Trinity Tai Chi Lesson 5: Activities of Daily Living

#Occupationaltherapy #activitiesofdailyliving #ADLs #purposefulliving

As an #Occupational #Therapist, our practice revolves around the theory that roles and activities give us purpose. When we lead a #purposeful life, we lead a healthier life.

Occupational Therapists, then, restore a person’s #wholeness by restoring individuals’ occupations. An occupation is anything that occupies your time. These activities range from simple self care tasks such as brushing your teeth and getting dressed, to more complex roles and activities like jobs, family responsibilities, and even leisure activities.

I used to think teaching someone how to dress themselves again was demeaning to the individual. But over time, I realized how complex dressing is, and more importantly, how empowering it was to restore that “occupation” to someone.

Some of my most poignant memories as an Occupational Therapist are from a patient having accomplished independence in dressing and bathing. It was as if I was witnessing a person finding themselves again. From this experience, my viewpoint changed. I realized how important even the most basic of tasks is in defining and expressing who we are.

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Before moving on to our scripture reading, I would like for you to do this:

Make a list of 10 Activities of Daily Living in your life. It can be a mixture of simple and complex activities. For the more complex ones you can simply state the role. You will not share this list. Here are a few of my own examples:

• Dressing

• Walking dogs

• Cooking

• Laundry

• Role of Spouse

• Maintaining finances

• Home maintenance

Now let’s read our scripture for today:

“Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort] as [something done] for the Lord and not for men, knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [greatest] reward. It is the Lord Christ whom you [actually] serve.”

Colossians 3:23-24 AMP

Does this change things a bit? What if we applied this thought to all of those tasks we listed?

I recently ran across this quote of Bach. He was employed as the church organist and was compelled to compose prolifically. He had a gift, which he considered divine-given. He felt it a responsibility to fulfill his talent to the greatest potential.

Bach believed that, “The aim and final end of all music should be none other than for the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.”

Aha!!

What if we took out the word “music” and replaced it with Tai Chi?

The aim and final end of all Tai Chi should be none other than for the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.

Now let’s play with this even more!

Read this sentence again, only this time replace “music” with each of your Activities listed.

The aim and final end of all _________ should be none other than for the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.

WOW!!

And with this in mind let’s now read the scripture again:

“Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort] as [something done] for the Lord and not for men, knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [greatest] reward. It is the Lord Christ whom you [actually] serve.”

Colossians 3:23-24 AMP

What if we approached our most mundane of activities as a opportunity to express our relationship with God? If we thought, as we gingerly folded our clothes, that we were expressing something sacred in the very act?

The Amish, apparently have this down! Here’s an excerpt from The Way of God by Waysun Liao:

“A group of students and I visited an Amish family one time to learn more about their lifestyle. One student asked them, “What do you do for fun?” They looked at us and wondered why anyone would ask such a strange question. They didn’t realize there was any need for separating activities between work and fun, or worship and fun, or that there was some type of human need for fun. And yet they certainly weren’t cheerless. On the contrary, everything they did throughout their day, they did in a spirit of worship and closeness to God, so they were generally peaceful and happy all day long. They never had a sense that they suffered from a lack of fun, or needed complicated equipment and activities for “fun” the way people in more modern lifestyles do.”

—-from The Way of God by Waysun Liao

Just today, let’s start by choosing one task; one Activity of Daily Living and when we engage in it, let’s change the context to a mindful communion with God. It might change our day at the very minimum, and quite likely ….our life.

Choose one now. Remember it today.

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Prayer

God, allow us to celebrate you in all our activities

Even the small and seemingly mundane.

Allow us to feel your presence

In even the most simplest of tasks

Allow our hearts to open and feel

Your gracious Flow.

Amen

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Tai Chi Movement in Prayer: Your chosen task