Blog | davidsmith208

Merchant and Parrot

Poems of Fana You’ve picked out a beautiful cluster of lines from the Merchant and the Parrot story in the Masnavi by Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī—and they all orbit the same central idea: freedom through inner transformation, not outer change. Let’s walk through them carefully and connect them. 🐝 “We’re bees, all of us, and our bodies, the wax” Rumi is layering a metaphor: Bee → the soul (active, seeking, producing sweetness) Wax → the body (structure, container, but also something th

davidsmith208

Apr 43 min read

High activity level

Those are very strong numbers, especially for consistency over months. Let’s interpret what they really mean—and where to fine-tune. 📊 What your Apple Watch trends actually show 🔥 Move: ~1195 calories/day That’s high. Typical active adult: ~500–800 You: ~1200 consistently 👉 Translation: You’re burning a lot of energy daily You’re not sedentary — far from it ⏱️ Exercise: 142 minutes/day This is exceptional. Recommended: 30–60 min/day You: 2+ hours/day 👉 That includes: tenn

davidsmith208

Apr 22 min read

Athletic diet strategy

That’s actually a really interesting “experiment day” you just ran—and there’s a lot going right. Let me break it down clearly so you can keep the gains without accidentally under-fueling. 🧠 What you just did (and why it worked) You combined: 🏊 30 min swim (aerobic base) 🏓 1 hr pickleball (skill + touch — those stopped dinks matter) 🎾 tennis matches (competition stress) 🍌 minimal fueling (banana + garbanzos) ⏱️ restricted eating window 😴 long sleep (10 hours) 👉 That’s

davidsmith208

Apr 22 min read

Where is a Prius?

Here are some real, nearby options and places to check right now around Fremont / Toledo — plus how they line up with your “sweet spot” (2020–2022 Prius with modern features). 🚗 Local dealers to check (Toledo / Fremont area) 1. Yark Toyota One of the largest Toyota dealers in the area Regularly carries used Prius inventory (including newer models) Good place for: Certified pre-owned (safer buy) 2020–2022 trims with CarPlay 2. Germain Toyota of Toledo Strong used inventory, o

davidsmith208

Apr 22 min read

Ideal Prius

Great question — and you’re thinking about this exactly the right way: 👉 Which is the oldest Prius that still feels “modern” inside? There are really two key upgrade waves you need to know. 🚗 The big turning point: 2016 (major redesign) This is the start of the 4th generation Prius (2016–2022) What changed in 2016: New platform (drives better) More modern interior layout Start of newer safety tech (camera + radar based) 👉 This is the oldest Prius that can feel somewhat mod

davidsmith208

Apr 22 min read

A Banana

That’s actually a very smart setup—you’re intuitively landing on something close to what athletes do. Let’s fine-tune it just a bit so it works perfectly for your goals (fat loss and performance). 🎾 Your idea 🍌 Banana before tennis 🥤 OWYN protein after 👉 This is solid, with one small adjustment. ✅ Before tennis (fuel, not a full meal) A banana before playing is excellent: quick energy easy to digest won’t break your fasting benefits much If the match is competitive or lon

davidsmith208

Apr 12 min read

Not OMD

That’s actually a very strong instinct—and in your case, it lines up well with your goal of reducing visceral fat without sacrificing muscle. But I want to refine it slightly so you get the benefits without unintended downsides, especially at age 70. ⏱️ Intermittent fasting: good idea, but don’t go too extreme Your wife’s one-meal-a-day (OMAD) approach can work for some people, but for you: 👉 I would NOT recommend full OMAD Why: Hard to get enough protein in one sitting High

davidsmith208

Apr 12 min read

Body Composition

You’re reading this correctly — and actually your situation is very workable because you already have a strong base of muscle. Let’s interpret your key numbers first, then I’ll give you a clear, practical plan. 📊 What your scan is really saying From your sheet: Weight: 207.9 Lean body mass: 159.6 (⬆️ strong — this is excellent) Skeletal muscle: 88.4 (⬆️ well above average) Body fat %: 23.2% (moderately high for your goal) Visceral fat mass: 7.1 lbs Visceral fat area: 118 (fl

davidsmith208

Apr 12 min read

My Parrot, my wise bird

In the Merchant and the Parrot story from the Masnavi (Book I), the line you’re pointing to—often rendered as “my heart pretends it has been too much hurt”—comes right around the moment when the parrot stages its dramatic “death.” Who is “my parrot, my wise bird”? On the surface level: It’s simply the merchant’s pet parrot, whom he loves and addresses affectionately. But in Rumi’s symbolic language, that phrase carries much deeper meaning. 🕊️ The symbolic meaning The “parrot

davidsmith208

Apr 12 min read

Masnavi translation

Great—this is exactly the kind of comparison where having both Reynold A. Nicholson and Jawid Mojaddedi side by side really opens up the text. I’ll focus first on your passage (Masnavi III, ~1618–1621), then draw out broader translation differences that show up again and again across the Masnavi. 1. Your passage: “everyone is created for a work” + “north wind” Nicholson (older, philological style) Nicholson tends to render something like: “Everyone has been created for some w

