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Essays by Ken Lane

Essays by Ken Lane

By Ken Lane

This podcast contains the audio versions of the written works of Ken Lane — as found on kenlane.substack.com/ -- The topics range from intentional living to meditation, fitness, productivity, and much more.
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Why Your Should Nickname Your Stuff

Essays by Ken LaneMar 06, 2024

00:00
07:35
Why Your Should Nickname Your Stuff
Mar 06, 202407:35
Don't Find a Job You Love
Jan 16, 202402:44
Preparing for My No-Buy Year (2024)
Jan 02, 202406:24
My Jar of Quotes, Organized By AI
Dec 25, 202309:56
Howdy: How to Disarm Your Distractions With Friendliness

Howdy: How to Disarm Your Distractions With Friendliness

https://kenlane.substack.com/p/howdy

Have you ever noticed how most folks you cross on the street will mirror your demeanor?

A nod for a nod.

A wave for wave.

A "good, thanks" for a "howareya?"

Ok, maybe a hug attempt receives a "whoa whoa whoa, easy there, big guy."

For the most part, you can disarm most folks with "friendly enough" neutrality—shifting your weight toward kindness.

Thoughts tend to work the same way.

(More continued in episode because it won't all fit in the description box.)


Dec 13, 202307:48
Raise the Blade: Philosophical Epiphanies While Mowing Grass
Aug 04, 202305:21
What I Wish I Had Known About Training: 7 Rules for Fitness Beginners (From Kenetic)
Jul 07, 202312:32
A Complex Fascination With Simplicity
Jun 16, 202306:52
Why (On Earth) I Date-Stamp Everything
Jan 30, 202303:46
Running Your Own Race: Not Necessarily an Essay About Running
Jan 25, 202305:33
Writing For My Wife

Writing For My Wife

As found on my substack page.

I was recently reading Stephen King’s writer’s manual, On Writing—in which the horror/thriller novelist spills his great writing beans for any aspiring author.

One section that resonated with me immensely covered the utility of having someone in particular in mind while you’re writing—someone you’re writing for, almost as though the story was a letter. I couldn’t help but begin to grin to myself and wag my finger toward and away from the page.       “Ah, Stevie boy—it is as if you already know me.” When it comes to non-fiction writing, I pretty much write for myself. I am usually imparting some knowledge to my past self or perhaps a future self that has forgotten a life-enhancing truth.

But when I write fiction—which is very new for me—yes, I still somewhat write for myself from phrase-to-phrase by the seat of my pants. I have no idea what is going to happen, as though I’m the one reading it.

But I’m really writing for the biggest story buff I know—my wife.

My wife immerses herself in stories like few people I've ever met. Whether a graphic novel, anime series, Korean drama, or a story told in person (even the gist of a movie), she is the queen of suspending her own reality in service of becoming one with the story. She is the ultimate investor.

So, as I've begun to let the gravity of an unfolding story lead me along, perhaps my greatest motivation is to build worlds for my wife—places for her to step inside, meet characters, ride along with them, gasp, nod, tsk, and yell at the page—which she's been known to do.

And I can't wait to do it all over again.

My wife, reading a story I freestyled about an unknown flying intelligence attacking a rural neighborhood.

The first draft of this piece using my “new” 75-year-old Smith Corona Clipper.

Thanks for reading Essays by Ken Lane. Subscribe for free to receive new posts.

Jan 20, 202301:57
4 Reasons to Compose Thoughts With a Typewriter: A First Draft
Jan 11, 202302:12
4 Reasons to Create Your First Drafts in Ink
Jan 02, 202306:59
The Spellcheckless Frontier
Dec 30, 202203:55
Your Favorite Pen
Dec 16, 202202:54
Let's Steal From Japan
Dec 14, 202203:19
30 Minutes in the '30s
Dec 07, 202202:26
The Laziest Way to Tidy Up
Oct 26, 202206:01
The Mindfulness Practice of Trail Running

The Mindfulness Practice of Trail Running

The Mindfulness Practice of Trail Running

as found at kenlane.substack.com

Repetitious clomping, panting and gasping along the unforgiving pavement, my feet quickly leap from the sidewalk as though falling from a long day into bed onto the dirt trail drizzled with tired pine needles. The trees greet me along the singletrack and welcome me into their world—wishing me farewell in a single wave as one would wave at train passengers.

