It's me, Nicholas
Adapting to change by breaking through my limits.
Krumm: crooked, bent, warped, devious
Holz (Holtz): wood
Krummholz are those trees that get remade by their environments, often looking twisted or broken, but surviving. Growing in extreme climates, shaped by wind and weather, krummholz adapts to life where it lies. It does not force its environment to change, but by necessity grows where and when it can.
It feels a bit silly to make grand, vaguely philosophical statements about where life has taken me, on the internet, no less. But having my own little place here feels right.
There isn't a lot I'm sure of to begin with. I've been slower than most at figuring my self out, and am not sure how much I know. But I have found that I am my best self when I'm on my bike, and especially so when I am open to the changes that meet me there. Not the strength, not the cardio - the moments of pushing through barriers that seem fixed and unbending. Overcoming doubts and fears, of which there are so many. Journeys are formative. They change us - and let us see ourselves - by breaking through previous selves and current assumptions. This is me capturing myself as I try to get to a place where I can see myself clearly.