ZM Happy Wavy Wednesday,

This one comes from a close friend of mine, someone not in crypto at all, but still following these newsletters and finding resonance. They shared a lesson called Mountain Pine that’s been stuck in my head ever since. The image is simple: a pine tree growing on the mountainside, forced to push its roots deep into hard soil to survive. Because of that struggle, it grows stronger than the trees in easier conditions. And when the storms come, it doesn’t fall.

I love that someone outside our space found something here worth carrying. It’s proof that the challenges we write about, the stories we live through together, don’t just matter in crypto—they echo across life. Struggle builds resilience no matter the field, no matter the context.

I’ve seen it in my own journey too. The rough seasons—when community felt scattered, when projects nearly collapsed, when resources ran thin—those moments weren’t wasted. They deepened my foundation. They gave me the grounding that holds today.

Culturally, it’s the same story. Hip-hop grew from scarcity. Punk thrived on rejection. Web3 survives because it’s been forged in storms. The best work doesn’t grow in easy soil—it grows in resistance.

That’s the story of the ZAO too. Our strength comes not from smooth conditions but from the fact that we’ve had to push, adapt, and dig deeper. We’re not here because it’s easy ground. We’re here because we want to be the pine that holds through the storm.

– BetterCallZaal on behalf of the ZAO Team

Year of the ZAO - Day 267

Strength through the rocky soil

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