Japhy Ryder

Following Through

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I went to the office supply store this morning to make copies of my book proposal, and I left with both the copies and a wonderful teaching.

 

Because the proposal is 57 pages long, the self-serve copiers wouldn't staple it automatically, so the clerk gave me a big honkin' industrial stapler to use. Since each staple had 57 pages to go through, I told myself I had to muscle the stapler. It was, I told myself, like trying to tilt a pinball machine. I managed to staple four copies relatively cleanly, but I botched number five.

 

I went to the clerk for help, and he told me "You can muscle it, but it works better if you just push the lever down completely." I tried again--this time using follow-through, not muscle. It worked beautifully.

 

I bow deeply.

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Indeed. I lifted weights for over twenty years but quit three years ago, realizing that I'd spent two decades teaching myself to move barbells and dumbells but not my own body. Let alone my mind.

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In my youth I spent years breaking bricks, boards, concrete blocks, etc. Those who have never done it say it is a tick or physics or some such thing but the truth of the matter is, you just need to learn to think beyond the brick and touch the floor.

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QiDr, "think beyond the brick and touch the floor" reminds me of something cool I've been able to do since I began practicing qigong. I found I'm able to toss used kitchen towels down the stairs and directly into the laundry room, which is offset to the right at the bottom of the basement stairs. I pause briefly before each throw, project my energy into the laundry room, and let fly. Works almost every time.

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