The Nexus

“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being.” ― Carl Gustav Jung

Those are the words I choose to live by. Through the deep, constant struggle of being special-needs, “different" overall, bullied, ostracized, & marginalized – by people who seemingly aren’t even fulfilled, themselves – I realized that in a world immersed in dystopia & darkness, it’s best to be a light. From the gutter, from the margins of society, we get the best views – and I’m here not just to find the warmth, understanding, & acceptance I need, but to serve Positivity and build an Oasis.

“Action is hope. There is no hope without action.” — Ray Bradbury

How has Humanity got so much, yet so much misery abounds? Why are there dudebros with lives royalty of even just a century ago could only dream of still so down & depressed? How is it that I’ve got so much to offer, but acceptance, understanding, & warmth is hard to come by? What is missing and where’s the puzzle pieces to stick in them holes?

Three words: Fulfillment. Edification. Purpose.

“Happiness is a state of inner fulfillment, not the gratification of inexhaustible desires for outward things.” – Matthieu Ricard

We are not here merely to exist; to simply ‘exist’ foments – and indeed simply is – madness. Humans are not merely sentient, but we are sapient; we must live lives on a foundation of genuine Purpose. Unfortauntely, we’ve largely turned our backs on this, in pursuit of empty calories. This, y’all, is why so many people are awash in squad & stuff, yet still feel empty (which is often mistaken for loneliness).

We must – across skin tones, faiths, homelands, hobbies, lifestyles, abilities, occupations, & more (within reason, of course) – operate on a common human creed of Positivity. It’s in light of this truth that I founded The Stormy Grove – a brotherhood & banner to live & commerce under as the diverse sapient beings we are… united by basic, Positive Human principles including (but not limited to) love, unity, coordination, edification, mutual uplift, leisure, & class.

The Grove Project is a place for family in the true old-school sense, Positivity, & cultural exchange. Let’s grow genteel & ride radiant together.

~ Leon “Mesyn" Merritt


Meet The Founder ~ Understand His Path:

Of Reptiles and Man: An American Untouchable’s Story

bigotry & violence in the world of skateboarding & bmx ~ leon’s story

~ NHN – Nexus Heptrill Network ~

Broadcasting, media, & information exchange for true rebels against the darkness. Current events, entertainment, & niches from gaming to gardening & more for the true & real.

The flagship show of The Stormy Grove!

The Stormy Grove Nation – in Glory, Gallantry, & Gentility – proudly presents…

  • A showcase of awesome video game (& video-game-adjacent!) music from the ’70s thru today!
  • Front-porch turkey talk between the brothers & sisters of Tempestwood about a wide variety of topics, from food to horticulture, gaming to space, health to bikes, & much, much more.
  • A pro-Human, pro-Nature beacon of resistance against negativity.

Tune in for the best the #PositivityPosse has to offer, y’all – & don’t forget to join Grove Nation by starting at SGC.FYI!

Spotify
Player FM
Amazon Music/Podcasts/Audible

It’s streaming… with a twist!

Sure, there’s gaming – and lots of it… but GNL is also about being joined by the Gromies & talking turkey about news/current events, science, tech, the arts, life in general, spirituality, and – last but not least – covering the world’s, and space’s, weather (including down-to-the-neighborhood severe weather coverage, mainly for North Central Texas)… with plenty of great music showcased.

Guaranteed to be 100% nourishing and BS-free.

YouTube | DLive | Rumble | Twitch | Facebook Live | Odysee 

~ The Grove Gazette – Our Newsletter ~

If you’re down with the Grove, it’s all about staying up on the important news within our family. Subscribe for free to get our newsletter delivered to your email inbox on the regular!

Grove Services & Consulting ~ The 411

It was March 28, 2000 that sealed the deal – & changed Fort Worth forever. A violent supercell thunderstorm bore down on Tarrant County, drenching the whole area, battering the North Side, Lake Worth, & vicinity with baseball-sized hail, and – of course – spawning a fierce tornado that touched down in Linwood (whose district symbol is a tornado to this day – gotta love that gallows humor!) and tore into downtown, causing extensive damage.

From the historic south side, Leon watched with fascination as the storm did its thing. The sheer power of Nature; the science… they beckoned. Already having a necessary mild interest in meteorology from his first hobby of horticulture, Leon dove into meteorology. It has now been almost a quarter of a century. The interest stayed and it’s now refined to a point to where if you need someone to “stalk the storm" for you, you want to get in touch!

  • Regular general weather updates via multiple outlets
  • Custom live conditions & event monitoring ~ your “semi-personal" “weather man"
  • Wedding, party, & other event planning
  • Forensic meteorology ~ reconstruction of weather conditions around events important to litigation & mediation
  • Biome-/climate-wise business advice ~ think the old cliché about not selling A/C units in the Arctic. Wisdom to share regarding how to go about business in ways compatible with local conditions
  • & much more!
storm-tracking down to the neighborhood-level
a view from above the River Thames of London City Hall, with crowds of people along the riverfront parkland in the foreground and the building in the background. the building is very
Photo by Javier Martinez on Unsplash

When you’re an “American untouchable", you get the fullest view of the kit & caboodle, y’all.

