I took swimming lessons a little late in life. It was two years ago and I was extremely afraid of water. One of the first things my swimming instructor told me was to let my body go loose. He said that I was following his instructions but the only drawback was that I was holding myself rigid. He said that swimming would come more naturally to me if only I let my body relax. To use his actual words it went something like this "Please keep your body light."
The breast stroke seemed so simple when my instructor demonstrated it. And yet when I tried the same I got so overwhelmed that I lost my breath and sank in 4 feet water. It took a long time for me to actually let go and relax. The class lasted for fifteen days and I barely grasped the basics of swimming. But I remember the advice about keeping my body light. I think this advice would apply very well to life in general. We often try too hard to be good and successful and in the process lose out on the joy of small things.
Most things in life would be a lot easier if only we learned to relax or let go. I think this attitude is naturally present in us as children. But somewhere down the line, it gets weighed down by competition and ambition. In this context I would like to quote a phrase by Milan Kundera, it is "The unbearable lightness of being." I think that phrase says it all. We think we are so important and carry the burden of the whole world on our shoulders. The reality is too simple for us to accept, so we create our own complicated lives.
Who is Milan Kundera (sorry for asking if it should be obvious). Like the thought " a lot of things can be easy in life if we relax and keep our body light".
ReplyDeleteMilan Kundera is a famous European author. I was attracted by the title of one of his books, "Unbearable lightness of being". The book has an unusual story. But I like the title better than the book itself.
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