Shall We Begin?

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I raced out of my Physics class.  Professor Klontz just gave us our tests back.  As I scurried across campus to my next class, my mind raced.  

How am I going to recover my semester grade from this "D?"  

I really didn't understand much from the class.  The professor taught so fast, he could have literally taught in Greek and I would have understood just as much.  The book wasn't much help either.  I read and re-read each chapter with little comprehension.  I slowed down every study group I joined.

I'm such a doofuss!  Why can't I GET this?

And why did I schedule my next class so far away from the Physics building!!  Only 10 minutes between classes.

Stress mounts as I pick up the pace.

I get to the building.  Race upstairs to the locker room.  Change clothes and enter the classroom.

My mind still fixated on that "D."  My Chemical Engineering degree in jeopardy.  What will Mom and Dad say?

The instructor walks in and says, "Shall we begin?"

ZAP!  

As I put my hand on the barre, all worries drain from my body.  

Feet together.  First position.  And …. Plié.

Ballet I class begins.

To do a Perfect Plié requires absolute attention.  Every part of my body turns ON.  Energy flows.

Whatever happened before disappears.  What happens next is irrelevant.  100% Concentration requires 100% Presence.  In this moment there's only ….

This … Perfect … Plié

When I put my hand on the barre, it's like touching a fully charged electric cable.  A magical transition every time.

Doing pliés in my dance classes saved my Chemical Engineering degree.  Three times a week, my brain took a break from the relentless flailing and occasional failing.

I left Ballet Class with the same question as it began, 

"Shall We Begin?"  

But this time, I felt refreshed.  CHARGED!

That was 40 years ago.  I can still put my hand on a table or chair with the same intention.

ZAP

I'm there.

Feet together in first position.  Chin up.  Back straight.  Shoulders relaxed and down.  100% concentration.  And,,,

The Perfect Plié

The Plié remains an invaluable Resilience Tool for me.  It allows me to escape one world for a moment and return….refreshed and renewed.

Do you have a Resilience Tool?  A meditation?  A mantra?  A movement?

No?

Well, the good news is you don't have to learn how to do a Plié to find your Resilience Tool, although that might be EXACTLY what you need.

10,000 pliés from now and you might feel that Charge!

Shall We Begin?