A good reminder.
Lesson for the Day
Shimmering Leaves
Where I live in live in the midwest part of the United States, the trees and bushes continue to show us spring and new life, with small buds, leaves and blossoms. The tulips are up, standing erect with their tall with their slender green stems and some of the pansies are still smiling back at us.
In Tai Chi class we bring intention and attention to the present moment, to how we are standing and moving, to our alignment and our breathing. The Tai Chi Classics say that our internal energy, Qi, roots in the feet, transfers through the legs, is commanded by the waist, moves up the back, then through arms and flowers in the hands and fingers.
That’s like the trees. Think about all the work they do to bring up nutrients and energy from the earth, through their trunk and branches and flower at the tips, with leaves and blossoms. I start every class asking students to stand with legs and feet parallel, hip-width apart. We shift our weight slightly forward, then to the center, to the outside, inside of the feet, returning to center. We move in a small circular motion, visualizing our feet connected to the earth, feeling the energy and bringing it up through the entire body, flowering in the hands and fingers.
I love that image because we become like the trees, particularly at this time of year, when the leaves are new. The new leaves are a light green and have a shimmering quality. New life and a new season, nourishment and renewed energy.
Walking outside after class in downtown Chicago this week, right in front of me were city trees, with new leaves shimmering in the sunlight. Take a minute to really look at these trees. What a message they are giving us with new life, a new chapter and season. Let us pay attention and start a new season for ourselves, thinking about possibilities, a new way to move forward and nourish ourselves
Almost Spring
Exciting signs that spring is near — more sunlight in our days, little buds and leaves on the trees, a touch of warmer weather and lighter jackets on our backs. Yes, those of us who live in climates where winter seems to linger, anticipate and talk about the promise of spring. It is close at hand and we anticipate what is coming by paying attention when we’re outside by trees, near the soil with seedlings, listening to the joy of birds singing their springtime songs.
In Tai Chi class we often visualize rooting our legs and feet like a tree, feeling the rich soil filled with nutrients and energy. Like the trees and plants, we bring that earth energy up through our bodies to nourish and refresh us. We let go of tension, relax. We connect with the natural flow of nature and the universe.
Taking time to watch the growth and blossoming of the trees, bushes and flowers start to show their colors is a good antidote to all the negative news and turmoil that keep trying to monopolize our attention. Put the phone away the minute before you walk out the door and while you’re outside, notice. . . every living thing around you. Smile and say hello as you pass someone on the sidewalk. Stop to look at the trees in your neighborhood. Maybe you can say hello to them, too. They will answer soon with a glorious display of bright green leaves, beautiful blossoms, and when we pay attention, bring a smile to our face.
Photos from Chicago, West Des Moines, and Wilmette
Facing Barriers
This lively, engaging discussion about themes in my book Walking on Pins and Needles continues to resonate with me. It’s so evident that our lives are filled with stories that often include common themes when we reveal our story to others.
Here we are on a July 2022 afternoon, gathered in West Des Moines, Iowa, in a lovely living room. Most women did not know each other and we had an age range from 30’s to 80’s. What a great group! As I talked about my story, from my recently published memoir, I saw heads nodding up and down. We were connecting on a number of issues.
Facing barriers seemed to be a subject that resonated with everybody — “my doctor doesn’t believe me”; “I know I’m not making up the pain I’m feeling”; “what to do when no medication seems to work or the mounting side effects are worse than the condition they’re supposed to treat” “I can’t say anything at work because my skills and competency will be questioned.;” Being open about the barriers I faced helped others do the same and not feel alone. That is a big deal, not feeling alone.
Another of my themes was to keep going. Fear can keep us from trying something new, out of our comfort zone. And yet, we need to face our fears, do our homework and take a step forward, even when uncomfortable. What I learned through my experience is that we often fear what we don’t know. It holds us back. Think about this — the unknown, where we might go with trepidation is where the possibilities are. I had no idea what I was getting myself into with a practitioner of Chinese medicine, with Tai Chi. I jumped into the arena anyway. It changed my life. I could never have imagined that I could be healthy as I am today, because I didn’t know the possibilities. I jumped and the possibilities found me. There’s not a void in that unknown we no nothing about; there may be lots of options, possibilities, steps that might be taken to improve our lives.
Storytelling is important, not just for others to hear our story but to share common themes and experiences that we go through as human beings. Talking to each other face to face brings a special energy of connection and being in the moment. Hopefully, you will take some time to share your own story, with family, with friends, with a group gathered to share common experiences that help them know they are not alone and to inspire all of us to seek new possibilities that may be unknown to us right now.
Something to Look Forward To
We need to have something to look forward to. Most of our days include routines like going to work (even if on Zoom), taking kids to school, grocery shopping, paying bills, doing laundry and perhaps caregiving for a relative or friend. Most of our days are ordinary, filled with life tasks that support our well-being, tasks that need to be done.
We need something out of the ordinary to look forward to.
It’s easy to keep doing what we’re doing and we always have tasks to complete. However, for our emotional well-being we need to intentionally plan something out of the ordinary, a family gathering, dinner out, a road trip for the weekend. It’s good for our psyches to get a change of scenery, alter our routines so we don’t live blindly and then one day wonder where all the time went and what we missed.
I remember attending a workshop in the early 1990’s with Deepak Chopra. He stressed that we live today with the dame thoughts we had yesterday and the tomorrow we will re-hash the same thoughts we have today. We get stuck in patterns and ruts that keep us from trying something new, changing habits to improve our health.
In order to have something new to look forward to, we need look at our thoughts and our weekly patterns. Can I plan that trip now that we wanted to take before COVID19 hit? How might I rearrange my schedule so I can sign up for the Spanish class I’ve wanted to take? I’ve inquired about Tai Chi class that my doctor recommended for my balance, but have not committed. What can I do that will help me get to the next step of showing up?
The key is framing our thoughts into “I can”, How might I?” “Who can help me?” “I’ll talk to my friend who always seems to have time to do fun and exciting things”
Take the first step forward. Find a way to reframe your thoughts. to plan something fun and interesting to look forward to.
something to look forward to
I always feel better when I have something to look forward to. And that’s not been easy during the last 16 months when we’ve had to be cautious, stay our distance from other people, go out only when necessary. We have all had to find ways to cope with our individual situations and do our best we could. In the U.S. the situation has slowly been changing and now we can see relatives, friends whom we may not have seen for a very long time. A real hug feels so good, so reassuring. It makes us feel alive.
In speaking with numerous people I’m learning that many are struggling a bit with moving forward. They still feel very cautious, afraid of being around strangers. We need to practice patience, with ourselves and with others, to not judge because we don’t know what others are going through. The best thing for all of us is to be kind, patient and not judge others. We don’t walk in their shoes.
Tai Chi has been and continues to be helpful to me and my students. We intentionally move and breathe and empty out our minds of thoughts, to-dos, judgments. It’s a wonderful practice for centering and coping with difficult times and frustrating days. It helps us be kind with ourselves.
We need to continue with our centering practices and also plan something specific to look forward to, a visit with family out of town, a meal at a restaurant, starting to go to our health club to find our abs again. Planning a specific activity can lift our spirits, give us something fun to look forward to and yes, even cause us to take time to plan what outfit to wear.