I fell. Nothing broken, no blood.

Once again, saved by decades of tai chi practice.

I took a fall on Saturday.

I had just pruned a couple of branches off my neighbor’s tree and was talking to my friend who was helping me. She was out of my line of sight so I know my attention was back behind me. I was holding that 8 foot tall thing in my right hand. I remember nothing about what the set the fall in motion. I remember stumbling. And somehow I landed on my back wrenched in a bunch of different directions, but in one piece.

And even though part of that heavy pruner landed on my seedlings, no significant damage was done to them either. That’s a relief!

Somewhere in the 80s, I’m guessing, early-ish in my tai chi career, we learned how to fall. And since I’m still clumsy and or distractible enough that falls happen, I am so glad both times I’ve fallen in the last 10 years had similar outcomes. Strained, sore, bruised, achy. I’ve been resting, loading up on arnica, slathering myself with many of the topicals at my disposal, and using even more cannabis than usual.

That other time I fell? I tripped on a curb cut, and as I fell forward. Somehow I had enough time to notice my arms relaxed in a circular “embracing the Tao” kind of posture, then time speeded up again and the next thing I knew I was on my back looking up at the sky.

Somehow I didn’t land on my wrist(s) in either fall. Somehow I rolled from thigh to butt to opposite shoulder just like they taught us!

No matter how old you are, if there’s a way you can get some lessons in falling please do. The best time to start improving your balance is yesterday. The second best time to do this is now.

#TaiChi
#AgingLikeABadass
#AgingLikeAClumsyBadass
#Balance
#Grateful

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