We gathered in the top floor of the old fire station, as usual. We do not know each other well, except by one quirky thread of connection. We have all done T'ai Chi together, at least once or twice, and that is enough to bring on the laughter that poured forth from us, like happy thunder, while we changed our shoes in the waiting room and talked about our summers as the sun was going down.

When we got into the studio, our teacher looked at us with curiosity and delight. Then, as we launched out into this new year together, he asked us to see what T'ai Chi is like when we aren't trying to fix it, when we don't worry about getting it right.

On that carefree thought, off we went, ready for imperfection. Whereupon our teacher began to help us fine-tune our movements. Hilarious. And useful. There are so many times when we are called upon to let paradox be our friend.