Inch by Inch

There were two mice--not one--trapped in the heating fan under the hood of our car. A mechanic removed them via the dashboard while I practiced T'ai Chi Chih outside the dealership.

The weather today was warmer, 40+ degrees, sunny, and windy. I faced south into the sun and felt its heat on my face as wind blew hard from the west. I purposefully sent my attention deep into the ground to hold myself steady on my feet and to realign my upper body when brisk blasts of air threatened to tip me.

Even though I chose a practice spot behind the building I sensed activity behind and around me: car horns honking, doors slamming, engines revving, people talking, children running and laughing, and vehicles whizzing by. I continually re-focused my attention forward, into a grass-covered hillside away from the action and dwelt in my own small space of tranquility (serenity in the midst of activity per Justin Stone).

Back inside the dealership the TV blasted. Still, I maintained my interior calm while resting in the midst of American capitalism, the car showroom just beyond the waiting room door.

At the conclusion of a late lunch Frances received a fortune cookie with just the right message for T'ai Chi Chih practitioners: Inch by inch life's a pinch. Yard by yard life is hard.

To me, T'ai Chi Chih practice represents that easy, small progress forward: inch by inch. When we return to our regular practice day after day, it carries us forward one inch at a time. It may not feel like we're traveling far until we look back and realize that we barely recognize the landscape we're traveling anymore....