Your body is a Stradivarius and for it to respond with a beautiful tone, you have to love it and practice on it every day. My body is my Stradivarius. I say thanks every waking and sleeping moment for the amazing gift, my mother gave birth to. Even at birth I had such energy, curiosity, and elasticity. The world was a wonderland; a treasure and it belonged to me.
Now nearly 100 years later, I experience not only the same feelings, curiosity and energy, but something more; desire and love for the gift of life. I experience living and realize the wisdom that only comes with living.
Age is a gift. If you think of age as a gift you will understand what to do with it. How to love it, to use it, to appreciate it. You will be creative in every physical and mental even spiritual way. I think of my body, as a musical instrument. It has to be tuned, polished, balanced and loved. Developing a beautiful tone is like developing a beautiful and powerful muscle. And silence, you have to learn how to listen to your instrument. Your wonderful instrument not only speaks to you, it demands that you listen. Your instrument has incredible memory, it knows silence and dislikes your impatience. If you listen to your instrument, it will find the knowledge it needs to move with grace, power, and energy. When that happens you will take a huge step into a life that everyone would give a million bucks for.
I don't do the things that I do because I think I should do them. I jump rope four minutes every day because it feels so good to jump rope. I practice yoga because it makes me feel better and I practice tango, because I'm in love with the dance form and the music. All this produces incredible joy and a creative and healthy life and body. So if you go to the gym because you feel you must go to the gym, instead of, I love all the exercises and those exercises give me and my body the breath of life, what more can one ask. It's basically all about loving what you do and why you do it. The reason you don't move? You get in the way. You were born to move. Give your beautiful instrument a break. Love it, teach it, and train it. Allow the energy it owns to have a life. Now it's possible for you to have a life. And above all, listen, listen, listen to your body. It wants to be heard.
It only takes one step to change your sedentary life and that step is do it because you want to, not because you have to. I'm told I inspire, if that's true what's the next step? Do you listen to your body and face the challenge and take action? There has to be the desire, the energy, the love for what you are doing. Or my inspiration is a zero. It's simply a word. Wouldn't I love to know that my inspiration has created energy and dedication? And a better life. A life of quality.
It starts with the listener, then the doer and the love of what you are doing. Then comes the reward. You have created energy, strength and balance. If there is fatigue, it's good fatigue, that comes with satisfaction. You've answered the call of your first instrument. That you did something physical and now you are on a therapeutic road of less pain. I didn't say no pain, that comes with perseverance and time. The reward is worth it.
When your body is out of tune it's painful. You have to face the challenge. No one can do this for you. This is what I hear: "I cant do that because?" The word 'because' is a killer and does nothing to correct the problem; "because I'm too old", "because I have arthritis", "because I have osteoporosis."
Almost all can be improved with activity. Arthritis responds to activity. I know because my body is full of arthritis. Shoulders, knees, feet, hands. I will not allow arthritis to take over my life. The only solution is major activity and the best way to practice major activity is yoga. With a huge Y! Take the first step "a yoga class." Your body will be hooked. You may not be, but your body is talking. So listen.
Your Stradivarius is so expensive there is no number on its value. Only you know its value. So keep it well tuned. The music it will produce will be beautiful, powerful, and rewarding.
You have been given this incredible instrument. Your first and only instrument. Love it and give it the life it deserves. What a gift! WOW!!!
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