Start again when things go wrong
Somtimes in life it is best to start again when things go wrong. Recently I found this to be absolutely true when my wife and I attempted to park our 25 foot travel trailer in the narrow gap between our house and the fence we share with our neighbor. Seriously, the gap that we back the trailer into allows for only four inches clearance on either side. My wife uses a hand held radio to guide me while I jockey the rig back and forth until we stick it into its parking spot.
You can imagine the frustration we both felt as we tried to coordinate the movement of the big rig so that it didn't strike the house or knock the fence down. I drove the pickup pulling the trailer forward and backward time after time trying to get the trailer into the right angle to fit the driveway. But the more I tried, the worse things got. You guessed it: disaster! I finally jacknifed the pickup as it hit the fence knocking off one of the driving lights and bending the trim.
We both threw up our hands, completely exasperated. What could we do? Obviously, what we were doing was not working.
We would not give up. We kept shifting the rig back and forth, trying to inch the back of the trailer away from the fence, but it still was not doing much good. Finally, we decided that the only thing to do was to unhitch the trailer, pull the truck away and re-hitch bringing the truck back at a straight angle.
It worked! We were able to straighten the trailer and slide it into its slot without further damage. Boy, were we relieved.
I've told you this anecdote because I think it applies to life in general and especially to our healing practices, such as tai chi, qigong and meditation. Sometimes what we are doing to deal with stresses, conflicts and boredom in our lives, just isn't working. Our habits like drinking, smoking, sitting, or stressing, just aren't healthy and don't allow us to find that healthful slot that we all want.
So what is the alternative? You guessed it: turn a new leaf. Start again. Start practicing tai chi and meditation. Yes, and sign up for lessons. When you renew your conviction to seek better health and well-being, you will find that it works. Just don't back into the fence.
George K.
September 4, 2022
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