True Grit

I haven't been on AnD much because I am an Olympic junkie.  I love the Olympics...I love the roller coaster ride of successes, the near misses and the bitter defeat of my favorite athletes.  I memorize statistics, faces, stories, conflicts, bad judging, tumbling passes....everything I can that I find relevant to the whole Olympic experience.

However, I am also preparing myself for my next summer four-hour taiji workshop that will happen this Tuesday, 10am - 2pm.  It will be the second workshop where we will continue learning the Yang 108 Form.  Depending on how your Yang 108 Form is counted, we'll be starting on #56 (Embrace tiger, return to mountain--2nd time).

Furthermore, I'm reading a wonderful book that I need to complete and return before by the time of the workshop since it belongs to our instructor, Bob.  It's called T'ai Chi as a Path of Wisdom by Linda Myoki Lehrhaupt (bibliography at conclusion of this blog).  It has such useful information that I am also keeping a journal in order to help remember some of the more interesting tidbits.

So, let's set the stage as "they" say....I'm reading my taiji book and I am on a chapter entitled, "True Grit."  During my reading, the Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay (Swimming) race is on TV.  The US men's relay team is considered by many to be the underdogs on paper because their times have been slower than the French men's relay team.  Also, those French team members talked smack earlier saying something to the effect of wanting to "Smash the Americans."  For more about this world-record setting event, click here. This was the most amazing swim race I have ever seen as the US anchor of the team, Jason Lezak, came from behind in a world-breaking 100m split to beat France by .08 seconds!

The US men's swim team rejoices winning the gold medal.

And in the midst of the race, the following taiji-related excerpt from the book just seemed "right" for this auspicious swim team moment:

"We learn something when we are challenged to stretch beyond what we think our boundaries are.  When we are always working at a level that seems comfortable, we tend to stagnate.  When we are not challenged, whatever we do learn soon fades.  When we always perform at a chugging pace, our faces never know what it is to glow with joy. (p.174)

"The secret of giving 100% is really that we give everything in the moment or activity.  Normally we think that giving everything means having to make a big effort, usually one that involves a lot of muscle.  But when we are completely present, it is effortless.  Giving, or surrendering to the moment, often means letting go of all the thoughts and dialogue that usually get in the way of just being present.  The most frequent thoughts that fill our moments are usually all the reasons that we simply can't do something.  They are reasons that have been drilled into us or come from an insecure place within ourselves.  But when we just give ourselves the chance to move, the body has a wisdom of its own.  It knows how to measure our energy and pace--and how to get us to let go." (p. 176)

Well, this race for me was something special and memorable:  a happy, motivating and joyful experience of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games!  But this quote doesn't have to just apply to incredible athletic performances such as this.  It has relevance to daily "average" life, even if it's as simple as trusting your fingers (muscle memory) to dial a phone number when your brain has forgotten it.  It will have special relevance to me, this coming Tuesday during the taiji workshop, when I will be asked to demonstrate how well I've learned the Yang 108 Form in front of my teacher and peers.

Bibliography

Myoki Lehrhaupt, Linda. T'ai Chi as a Path of Wisdom. 2001. Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston, MA.  pp. 174, 176.