That’s definitely true for Leon.

While it’s not exactly “pleasant" being on that rung of the ladder, there are acknowledged benefits & boons that come from such, including – by absolute necessity – becoming civically involved (especially at the local neighborhood/city/county level) & getting into business in the creative ways necessary to survive.

Now, Leon’s down to share his wisdom & skills in these fields. Let’s talk turkey about strategy, operations, & the like for:

  • Political campaigns
  • Neighborhood organizations
  • Private enterprise
  • Government

Fields? Well…

  • Transportation & urban planning
  • Public relations
  • Information technology & communications in general
  • & more – ask!
a closeup photograph of a blackberry patch, featuring green leaves and several ripe & unripe berries
Photo by Elizabeth George on Unsplash

We all remember our very first hobby in life. Maybe for you it was collecting Pogs, baseball cards, or Beanie Babies. Or perhaps you took an early liking to music, & put on “stuffed animal concerts". There’s a lot of potential there.

Well, for Leon, it was horticulture, & botany in general. For as much as we take it for granted, the whole “plant life" thing is one of the fundamental, keystone parts of the beauty of Creation. All sorts of varieties of plants exist, & all of them are fundamental – whether it be the blackberry vine that provides tasty fruit for human & ‘beast’ alike… the cold-hardy pansy that makes otherwise-dull winter landscapes ‘pop!’… the fragrant rosemary underwriting a marvelously chill Saturday morning with its notes… or something else.

Obviously, plants are important to humans – so, Leon figured – why not bring his experience & knowledge to the table for Positivity, for The Grove, & for business?

  • Garden planning
    • Indoor/outdoor/hybrid
    • Fruits/veggies/herbs
    • Ornamental gardens
    • Utility gardening (mitigating erosion and flooding, that kinda thing)
    • Habitat gardening (“I want my yard to be a good home for the bees/hummingbirds/squirrels/etc.")
    • Xeriscaping
  • Landscape planning
  • Direct garden/landscape work
  • Community garden setup & execution
Empty tab. Edit page to add content here.
a Port Authority Trans Hudson (PATH) subway train at a station
Photo by Sam Jotham Sutharson on Unsplash

We all need to get around. For most of human history, it pretty much revolved around walking – with the occasional horse or camel amongst the mix (depending on location). Sometimes, a cart was rolled behind or in front of one’s person.

With modernity, however, came an inevitable supernova of transportation technology, and transportation being about much more intricate, intertwined networks/systems. Sure, road networks existed before – the Romans are famous for their empire-bonding one – but we went and done got on a whole ‘nother level.

The way now involves not just the venerable planes, trains, & automobiles, but also buses, bicycles, motorbikes, wheeled boards, ferries, & more – the term is “intermodalism", referring both to the networks/systems themselves and the individuals within them.

All modes are necessary, despite certain urban-planning… ‘missteps’ in obsessing over only a small subset of the mix here in the U.S. as well as certain other countries that followed us down that wrong path. Nonetheless, we are correcting course. But I digress.

Leon’s been a “transpo geek" for years, & has a passion especially for bicycles & transit – as well as being an urban-planning “dude" in general: one who is all about them genuine, sustainable cities/towns/suburbs/regions with that old-school comity & cohesion adapted for & with progress. Let his insight guide your project, business, organization, or whatever with regards to the building, maintenance, and/or interfacing with transportation systems.

a man rides a road bicycle on a wide, busy urban thoroughfare. automobiles - a mix of taxis, regular civilian cars, a bus, and a truck - are in the background, as is a motorcycle with two people on it
Photo by Angelo Pantazis on Unsplash
a Black man sits in a cozy, homey office environment in front of a desk with computers & peripherals on it, including a microphone. he is likely doing a podcast.
Photo by ConvertKit on Unsplash

The sight of a bicycle courier – like the guy typing out these words right now – should symbolize, to any astute observer, several things: a hard-working cosmopolitan; a stylish vital worker; a strong trooper. But – did you also consider, a great opportunity to promote & market your services, entertainment, product, or other business?

Think about it – we spend hours on end riding around dense, busy locales as we deliver & go about other business. Even people who love urban cycling purely for leisure rather than business spend a lot of time pushing the pedals. It’s not hard to imagine signs being affixed to the ride, & even our backpacks. In fact, we already use such to promote the Grove Project, itself!

This is to say nothing of rides being an opportunity to post flyers on public fixtures, y’all.

Hundreds – & most of the time, thousands – of people see Yours Truly on my bicycle on every ride. Boost YOUR business by advertising on this “rolling billboard" – contact us via email, social media, or text (see sidebars & header/footer!) to talk turkey soon!


Photo by Artem Podrez: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-man-with-big-backpack-riding-a-bike-in-the-city-8989215/ / https://instagram.com/poarts

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