Today I did Tai chi straight from bed. Since I’ve turned the heat down quite a bit, this usually includes wearing socks to bed. This morning I failed to take them off — I was nice and warm as I came out of bed, and the house was mildly chilly. It’s an easy thing to forget to take one’s socks off.
But of course, on my century-old hardwood floors, this has a tendency to mean slip-sliding around during the form, and it knocks the heck out of one’s balance during some of the trickier postures. I suppose it’s good practice to forget to take one’s socks off during a routine, but I think, as a general rule, I have to try to remember to leave my socks off.
With fifty days left to go in this year-long experiment, I’m trying to be careful not to alter my practice too much, but since there’s a mirror in my office, I’ve added a bit where I stand in front of the mirror and refuse to chew my nails. I was deeply nervous during my presentation/conference/workshop on Tuesday, and for the first time in a long time chewed my nails to the quick. I’m going to be working on using my tai chi practice to re-affirm my commitment to healthy fingernails, and I’ll include a report on this in my daily note.
