A year ago I chose a word I wanted to focus on and embody for 2018 – ROOTED. Some of my thoughts from my blog last December:
“ROOTED. I use this word often, even start all my Tai Chi classes with this word – ‘Bring yourself into the room. Feet parallel, hip-width apart, knees soft. Visualize your feet and legs like a tree, rooted deep into the earth. See if you can make the roots a little bit deeper.’
As we make our roots deeper and stronger below the earth, we will become more stable above the earth. Stable, centered, balanced, strong – isn’t that what we all would like to be and have every day? If I were not so involved with Tai Chi, I might have used the word “grounded.” That’s a good word, too, because it suggests a connection with the earth and being stable, both physically and mentally.
Being rooted allows the body to move in a coordinated way. The body moves as a unit, all parts synchronized, coordinated and relaxed. I aspire to that and know it is a process not an end, nor a static state. Being rooted allows the mind to relax and focus only on the moment.
I aspire to be rooted in my standing and in my walking. I aspire to be rooted in kindness and in giving what I can to help others improve health. I aspire to be mindful and focused on the moment so I can actively listen.”
How has it gone? What hits me is that being rooted is a process, not an arrival point. Some days my balance is better than others and Tai Chi helps me accept that is okay. Tai Chi helps me with stability, with focusing on right now, this moment. I need that reminder because it is so easy to get distracted and think about tomorrow, next week. Over the past 12 months, I have focused more on trees – I look at the trees, sometimes stop as I am walking to admire a tree. Trees have so many lessons to teach me. I continue my quest to be rooted like the tree. And have patience.
Several of you also chose a word to embody for 2018. Let me know your reflections about that word, now a year later.