Tiny Experiments with Life ...

Two years back, over a cup of coffee and a discussion regarding research and navigating life a colleague of mine asked me ‘Now that you are in Catalunya, how are you finding the hiking experience, did you get a chance to explore and experiment?’ I said ‘Not yet’. After the long pep talk, I went into a reflective mode. It almost feels like I am suggesting and working on new experimental designs only in the classroom whereas in my personal space I have not done the same.

And then like any other experiment I first decided to rekindle my passion at the pilot stage. I called up my friend who has been asking me for quite some to join her and few friends of hers on hikes. Though the rule of thumb for sample to be even considered as an experimental result is N=30 (often debatable with ever increasing complexities) , I realized I do not have the mental bandwidth for a big group of unknown people and so went hiking with a group of friends. And like any pilot that has many flaws, I too made those blunders. Forgot to pack nuts and bananas, insufficient water, did not get a cap, etc. And after the analysis of pilot, I reworked on its design adjusted the parameters such as building stamina, appropriate gear, the right warm-up before the hike.

St. Marti de Centelles

I kept varying the setup. Every hike did give me a fresh perspective, feeling of rejuvenation and ideas to implement in other aspects of life. I discovered I like having cold pasta at the top of the mountain, Organic Maps and All Trails are a blessing, watching ‘How to Pack Vegan Lunch For A Hike’ on YouTube helped.

And like every experiment scalability and external validity is often a cause of concern. In my case, I too realized I could not skip difficulty levels from medium difficulty to moderately hard. This experience taught me a lesson on embracing uncertainty, being open to unknown possibilities and not being rigid on all the matters. It is still a work in progress, but recognizing my shortcomings and learning new tools to navigate are skills that I am learning to develop.

Actionable Steps

Hence, I decided to come up with some questions that could ease the conundrum

1. What is my intention?

2. Do I have the necessary resources?

3. Do I have the mental/physical bandwidth?

4. What would be the tangible or intangible gains I would reap and in what aspects?

5. Is there any way it can serve other people?

These are just tentative questions and one can develop one’s own depending on the context and situation. I am striving to keep small and doable targets which align with my interest and sensibility rather than having all goals to be tangible.

Still from Frances Ha (2013)

Is there any tiny experiment you would want to share? Would love to know in the comment section.

Sunday Song Recommendations:)

Plagwitz- Duo Stiehler/Lucaciu , a mix of Modern Jazz and Contemporary Classical

Sing to me Goddess- Windsong Martin , a beautiful composition paying ode to Mother Nature