Sometimes, the life will enlighten you in an unexpected way. I experienced a day when I was extraordinarily 1 . I'm never a picture of grace, but on this particular day, I seemed to be 2 everything. It's an old church, and the floor is 3 in some places, so my fall was the floor's fault. But when I fell again on my way out to the car, and yet again in my own home, I began to grow 4 . Had I let myself get so stressed out that I had 5 become sick?
Having been raised by devoted Christian parents who also worked in the mental-health field, I tended to look for spiritual and emotional reasons before I headed to the local 6 . I have the calming practice that 7 a yoga pose with a breath prayer. I went to 8 more comfortable clothes for the exercise, and as I removed my shoes, I was 9 !
I wasn't having a stroke at all. I had completely worn out my favorite pair of sandals. The soles (鞋底) of both shoes were split in two! I had 10 all the possibilities to figure out what was causing my clumsiness. It never occurred to me to check my soles.
So often when we start to feel 11 , we look for ways to make things better. But just as it never occurred to me to check the soles of my shoes, our own souls are the very 12 thing we think of to check. Take a moment to remember the last time you sat still, meditating. If you can't remember when that was, it might be a(n) 13 .
The local cobbler (鞋匠) said my soles were irreparable. We had a good 14 , but it was time to let them go. Fortunately for us, our souls can be mended and restored — once we realize they are in need of 15 .
