Grass Beneath My Feet

This word, freedom, has always been very important to me – as a goal and a way to be. I was raised in a rural setting far from the city and had the opportunity to play outside and to run like the wind with grass beneath my feet. It seemed as if life could be lived freely. Along the way, I also learned that it wasn’t that easy. One must control the tongue; our freedom of speech isn’t always rewarded, appreciated, or tolerated. My freedoms seemed to be corralled, blocked, or punished. I never gave up on the feeling or concept though; I simply began to hold it closer and protect it.

Then along came T’ai Chi Chih, a class I took with my own free will, just for me. I felt this tingling in my hands. I had the freedom to let go of worldly thoughts and duties. The freedom to be. To feel life within. To feel the grass beneath my feet once more and the wind on my face. 

I read this poem by Justin recently and hold it close to my heart: “T’ai Chi Chih is joyous / Not work / but joyous play.”

TCC is many things to many people. To me it’s the free and honest part of my true being. It’s somewhere I can go with comfort and total freedom. It is something that cannot be taken away. Perhaps this is why I am so comfortable and so free within the practice. Life is not easy, yet going within and finding our sweet spots of freedom makes it worthy. I hope that more people can find this place within their own being. This is why I teach the gift of TCC.