davidsmith208

Mar 313 min read

The North Wind

You’re picking up on two important (and slightly tricky) points in those lines of the Masnavi—one about purpose, and one about a symbolic natural force that Rumi uses very deliberately. 1. “Everyone is created for some kind of work” Yes—Nicholson’s translation captures the surface sense correctly, but Rumi’s meaning goes deeper than “job” in the modern sense. The Persian idea is closer to: each being has a fitra (innate disposition / nature) each is drawn toward a particular

davidsmith208

Mar 312 min read

War teaches peace

You’re circling the right meaning, but Rumi is doing something more subtle than simply saying “war is necessary” or “life requires danger.” Let’s unpack the imagery in a way that stays close to his Persian metaphors and his broader teaching. 1. “War teaches peace” — تضاد (creative opposition) Rumi often uses opposites as teachers. In Persian mystical language, this is tied to the idea that things are known through their contrast. So “war teaches peace” does not glorify war. I

davidsmith208

Mar 312 min read

Beethoven and Schubert

You’re hearing something very real—and you’re not alone. The resemblance between Impromptu in G-flat major, Op. 90 No. 3 by Franz Schubert and the first movement of Piano Sonata No. 14 ‘Moonlight’ by Ludwig van Beethoven is one of those deep stylistic echoes that shows how composers think across generations. But it’s a bit more subtle than direct borrowing. Let’s break it down carefully. 1. The Surface Similarities You’re Hearing You’ve identified the key parallels almost per

davidsmith208

Mar 293 min read

Therefore beg

This is a great instinct—because with Rumi, the nuance often lives in the original Persian rather than the English paraphrase. Let’s zoom in on what’s happening in these lines from the Masnavi (Book VI, ~772–778), especially in the “die before you die” context. 1. The Key Persian Idea Behind “Beg” The word translated as “beg” is often from roots like: “bikhāh” (بخواه) → ask, seek, desire earnestly or “talab kon” (طلب کن) → seek, pursue This is not passive begging—it’s active

davidsmith208

Mar 293 min read

Tennis return strategy

Yes—this is where everything you’ve been noticing turns into a clear decision system you can actually use during a point. I’ll map it so you can recognize the situation in real time and choose the right shot automatically. 🎾 DOUBLES RETURN DECISION SYSTEM (Ad Side Focus) Think of every return as answering 3 questions: 1. Where is the serve going? Wide (pulling you out) Body T (into your body/middle) 2. How fast / how balanced are you? Comfortable Rushed Stretched 3. Where is

davidsmith208

Mar 282 min read

Backhand lob

From wide ad side serve

davidsmith208

Mar 281 min read

Classic doubles trap

And block volley ai tennis You’re actually diagnosing this exactly right—and what you’re describing is one of the biggest transitions from “solid rec player” → “strong doubles player.” Let’s break it down cleanly. ⸻ 🎾 1. The alley ball mistake (key tactical error) Ball pulled you wide → you hit back to net opponent → lost point This is a classic doubles trap. What happened: • You were stretched (low control) • You hit low + forward • Net player = easiest poach/finish 👉 T

davidsmith208

Mar 283 min read

Compulsion vs Election

Great question—this is a rich and subtle part of the Masnavi, and Redhouse’s Victorian phrasing (“compulsion and election”) can make it feel more philosophical than it first appears. 👤 Who is Abu Jahl? Abū Jahl Real name: ʿAmr ibn Hishām A leading opponent of Muhammad in Mecca Known in Islamic tradition as: Proud Intellectually sharp Spiritually blind 👉 His name “Abū Jahl” literally means “Father of Ignorance”, but ironically: He was considered clever and capable—just misdi

davidsmith208

Mar 283 min read

James Redhouse

A beautiful translation: Yes—James W. Redhouse did produce an early English translation of Jalāl ad-Dīn Rūmī’s Masnavi, and your impression is right: it reads in a distinctly Victorian, poetic English style. Here are the key details: ⸻ 📜 What Redhouse actually translated • Title: The Mesnevī of Mevlânâ Jelâlu’ddîn Muhammed er-Rûmî • Published: 1881 • Scope: Only Book I (the first of six books) 👉 He did not complete the entire Masnavi. His work covers just the opening boo

davidsmith208

Mar 282 min read

AI tennis coach

Great question—this is exactly where things get interesting, because you’re sitting on very valuable data (video + tagged stats), but most players don’t turn it into real coaching insight. Here’s a clear, practical way to use AI with your SwingVision footage—from simplest → most advanced. 🧠 Option 1 (Easiest): Use ChatGPT directly with clips You don’t actually need a special “tennis AI model” to start. How to do it: Export from SwingVision Short clips (serve, return, rally,

davidsmith208

Mar 272 min read