During one of my last in person sessions, a comment made by one of my leaders made me realize I needed to learn to let go.

When the pandemic shifted our focus to personal practice, my goal was to work on learning to let go. I’ve been somewhat successful realizing I still have a long way to go. Physically letting go has helped to give me more physical balance but more emotional balance as well. Chanting does the same.

But we had a short discussion after our recent Southwest Chanting Session and it was clear my view on how I have changed should be wider than that.

As the pandemic drags on longer and longer, and as the pandemic continues to shift, throwing a wrench into any plans I may have made, I have to continually change course. In the past, I would have pushed through my plans against all odds creating chaos and stress through the process. But now I’m finding it much easier to change course even without much of a pause. If all of a sudden I’m not allowed to travel out of province, I spend more time on Zoom connecting with my friends and family in Quebec and Ontario. In the past I would have planned vacations well in advance in order to avoid the stress of “what if.” Now I plan last minute depending on what’s available without worrying about it.

And it goes beyond that. I retired 2 years ago with the plan on changing my lifestyle. I wanted to rid myself of the desire to fulfill wants, but rather decide on what my needs are. I wanted to become somewhat more self sufficient. And to that end my partner and I planted a large vegetable and fruit garden that supplies us with food the whole year. It’s a lot of work and requires attention to the weather. So I may have made plans to do one thing, but as the weather dictates, I very frequently have to change those plans to match the weather. And, again, I’m finding it very easy to adapt. In the past, I would have worried about getting things done.

So, overall, I’m finding that being able to let go allows for more balance. Letting go of physical tension. Letting go of who I used to be. Letting go of plans. Not just letting go in Taoist Tai Chi® practice but letting go of everything in life. Taoist Tai Chi® arts has become my entire life.

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