Monday, October 31, 2011

Small steps, big change

Today I posted on FB how much I love my yoga class and instructor, and how I realized that making a small adjustment with some part of by body created a big change in the posture.  This is a lesson I've returned to several times in the last 10-15 years.  My natural inclination is to do things in a big way, the all or nothing approach.  This approach probably doesn't work well at any time, but it especially doesn't work well in the last third of life. 

The first time I consciously remember this lesson was when a lot of gossip and negativity was being directed toward me.  One day, seemingly out of nowhere, a voice called out, "Take one step to the left."  Amazingly, one small step allowed the negativity to go zooming by my head, like a bullet  narrowly missing me.  The importance wasn't on "narrowly;" the importance was on "missing me."  Later I found that I only needed to move my head and neck and inch or two in one direction or another.  Another time, I was engaged in an exercise with a group of people.  We positioned ourselves in a sitting position without the chair and we told we would hold that position for 45 minutes.  Again, the smallest adjustment took pressure off an aching part of my body and allowed me to maintain the position for the 45 minutes. 

So, in the Last Third, we learn to conserve energy for the things that are truly important.  We learn we can make big differences, strengthen our bodies, minds and spirits by making small adjustments, small movements, small actions.  A smile or a kind word can change someones' day.  Kissing for 10 seconds instead of one second can renew our connection with our lover.  We have a hundred opportunities each day to make those small adjustments and improve our own lives, another's life and even the world. 

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