Where are you rigid?

I am writing from the Las Vegas airport. The last time I was in Las Vegas, I was sixteen years old and with family. At the time, I looked twenty-one, so I gambled and received free drinks with my older sisters. Today, I frequently get mistaken for being in my mid-twenties, which is nearly ten years less than my current age. Quite the compliment! How did I manage to slow the aging process? I attribute it to the yoga and healthy eating. When I embarked on the wellness path, my approach was much more rigid and with good reason. It can be helpful to tighten the reigns when learning a new thing (aka growing/maturing). At a certain point, we have enough skill to loosen the reigns. Where in your life are you rigid? Where can you loosen the reigns?

While in Vegas, I went to the hotel gym once. There was an older male who was using the weight room and jogging laps in the only other available floor space between sets. Initially, I attempted to use the only available weight bench. He moved my water and dumbbells without asking. Feeling into his energy, I decided to carve out a space in the cardio room and do a workout on my Nike app. Then he started jogging laps, coming within inches of my body each time. I acknowledged the crossed boundary and my feelings. Then, I calmly asked him to jog in the other aisle and stay clear of me. He said, that’s okay, I’ll go around you. I responded, you have very poor gym etiquette. I left the gym and made a comment to the woman at the front desk. She told me he is a regular at the hotel and very frequently behaves in this manner. She gave me a free spa pass. I finished my workout in my hotel room.

While I felt upset for having to adjust in this way in a public space, I recognized that I was taking care of myself. I also felt compassionate towards this man whose rigid grip to his workout prevented him from connecting with me. It made me wonder, what else is he missing out on? Where else is he rigid? Is it getting in the way of vitality? And then, I asked myself these same questions, too.