Obsidian Odyssey

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EJ Elena Shin

EJ Elena Shin

Obsidian Essay | Leadership] The Walk - Even Commanders Debrief ft. Admiral McRaven

Obsidian Essay | Leadership] The Walk - Even Commanders Debrief ft. Admiral McRaven

It was at the obelisk that my thoughts finally gathered. Walking, I have come to believe, can be the best form of meditation. Solutions pop up uninvited. Unresolved sentences complete themselves. Ideas that refused to meet at the desk get synthesized on the move. It is the subconscious mind — working

Obsidian Essay | Leadership] JFK.

Obsidian Essay | Leadership] JFK.

“We meet in an hour of change and challenge, in a decade of hope and fear, in an age of both knowledge and ignorance. The greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignorance unfolds. No man can fully grasp how far and how fast we have come. But condense, if

Life | London Sanctuary] The Grove: Place of Restoration #Retreat

Life | London Sanctuary] The Grove: Place of Restoration #Retreat

EJ's note Über allen Gipfeln Ist Ruh, In allen Wipfeln Spürest du Kaum einen Hauch; Die Vögelein schweigen im Walde. Warte nur, balde Ruhest du auch. Over all of the hills Peace comes anew, The woodland stills All through; The birds make no sound on the bough. Wait

Obsidian Essay | Leadership] The Three Lives of Jackie: Bouvier, Kennedy, Onassis — and What She Would Want Us to Know

Obsidian Essay | Leadership] The Three Lives of Jackie: Bouvier, Kennedy, Onassis — and What She Would Want Us to Know

EJ's note Earlier, I wrote: I am always curious about the wives of politicians, heads of state and diplomats — women who knew exactly what they were signing up for, and who carried the duty silently, without ever making a scene. Personal life sacrificed, no complaints, all in the

Life | London Sanctuary] Chiltern Street, Rediscovered: A Love Letter to #Marylebone

Life | London Sanctuary] Chiltern Street, Rediscovered: A Love Letter to #Marylebone

EJ's note "The only true voyage of discovery... would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes." — Marcel Proust, La Prisonnière REFORMED. I first discovered Chiltern Street because of running — specifically, because of Tracksmith. When I started training for my half marathon in

Life | London Sanctuary] Sacred Quiet in London #Escape

Life | London Sanctuary] Sacred Quiet in London #Escape

EJ's note “The things that we love tell us what we are.” ― St. Thomas Aquinas I always look for places of tranquility, reflection, and peaceful serenity to get away from the daily noise. I enjoy the dynamic nature of my work — genuinely — but I also absolutely need pure

Obsidian Essay] Welcome back home, honey - Quietest Blocks in Manhattan (Sutton Place/Turtle Bay) #NYC

Obsidian Essay] Welcome back home, honey - Quietest Blocks in Manhattan (Sutton Place/Turtle Bay) #NYC

EJ's note What does home mean to you — and how long did it take you to work out the answer? I received British citizenship this past December, and I have been unravelling ever since. Slowly but thoroughly. Because permanent settlement turns out to be a nervous-system event,