The Path Must Not Be Confused For The Way

Really starting to like tai chi. Went to class this morning, saw everyone, quiet greetings all around. I did my warm ups and and started the moves off to the side by myself.

Kinda like this, but without the fog machine.

Sifu had the overhead lights off, as he usually does. It's been cool and cloudy here lately, with gusty winds. Only the watery light of the front window lit the space; the only sound was that of the wind coming in through the open door.

Cool air. A safe, quiet space with safe, quiet people. All of us there, but also not there. Not alone, but somehow, wonderfully, left alone. It's a vibe, a groove, a space.

I read a fortune cookie once that said, "The path must not be confused for the way."

I didn't know what it meant at the time, but it stuck with me. What it says to me now is that while there is a path to follow and steps to take, there is also the way in which we take those steps. I can follow the path in a way of chaos and resentment, or I can follow the path in a way of gratitude and serenity.

It has to be true, I read it somewhere.

There have been a lot of painful, humbling steps on my path to recovery and, if forced, I'll admit to my share of resistance, self pity and ego at each one. But if my path to recovery has been clear for some time, maybe tai chi is helping me find something else: my way.