Prayer or Tai Chi?

Life is full of mysteries and secrets and truths. When we discover the truth, we are set free.

I had a lively and lovely discussion with my friend, Elisa. Elisa is very much into physical exercise, and she has the body to prove it.

Elisa knows I am very much into prayer, prayer groups, prayer  partners, but that I don’t get very much physical exercise (other than running here, there, and elsewhere for my work.)

She tried to convince me that exercise is more important than prayer. “Prayer might get you into heaven,” she said, “but you need exercise for quality of life here and now.”

I felt a little sad for her because even though she has a great body, she is sad and lonely most of the time. I try to meet with her as often as I can. I invite her to pray with me, but she says she in a hurry to get to the gym.

Then more things happened. I went for my (slow) morning walk. Lo and behold, I bumped into a bevy of charming and lively and delightful elderly ladies – coming out of their 7:00 AM Tai Chi class. They invited me, urged me to join their class (almost free) in our neighborhood city park.

And then I saw Suzanne Somers, author of Bombshell, interviewed on Anderson. She says people can live to be 120 if they live right. She is 65, and doesn’t look 45.

One review on Internet described Bombshell like this, “Acting like your personal medical detective, she has found the most advanced scientists, doctors, and health professionals and gotten them to share jaw-dropping advances that will stop deterioration and set you on the path to restoration and healthy longevity.

“By taking advantage of these new bombshell advancements, you can live longer than ever with great quality of life, and experience a different way to age: with great health, strong bones, vitality, a working brain, and sizzling sexuality. All of it is yours for the taking if you are willing to make some simple, effective changes.

“In Bombshell you will learn about explosive medical secrets utilizing ground breaking technologies…”

Then I asked myself, “Why doI ‘enjoy’ prayer? And why do I delay the decision about joining the 7:00 AM Tai Chi?”

Elisa didn’t hesitate to give me the answer to the second question. She looked at my enlarged stomach and bluntly spoke as friends can speak to friends, “You are putting it off because it is a challenge to your laziness! What else do you have to do at 7:00 AM other than lie there and get fatter?”

“Thank you, Elisa.”

And she went on to remind me about a chapter in my book on prayer that I had told her about long ago, and the book is still a work in progress. She said, “What was that you told me about a well-rounded life that includes wholistic  health and wholistic well-being?”

I am sure I blushed with embarrassment. Yes I advocate a balanced life. But do I practice it. When Iasked her to pray with me she made an excuse about being busy with physical exercise. I told her, “A person can’t be a breathing person today and a heart-beating person tomorrow. We have to keep them both in balance today and tomorrow.”

She asked, “What does that have to do with exercise and praying?”

I had explained to her that a full (and fulfilled) human life has four aspects. “What are they?” she had asked.

“Well,” I said, “don’t  you see that to be fully human and function above the level of your feline friend, you have to function as an intellectual person, a physical person, a spiritual person, and an emotional person.” And she reminded me that I had told her that that is ipse, which happens to be the Latin word for self or person. 

When we had that conversation, I admitted to her that I understand two things better. I said,“You know what, Elisa, now I see why I am hesitating to join the Tai Chi class.  I know it would be very beneficial for me, but I am contented with a lopsided life. Prayer is so wonderful for me that I forgot the balance. I need all four aspects of my life, not just the spiritual. I need the physical too.”

She said, “but you said you realize two things now.”

“Yes,” I said, “now I see why people hesitate and make excuses when I invite them to be my prayer partner.”

“Why is that?” she asked.

“Well, it’s the same thing. They were satisfied, they thought, with the parts of life they enjoyed at that moment, but did not realize how much of the wholistic life they were missing out on.”

“Maybe.” she said, “Maybe Suzanne Somers is trying to tell us something like that too. Maybe we just glide along on part of the good things of life as long as we last, 60 or 70 years, but we could have quality of life for 100+ years, if we are willing to make some changes.”

Elisa is a very reasonable person and a very good friend. We talked some more.

She said, “You know what? You and I are both fully functioning intellectual persons and fully  functioning emotional persons. Now I see you have neglected the physical well-being aspects of life, and I have missed out on the benefits of the spiritual elements of a fully human life.”

When I joined the Tai Chi class and Elisa joined my prayer group, we both felt better all around, living fully satisfying lives with everything (which we realized was our ipse)  in balance and harmony.

Together we learned some truths and together we became free in a wonderfully stronger friendship.

Thank you, Elisa.