The Happy Hope

I took a hiatus from blog writing during a recent trip to Asia to see my family.  Four weeks to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and back.  It was pretty intense.

In addition to the excessive eating that tends to happen during family visits, we also walked a lot.  

One of my brothers is quite a walker.  His footsteps are all over the trails in Hong Kong.  In addition, he and his wife have been taking hiking trips around the world.  During our Taiwan trip, we walked all day sightseeing.  Most of us had a hard time catching up with him.  

"Walking on this kind of terrain is no difficulty for me," he said proudly.  "Having said that, my son, who does not walk often and does not train at all, when we go hiking together, leaves me trailing."  

The proud father patted his son on the shoulder.  "I don't even know how he does it.  He does it so effortlessly."  My nephew did not say a word.  He just smiled shyly.

After my return from Asia, I return to my routines -- including attending classes at rec centers.  One of these public rec centers has a really nice walking/ running track built along the perimeter of the indoor gym.  With a nice view through giant glass panes overlooking a park area, it is quite popular.  

On this day, I thought I would give it a try.

"It's just walking!" I thought, but it was not easy.  I felt unbelievably heavy.  I could feel the soreness from the qigong class I just took.  I felt old and tired.

Just then, I recalled the Taiwan trip and my brother's comment about his son, Ian.  

Indeed, Ian walks very different from us all.  The way he walks carries a distinct feeling.  He walks as if he was just floating away.  I am curious, too.  How does he do it?

As an instructor of a body movement art, I decided that I need to find out.

From my observation, I do not think Ian used any special techniques in moving his body.  What struck me, though, was the feeling, the vibes that he exuded . . .

Imagining I were Ian, I walked.  I tried to walk in his shoes so that I exude the same vibes I felt from him. 

It took no time for me to notice the various stiffness, aches and pains in different parts of my body.  "Were they there before?"  I realized that these spots suddenly surfaced because they did not go with Ian's vibe.  

One by one, I acknowledged the stiffness and pain, and then I let them go.  When I let them go, interestingly, they let me go, too.  

I began to walk much easier.

I was walking faster and faster.  No panting, no exertion.  It felt like I could keep doing this forever . . . .

It happened that a guy was running on the track.  He had been holding quite a steady pace.  So, I used him to gauge how fast I was walking.  

The point where we met on the track was shifting.  The gap between us continued to shrink.  And then, I noticed that the running guy was now "chasing" me . . . 

So, what is the secret of Ian's walking?

I tried walking as if I were Ian.  It was all guided by his vibes.  

I realized that, when he was walking, Ian never intended to be fast.  He actually did not have a goal.  He was not trying to do anything or be anything.  He was just walking.  In his heart, all he carries is a feeling of being relaxed and comfortable.  

If you were to ask a little bird why it can fly so swiftly so easily, I bet the little bird would tell you, "I fly when I fly.  Flying is this easy."

My nephew walks so swiftly because he does not carry any burden in his heart.  Without anything to weigh him down, he floats away like a little bird swinging in the air.  It is just this simple.

The Chinese names my brother gave to both of his children mean "Happy Hope".  I am not so close to my nephew to know how he lives his daily life.  Yet, by the way he walks, it seems like he is living out his father's wishes for him.

To feel like a ton of dead weight or to feel like a swift little bird is just a thought away.  It is actually a choice -- a choice for me to make.  

I thought I had learnt the lesson from Aikido, but apparently not.  I did not know to extend it this far.  This is life changing.  

Here is my question for you:  What do you carry in your heart?