The Long Work

Yesterday turned out to be more interesting than expected. I took the afternoon off and went to watch a Tai Chi competition.

It was good to see — encouraging, even — but I left feeling slightly underwhelmed. Not because the people competing lacked courage. They didn’t. Stepping out to perform takes something real. Still, the overall standard felt uneven.

That feeling shifted when Louis came and sat behind me. Quietly, without making a point of it, he said this is why you do basics.

He was right. The difference between those who had put the hours in and those who hadn’t was unmistakable. It showed up everywhere, but most clearly in the stances. Weight. Structure. Patience. Night and day.

It wasn’t surprising, really. Just clear.

I understand why people skip basics. They’re uncomfortable. Repetitive. Easy to dismiss when progress feels slow. But watching it laid out so plainly made something hard to ignore.

Some things don’t announce their importance until you see what happens without them.

And once you’ve seen it, you can’t really un-see it.