Hold on Lightly

Reflections on Around the Platter Variation

By Nancy Vermond

In June my sister’s husband died and she was placed in a nursing home, as it appears she has Alzheimers and is unable to live alone. Her two grown children arrived from out of state and prepared to clear out her condo, a lifetime of accumulation, in just two days. I was there for part of that time and managed to “rescue” a few sentimental objects, but was fearful that many family “treasures” were being thrown away. The time allowed for the task of sifting through was not adequate, but I went along with the plan. I was “sick” with grief over the loss of objects that I knew had been passed down for at least a few generations and that had meant something to my sister and to our parents and grandparents.

As I was doing my T’ai Chi Chih practice, however, and came to the Around the Platter Variation, I was gently and deeply reminded to “hold on to objects—and people and ideas—lightly”. And how do we honor our ancestors? Obviously we cannot hold on to all the objects they cherished. Is it by staying in the ever-present flow of life and being grateful for their part in bringing us here? Doing T’ai Chi Chih has helped me to let go, to relax and to hold on lightly, but these questions linger. I trust that more clarity will come with continued practice.