Centered in the Idea of Our Selves

Centered in the idea of ourselves, we know where we are in relation to the plane. We are centered not because we are positioned at the center of the airplane. We are centered because we know where our center is in relation to the center of the airplane, and we know where the plane is in relation to the earth.
When conditions become adverse, by staying aware of where we are in the plane and where the plane is in relation to the earth, we can fly it to the limits of its ability and our own no matter what is happening outside or because of what is happening outside. We can handle whatever is happening around us and still stay in one piece.
We can ride the edge without falling off of it.
Extending this idea to handling adverse conditions ourselves, perhaps we are in a relationship that isn’t ideal but for whatever reason we decide to stay in it instead of disconnecting from it.
The relationship might be with a partner or spouse or other family member. Maybe it is with someone we work with or perhaps it is a friend. If we fight a lot with that person or they fight us or berate us despite our efforts to be peaceful, then we can make the choice to stand up for ourselves. Or in my case what I did was decide that if I was going to be berated then I would use the time productively and meditate at the same time. As the verbal abuse piled on to me I focused on feeling my body, in particular my center. I did that and what I found was that instead of staying quiet I decided to fight back, but instead of random words, the equivalent of empty punches, I fought back from my energetic center.
Afterwards I still ended up sleeping on the couch, but I didn’t mind. I didn’t feel drained afterwards and I also didn’t feel like I had been beaten up. I had given myself room to move when someone else was trying to take it from me.
The interesting thing was that the next day when I went to Tai Ji, I applied this same feeling to doing Tai Ji, being centered not just physically but energetically. I think I had the best Tai Ji practice I’ve ever had. I was able to stay aware of key aspects of what I was doing and I was able to balance easily. The sense was like in some gong fu movies where the fighters jump from the top of one pole to the other easily. I was just moving from one leg to the other while trying to control my sword but I felt a similar sense of presence, ease and grace. I flowed.
And that is one of the interesting things about doing martial arts, or doing something that is challenging. By learning to handle adverse conditions or adverse relationships and still stay centered we can flow no matter what the circumstances.
What happens then if two people who fight are both experts at staying centered? They don’t fight so much as they dance together. Fighting (in some instances) then becomes not about conflict but about having fun, not because we are hurting each other but because we are challenging each other and helping each other to grow.
Centered in the idea of ourselves we can learn to enjoy our selves no matter what situation we are in.