Tuna Salad Saturday

“Life has always provided everything I’ve needed.” It’s profound, yet simple, wisdom from a profound, yet simple and humble source – Justin Stone. It was wisdom shared over a tuna salad and watermelon lunch on a Saturday at Carmen Brocklehurst’s Fall Retreat.

Has there ever been a time in your life when someone said exactly the right thing at exactly the right time, and you knew with every fiber of your being that the Chi, or Divine Source, was communicating directly with you through that person?

Perhaps the human response might be, “How did he know?” Yet, the soul’s response is more like, “Wow, thank you.” Isn’t it reassuring, in acutely stressful times, to know that someone else walked before you, preparing the pathway to follow? In listening to that person tell his or her story, you begin to understand how his or her experience holds light as you navigate the darker twists and turns of your own path.

Most likely, each and every T’ai Chi Chih student has a story about the powerful and everlasting impact that Justin Stone has made on their lives. Who among us does not treasure his or her life because of the personal growth and joy we have experienced as a result of Justin’s life’s journey? But what about the smaller stories within the larger chronicle of his life?

“Life has always provided everything I’ve needed.” Justin spoke softly, not in a manner to emphasize anything specific. Judging by the look on his face, I was reminded of someone observing his own life from a distance – as if for the very first time. But I feel certain it was neither his first nor his only reflection. I suspect he offered his insightful wisdom for us to examine more closely and digest fully for ourselves. It was a gift.

Life provides. But not always in the way we imagine or even might like. How many of us have danced an economic tango with our personal finances this last year (or longer)? How many of us have considered ourselves to be on a particular path, only to feel that the earth dropped out from beneath us?

So where do we find the strength and trust to move forward through life with the softness, continuity and sense of assurance in the simple truth that “life provides everything we need”? For me, the answer lies within the gift of Justin Stone’s life. It is a gift that keeps on giving.

Certainly, as we experience the serenity and joy that TCC practice affords, our hearts swell with gratitude for the life path that Justin chose over his passion for creating music and art. But, as Justin offered while enjoying his tuna salad, life “has a way of guiding us in the direction that we’re supposed to follow.” His innate wisdom made me wonder where I would be today had Justin not chosen to seek out a friend in Japan, only to find himself alone in a foreign culture, without money, without a place to stay and without an understanding of the language.

What influences were at work when Justin arrived at an intersection in Kyoto and chose to go down a street towards four men who invited him to join in their chess game? Justin chose a road, and life lifted to meet him where he was at that moment. Justin’s chess mates invited him to be their guest, and Justin accepted.

To say that Justin accepted the invitation of a stranger sounds simple enough. If it were your house or mine, we’d probably have guest towels and other creature comforts to insure hospitality. But for Justin, the conditions he experienced along his path in a foreign culture in no way resembled what we might offer him in the context of our culture. Yet because of the path Justin chose, we have received the gift of TCC – a powerful life-management tool.

What would our lives be today had Justin Stone not learned how to play chess and joined in that chess game in a country where he had nothing? What if Justin had chosen to pursue music or art? How might my, or your, life experience be different?

It is not unusual for anyone, at any time, to pause and reflect on choices made. We celebrate some choices and regret others. But over a lunchtime tuna salad on a Saturday with Justin, I was reminded that no matter what choices we make, life truly does “meet us where we are.”

Thank you, Justin, for the choices you’ve made, for the light you hold and share so generously, and for your willingness (and the example) to follow where life leads.

>>>>>>>>>

Pyramid Poetry (if needed)

the

ego

let it go

focus on soles

completely

release

ahhh

– Margery Erickson

cup

empty

letting go

release happens

awareness

surprise

me

– Margery Erickson

friend

squirrel

perched last fall

embracing all

carried ball

acorn

Chi

– Bill Moore

such

surprise

while flowing

in the current

encountered

looking

glass

– Bill Moore