Multiple sclerosis and a tai chi walk

I’ve committed myself to re-engineering a way of walking. For six years, my walking has become more labored. Numerous adjustments have been tried based on various corrections and suggestions. As with so much of life and the uncertainties of MS, I cannot answer whether the glass is half-full or half-empty, whether the changes have kept me mobile or whether the natural history of MS is taking its course. The only response I accept is zen; the glass is neither half-full or nor half-empty; it is half-a-glass of water. I'm working on filling up the glass.


Now I see a way to improved walking—not as I once did, but a walk which is rooted and centered, albeit slow. The different way of walking is evolving out of my tai chi practice; the mechanics of the gait are coming into focus, fuzzy as it is. I re-engineer segments as I practice with my left side requiring greater remedial effort. Tai chi, as best as I can understand, provides the template. Instead of pushing off from the back foot I am pulling forward from behind the forward knee, with thrust coming from the tailbone moving under my center. My intention is directed to the internal drop as a trigger which itself is prompted by a heel strike. At this stage, I am getting a taste for what may be possible. I’m in it for the long haul, literally trying to stay one step ahead.

He got the action
he got the motion
Yeah, the boy can play
Dedication Devotion
Turning all the night time
into the day
--"The Walk of Life"--Dire Straits