Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should

At some time or another we decide to become healthy. We might set up a plan to include exercise, food and study. But since we are not physical therapists or doctors or nutritionists, chances are that our plan may not be the best plan for us. It’s possible that our plan is based on misconceptions. Just because we feel fine from walking an hour the first day, we might find our legs stiff from lactic acid on the second day. This could change our minds about walking for several days. Just because we can go walking doesn’t mean we should overdo it.

Everyone has to eat, and certain foods are uniformly suggested as healthy – fruits and vegetables, meat and potatoes. Sounds easy enough. We often prepare the same foods our parents prepared for us. If they were good for us in the past, they should be good today. Sometimes we make the same mistakes our parents made – overcooking vegetables, undercooking meat, choosing foods that raise our blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Sometimes trying to reach a middle ground we might eat a vegetarian diet, only to find that we have thrown our food intake out of balance. We might not become aware of it until our shoulders or joints hurt, until we get headaches or lose sleep. Just because we can eat anything doesn’t mean we should.

When we end up at the doctor’s office trying to discover why we have certain symptoms, we comment that, “I thought that walking was good for us. Everyone stresses how we should eat more vegetables. I’m just trying to be healthy.” The key is balance, moderation and awareness. Sometimes the doctor will say, “It’s good you are getting some exercise, especially since you sit so much at work.” Or “You are so exhausted from work that you spend evenings on the couch. You need some gentle activity to achieve a more restful sleep. Perhaps you might consider some energizing, balancing activity like T’ai Chi Chih early in the evening.” This is good advice, some wisdom.

The gentleness of TCC often keeps people away, and yet it is that moderation and awareness that brings us back into balance. Our own wisdom is brought out by TCC. It creates the pause needed so that we can listen to our bodies. Most doctors can’t tell you why it works, but the beauty is that it does. Often when people talked to Justin about their ailments, he would gently say, “Have you tried T’ai Chi Chih? It might help.” For those who have tried, the results have been wonderful. Sometimes it brings us all the way to learning how to love and share the Chi.

HEADER: Pyramid Poems

know

being

spiritual

could it be love

in human

body

form

– J.A.

all

senses

feel the joy

experience

the present

moment

now

– Nancy F.

be

here now

the present’s

a gift to cher-

ish without

regret

here

– Robert M.

pop

and there

it was right

in front of me

I am very

happy

here

– Brock

be

aware

of the joy

and gratitude

from within

flowing

still

– M.W.

joy

comes

quickly

with openness

for all that

appears

here

– Evelyn D.

feet

grounded

attention

where no words live

where no thoughts

belong

still

– Carmela

to

listsen

to myself

is never as

rewarding

as the

chi

– Jerry G.

to

move in

awareness

feeling feet ground

clarity

comes – let

go

– M.R.

all

that I

see is not

all that there is

all that I

feel is

good

– Joyce V.