Here’s why meditators and tango dancers and tai chi students hold themselves erect: to channel the flow of energy that every moment contains. To receive life fully-charged. They’ve learned that by holding your center—not leaning this way or that—great things come to you.
First the benefit, and then the rub.
First the benefit, and then the rub.
The most relaxed, natural, alert place to be—the place of readiness—is right where you are. Even a minute of meditation will tell you how often you’re not where you are. Off chasing doodads. And when you’re distracted, you miss things and mistake things, you form ridiculous opinions, you bake up tawdry scenarios. It’s really like grasping and falling simultaneously—never being where you are—so you grasp and fall faster and harder to feel safe and try to make sense of things.
And being off-balance perpetuates bad dancing.
Want to attract an excellent partner? Hold your center. Want to understand your teenagers? Hold your center. At least you’ll feel better while they spin circles in your lawn. Want to not fill with rage at the days’ headlines? Center. Stop giving too much to others in order to accept yourself? Center, for certain. And how about those who grab and demand, the Entitled Ones? Don’t you wish they would stop and be still and be fine more-than-fine with themselves?
You* don’t have to long for belonging in the midst of total belonging! Straighten up and fly right. Try walking through a morning knowing you have everything you need and what others think is no business of yours. You are too busy being in place.
It is delicious, what the world provides. It is streaming. Caw caw!
Straighten Up and Fly Right
A buzzard took monkey for a ride in the air
The monkey thought that everything was on the square
The buzzard tried to throw the monkey off his back
But the monkey grabbed his neck and said-- Now listen, Jack
Straighten up and fly right
Straighten up and fly right
Straighten up and fly right
Cool down, papa, don't you blow your top.
Ain't no use in divin'
What's the use in jivin'
Straighten up and fly right
Cool down, papa, don't you blow your top.
The buzzard told the monkey "You're chokin' me
Release your hold and I'll set you free
The monkey looked the buzzard right dead in the eye and said
Your story's so touching but it sounds just like a lie.
Straighten up and fly right
Straighten up and stay right
Straighten up and fly right
Cool down, papa, don't you blow your top.
Straighten up and fly right
Straighten up and stay right
Straighten up and fly right
Cool down, papa, don't you blow your top.
—Nat King Cole
Give it a listen on YouTube!
*You meaning me, as this sensation of staying in my own place and letting the world come and go is very new.
And being off-balance perpetuates bad dancing.
Want to attract an excellent partner? Hold your center. Want to understand your teenagers? Hold your center. At least you’ll feel better while they spin circles in your lawn. Want to not fill with rage at the days’ headlines? Center. Stop giving too much to others in order to accept yourself? Center, for certain. And how about those who grab and demand, the Entitled Ones? Don’t you wish they would stop and be still and be fine more-than-fine with themselves?
You* don’t have to long for belonging in the midst of total belonging! Straighten up and fly right. Try walking through a morning knowing you have everything you need and what others think is no business of yours. You are too busy being in place.
It is delicious, what the world provides. It is streaming. Caw caw!
Straighten Up and Fly Right
A buzzard took monkey for a ride in the air
The monkey thought that everything was on the square
The buzzard tried to throw the monkey off his back
But the monkey grabbed his neck and said-- Now listen, Jack
Straighten up and fly right
Straighten up and fly right
Straighten up and fly right
Cool down, papa, don't you blow your top.
Ain't no use in divin'
What's the use in jivin'
Straighten up and fly right
Cool down, papa, don't you blow your top.
The buzzard told the monkey "You're chokin' me
Release your hold and I'll set you free
The monkey looked the buzzard right dead in the eye and said
Your story's so touching but it sounds just like a lie.
Straighten up and fly right
Straighten up and stay right
Straighten up and fly right
Cool down, papa, don't you blow your top.
Straighten up and fly right
Straighten up and stay right
Straighten up and fly right
Cool down, papa, don't you blow your top.
—Nat King Cole
Give it a listen on YouTube!
*You meaning me, as this sensation of staying in my own place and letting the world come and go is very new.
