YK’s 365 Release: Day 50

I have quick reflexes. As someone who grew up clumsy, a risk-taker and trouble maker, I think I developed quick reflexes to save my life.

I remember when I was home with my little sister, I took her to the den of our house, which was on the second floor. It had openings that looked onto the first floor. I decided that day that I was going to jump through the opening to the first floor. How exciting! At one point, I was coaxing my sister to jump with me and held out my hand. Wisely, she said no.

So I jumped on my own and somehow landed into somersault, which ended up planting me right back on my feet. At that exact moment, my mother came home from work. I was so stunned by my landing, I blurted out that I had just jumped. And got in big trouble. As usual.

A couple of weeks ago, I was speeding down the street on my bike and someone opened their car door right into me. I flew over my handlebars, did a front handspring off the door and landed squarely on my feet. I was more shocked that I landed safely than that I almost met certain injury with a door in my face.

A few years ago I had a heavy 70 pound punching bag and stand that I carted with me wherever I lived. I bought it from a friend in college when she graduated and kept it for over 10 years, driving it across the country many times in the multiple moves I’ve made in the last decade.

Boxing helps develop your reflexes, hand eye coordination, arm and back muscles, cardio stamina. Carrying around a 70-pound heavyweight bag with gigantic steel frame, however, leads to exhaustion and throwing the bag down stairs at the end of long moves.

I sold the punching bag and stand a few years back, but I still have an extra pair of heavy bag gloves and wrist wraps. I’ve held onto them because I simply forgot I had them. Because as I go through my belongings daily, I keep finding items that I simply have forgotten are in my possession.

So on Day 50 of my 365 Release, I am letting go of something that I may not have been deliberately attached to, but that has grown attached to me because I was not mindful. And that in and of itself is a lesson to teach me to always be aware of everything I do and say, because when we are not mindful, we become weighed down, just like the “Pinball Theory” I explained in Day 45. When we live by default, we are not living our life to its fullest. May we always live lightly and free ourselves by living deliberately.