tight, to sheer relief with some joy, and now mostly concerned about the amount of difficult work ahead.

My new winter cycling jacket arrived in the mail the first morning of our second national confinement. Like a bad joke, like a slap in the face, a promise held in both hands before it was snatched away… but the reality is that the pandemic continues to rage. France is leading the way in spring-like measures being rolled out across Europe, with people casting a weary eye towards the winter holidays. Most of us have enough friends who’ve gotten Covid in the past few weeks for the deterioration to have hit home.

We had a bit of a last hurrah and are now hunkered down once more, trying to swallow the disappointment and drudgingly seeking ways to make the most out of the situation. The sense of déjà vu is tough.

Last chance for a long while to see the forest -

On Tuesday, I delivered a 40min talk titled “Learning as a social practice: ideas to increase our range for growth” for Namahn’s Lecture series. I’d been working on shifting my public speaking to be sharing original thinking that was not anchored in a specific methodology or project, so tackling an abstract topic like learning was a milestone. The talk was quite a hard birth. The preparation took a lot longer than usual, from finding a coherent narrative to pulling together material. I’m pleased with the end result and overall response. I added a Mad Tea activity (aka Chatterfall) to the webinar-format for the audience to share sense-making and reflection, which doubles as an in-situ moment for me to get a sense of how people interpreted the main points and what they’d be able to take into their own work. Not sure where I’ll take this body of work myself - perhaps that could have been one of the questions.

Wednesday is my mid-week rest day, space made for important-but-not-urgent activities or de-stressing big tasks like cleaning out my old apartment. (ref Week 34) This week, I had a meandering call with a dear friend who’s going through a period of regeneration. And then I cooked fish as nitsuke(simmered) for the first time, garnished with oyster mushrooms that I’d grown in the living room. And ended with a session with my Liberating Structures practice group. We are starting to gel and it is a beautiful thing.

Speaking of which, I moved my Liberating Structures Fieldnotes out of stealth mode, promoting it a bit on Twitter and LinkedIn. It’s cool to see interest from different people, especially from those whom I wouldn’t have associated with an active interest in facilitation. I’m quite proud of this little series - if anything, my future self will benefit from good notes! - and want to develop this kind of writing practice as a key activity.

Last but not least, Marion and I turned our idea for regular weekend retreats into a long-awaited reality. It’s to be the first of many and I’m writing this post from a tiny village near Chantilly, enjoying the stillness and a full belly.

We’re living with a 9pm-6am curfew in Paris now, which I imagine to be another 2020 first for many of us. It’s restrictive but so much lighter than the spring lockdown. Let’s see how it goes.

It’s been an uneventful week and I’ve managed to enjoy that for the most part. The infection situation is worsening in France - it’s good to stay in without letting yourself feel too cooped up.

Highlights and accomplishments:

• Very first call with our practice group for Liberating Structures. We’ll be meeting every other week and I’m looking forward to having this gentle space for connection.
• Almost done with a full draft of an essay that I’ve been developing with a friend
• Great progress in the heavy planning phases of two new client assignments
• Hit my target training cadence of two CrossFit sessions, one long bike ride and almost daily Indian club swinging
• Tried one new restaurant and got our full of Chinese dimsum!
• Tried a new Asian supermarket. Great for pantry items and some vegetables.
• Saw a friend whom I haven’t seen in a few months
• Figuring out the different cycling pathways in and out of my new street
• Halfway done with constructing my mushroom shotgun fruiting chamber.

The one sunny morning we had this week - luckily it was on Saturday, perfect timing for my bike ride!

Over the years, one difference I’ve found between life in Tokyo and Paris is the degree to which we rely on the resources and goodwill of friends in daily life. In Tokyo, we manage most things self-sufficiently with the use of professional services and established processes. My business is mine to deal with, and yours is yours. Here, we ask for housing tips online, sell and buy things from each other, pitch in to move heavy things, and make use of each other’s couches and extra storage spaces.

With the help of good friends who helped me drive and carry my stuff, a few more who welcomed me to the new neighborhood, a beat-up van rented from a car-sharing platform, and the kindness of apartment staff who lent me their industrial-size dolly that I’m now settled into a new place. I’m savoring the change of pace and having new pathways to discover in the city!

The season is changing. The cycle invites us to creatively destruct what does not serve us anymore so that we may bring forth new ideas.

I’m moving soon, have a few projects wrapping up, and am seeking how else I might clear the slate.