Life Lessons From a 2 x 4 x 8 Piece of Wood

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when Jiri, my strength coach, asked me to walk barefoot on a 2 x 4 x 8 piece of wood to improve my balance. Initially I was afraid I would make a fool of myself flailing around trying to stay upright. And for some reason the thought entered my mind “I could never do this because I'm too old.” (That thought did not make me happy!) However, I was aware of this little part of me that was attracted to the idea and the challenge. So I did it. I have even progressed to walking backwards! And I never once again thought about my age as a reason I couldn't walk the board.

Let me just say my early days of walking practice were not pretty. I was embarrassed because I did look like a windmill as I attempted to balance over and over again and keep my feet on that narrow little board. Jiri told me, “You have to own the board, really show up and focus, take control of your body. The key to mastering this board is regaining your balance not about whether you lose your footing.“ Sage advice! Overtime I understood exactly what he meant although I did not that day because I was too frustrated.

This has been by far my greatest teacher for living in the present moment. Who knew there would be parallels between walking the board and ordinary life. Breathe and place one foot in front of the other, trust my body and my instincts. Sound advice for moving through each day...right? Walking the board is a humbling experience much the same as getting up and showing up for what presents itself to be navigated each day.

Every second I needed to know where my body was on that piece of wood. Was I “right here right now” looking at that little span of board in front of my eyes or was I in my mind planning my next activity? In everyday life have you ever noticed that sometimes your mind and body are not in the same place even the same room at the same moment?

Was I ready to take that next step or did I need to pause for a moment and re-center before lifting my foot? I think we are continually invited to rethink our next step in daily life whether its in a conversation, or a decision about our relationships, finances, careers, health or simply walking on a 2 x 4 x 8 piece of wood. There is no guarantee today will go the way yesterday did. Just because I walked without turning into a windmill yesterday does not predict whether or not I will today.

Did I respond to losing my balance by regaining stability or was I reacting to losing my balance by getting frustrated? From the time we wake up until we go to bed we are presented with opportunities to regain our balance when we lose our footing through presence and responding not reacting.