I can say, without question, that I became a worse driver during my two years living in rural Nebraska. This has nothing in particular to do with Nebraska, and I didn’t intend to let my driving skills decline. It was as simple as this: I adapted to my environment.

Coming from the busy streets of city sprawl in Southern California and moving to a (literal) one stoplight town meant the pressure was off. I didn’t need to watch for drivers slipping through the tail end of a yellow-red light at an intersection, I didn’t need to triple-check over my shoulder when I changed lanes, and I had plenty of wiggle room between me and the next car in front, behind, or beside me. Driving was low stress, low stimulus, and demanded less of my attention, and so I adapted accordingly. When I came back to California, though I was soon able to pick back up where I left off, it was still a bit of a shock how dull my skills had become.

You can try all you want to cheat the game and pursue easy, low-stress ways to get your results, but at a certain point you’ll need to acknowledge that stress is a necessary part of the system. You can’t use a soft material to sharpen an edge, and you can’t expect a lifestyle defined by ease and low resistance to make you anything other than dull. Stress isn’t all bad; cultivate it wisely and appreciate how it can shape you!

- PS

6/20/19

• 500m row time trial

Then...

• With a partner…

• AMRAP 4

• Strict chin-ups

• 2 min rest

• AMRAP 4

• Strict ring dips

• 2 min rest

• AMRAP 4

• L-hang