The trail narrows, making me feel like a bullet in a rifle barrel. Pace becomes subjective. The limbs silently cheer me forward as my only spectators through the wilderness.

My eyes scan my future—charting courses through the rocks, roots, trunks, limbs, drops, and berms. They send instructions to my legs faster than consciousness can grasp. Messages arrive just before the next foot falls. Just as the mind speaks to the feet, the feet respond with progress reports about every step. Lean in, dial back. This ankle is solid, but that ankle needs help. Stop, go, pivot, dig in, ease off, climb, drop, slow down, let'er rip. The conservation never ceases.

If depression involves suffering past trauma and anxiety is triggered by rumination of the future, there is no room for these in the mind while dashing through the forest. To dwell anywhere but in the moment would result in a dropped call between the mind and legs—spelling one spilled in the dirt and bramble.

Running through the less-manicured wilderness is as much a practice for the direction of the mind as much as it is the body. A practice of or practice for what? For present existance. Contentment with the current batch of air in one’s lungs without pondering the breath that came before it or the one that will come after it. The past breath belongs to the forest and the next breath is not promised.

The past is gone. The future is not here. This breath and this step are all that exist. Enjoy them and put them to good use.

Sep 16, 202202:26
Gamifying Productivity and Avoiding Burnout for Asynchronous Workers
Aug 29, 202205:24
Laundry in the Coal Mine
Aug 15, 202202:21
How Is This the Best Thing That’s Happened to Me?
May 31, 202208:48
Becoming Besties With Death
May 11, 202207:20
How to Design Your Inner Role Models
Mar 25, 202213:51
6 Reasons to Make Analog Journaling a Part of Your Life
Feb 01, 202215:21
Running on Cruise Control
Nov 17, 202104:47
How to Make Chores Suck Less
Oct 29, 202102:49
Determine How to Spend Time With One Question
Sep 24, 202108:28
My Favorite Place in the House to Start My Day
Sep 03, 202106:06
Two Ancient Notions That Helped Pull Me From the Depths
Aug 04, 202106:10
Who Tells Your Story: Cementing a Legacy Through Good Work
May 27, 202105:08
5 Reasons Why I Left Social Media (and 4 Things to Consider)
May 13, 202118:35
Choosing Your Shovel: A Field Manual to Leveraging Fear & Managing Anxiety
May 04, 202113:49
Your Clothing Code: A Guide to Owning Only Your Favorite Clothes
Mar 29, 202109:25
A Great Little Life
Mar 23, 202103:01
Am I Glad to See You: A Story About Visiting Dying Friends
Mar 17, 202107:11
I Talk Too Much (And What I’m Doing About It)
Mar 16, 202102:29
"Jump, Fatboy, Jump": A “Skinny Fat” Man’s Jump Rope Rediscovery
Mar 12, 202109:57
The Rich Poor Man: Insatiable Affluence vs Contented Poverty
Feb 22, 202102:48
The Greatest Piece of Financial Advice I’ve Ever Received
Feb 22, 202102:19
Helping Relieve Anxiety & Depression With God's First Question
Feb 19, 202106:20
Waking Up: We’re Focusing On the Wrong Metric
Feb 18, 202111:25
6 Thoughts Upon Reactivating My Facebook Profile After 16 Months
Feb 18, 202110:51
The Broken Autopilot.
Feb 17, 202102:51
Get Exclusive: The Digital Alternative to Social Media
Feb 12, 202106:27
You Owe It To Yourself to Give Your Craft the Focus It Deserves
Feb 12, 202102:34
Don’t Abandon the Tools You Forged in 2020
Feb 12, 202102:14
For Your Future Self: 4 Attributes of a Sustainable Existence
Feb 12, 202109:20
The Importance of Determining How Much is Enough & Why
Feb 12, 202106:41
How to Make Self-Improvement Suck Dramatically Less
Feb 11, 202105:50