Novem

November has always been a month of carrying forward the essential.

In the earliest Roman calendar, the year ended in March — the season of renewal and new beginnings. November, then, was the final stretch of the working year: the last efforts before winter set in, the time to harvest, store, and strengthen what would be needed to survive the cold months ahead. Even when later calendars restructured the year and added months before it, November kept its name — Novem, “nine” — a marker of an older order.

Why leave it unchanged?
Because throughout history, continuity has been a form of wisdom. When the world reorganizes itself, not everything should be rewritten. The structures that have proven strong are carried forward — even if the details shift around them.

So November remains a reminder:
Some foundations endure precisely because they have been tested.

As the sunlight fades, the air cools and the and the last leaves fall, this month invites us to reflect on what is worth protecting — in our habits, our relationships, and our inner character. It is a season of sifting: a narrowing down to what will truly support us in the time ahead.

November teaches a simple truth:
We don’t always need more.
We need what is strong enough to last.

The Back Functional Line

The Strength to Sustain What Matters

The Back Functional Line (BFL) is one of the body’s deep pathways of stability and coordinated power. Running from one shoulder across the back to the opposite hip and leg, it connects our arms — the tools for doing — to our legs — the engines for moving. Unlike the vertical lines that keep us upright, the BFL drives diagonal force, enabling actions like:

  • pulling and rowing

  • climbing and lifting

  • carrying weight across distance

  • bracing against resistance

Where the Deep Lines organize inner support and the Superficial Lines express outward action, the Functional Lines teach us how to apply strength where it matters most — not everywhere, but in the specific direction required.

The BFL is the body’s metaphor for fortitude:
the capacity to stay connected to purpose while moving through resistance.

When this line is balanced and engaged, we move with grounded confidence:

  • We lift burdens without collapsing.

  • We take deliberate, directional steps.

  • We maintain forward motion even when challenged.

But when it weakens, effort leaks. The load feels heavier than it is. Our path feels longer. The “why” behind what we’re doing gets lost in the strain of doing it.

The BFL reminds us:
Strength is not simply force — it is force aligned to purpose across time.

Movement Challenge:

Carry Your Conviction

Choose an object with meaningful weight — something that represents responsibility in your life (a kettlebell… or a bag of groceries… or even a stack of books).

  • Hold it to one side of your body.

  • Take 3 slow, steady breaths.

  • Walk 30–60 steps forward.

Notice:

  • How does your body organize under load?

  • Where do you stiffen unnecessarily?

  • What thoughts arise about the “burden”?

Then switch sides.

This is not a workout.
It is an experiment in purpose under weight — a literal reminder that responsibility is not an obstacle to progress… it is progress.

FORTITUDE

Strength that Perseveres

“Ask not for a lighter burden, but rather broader shoulders.”

Fortitude is not the loud force of battle.
It is the quiet strength of continuing.

It is built in the gap between what is difficult and what is still worthwhile.

November marks the shift from outward expansion to inward consolidation. The fields are cleared. The forests go still. The world itself seems to exhale — but only after every necessary task is complete.

Fortitude asks:

  • What burdens must I continue to carry?

  • Which struggles are worth enduring?

  • Where must I remain responsible, even if no one sees?

This is the month where we refine character through repetition — by showing up again, and again, with alignment rather than urgency.

Fortitude does not demand heroics.
Just the discipline of returning to what matters.

A Fortitude Reflection

Each evening this month, reflect briefly:

What is one responsibility I upheld today — even when I didn’t feel like it?

Write just a single sentence.

Fortitude doesn’t grow through grand gestures…
but through what you choose to uphold when no one applauds.