“A brushstroke in the rain.”

This is not a TED Talk. Not a Story or a Reel. Just a quiet act that mattered, even if no one noticed. You  don’t have to leave a trail of receipts. Do what needs doing, and slip off before someone tries to give out a ticket. Its Action without applause.

Chapter 27 

A simple rendition of the Tao Te Ching for you and me - by the teapotmonk

Chapter read from the book: Nothing to Do Nowhere to Go by Paul Read

All 81 Chapters are available in both illustrated paperback or ebook formats from here at the⁠ ⁠⁠Tai Chi store⁠⁠⁠ or by following this URL ⁠⁠⁠⁠

https://taichi-store.com

Read more about the world of Tai Chi and the tao at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.teapotmonk.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

“Stillness isn’t doing nothing.”

It’s the breath before the kettle clicks off, the weight behind the wiggle. Stillness protects us from the newsfeed, the noise, the urge to constantly leap into action. In Tai Chi, we call it sinking—into the hips, into the moment, into the bit beneath the obvious. The still bit that holds it all together.

Chapter 26

A simple rendition of the Tao Te Ching for you and me - by the teapotmonk

Chapter read from the book: Nothing to Do Nowhere to Go by Paul Read

All 81 Chapters are available in both illustrated paperback or ebook formats from here at the⁠ ⁠⁠Tai Chi store⁠⁠⁠ or by following this URL ⁠⁠⁠

https://taichi-store.com

Read more about the world of Tai Chi and the tao at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.teapotmonk.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

“We’re borrowed atoms wrapped in skin.”

Way back—before time was counted, before clocks, calendars, and digital co-pilots - back when things just were, things didn’t need branding. They just flowed. Quite big, not loud big. 

Big Like standing on a windy hill in November with no one else around and realising—oh. So this is it.

Chapter 25

A simple rendition of the Tao Te Ching for you and me - by the teapotmonk

Chapter read from the book: Nothing to Do Nowhere to Go by Paul Read

All 81 Chapters are available in both illustrated paperback or ebook formats from here at the⁠ ⁠⁠Tai Chi store⁠⁠⁠ or by following this URL ⁠⁠⁠

https://taichi-store.com

Read more about the world of Tai Chi and the tao at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.teapotmonk.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

“The stars shine without applause.”

I’m not convinced that when the Milky Way shines, it does so for applause.

It just glows—quietly, consistently, above all our noise. In Tai Chi, we find this in the pause as Waving Hands in Clouds unfolds—it's there not to impress, but because that’s just what it does. No ego. No hashtags. Just movement with meaning.

A simple rendition of the Tao Te Ching for you and me - by the teapotmonk

Chapter read from the book: Nothing to Do Nowhere to Go by Paul Read

All 81 Chapters are available in both illustrated paperback or ebook formats from here at the⁠ ⁠⁠Tai Chi store⁠⁠⁠ or by following this URL ⁠⁠⁠⁠

https://taichi-store.com

Read more about the world of Tai Chi and the tao at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.teapotmonk.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

Neither should we. Storms pass. Conversations end. Even the drizzle in Manchester eventually takes a tea break. Nothing hangs around forever, not the weather, not your latest bad mood, not even that awkward thing you said last Tuesday.

The Tao knows when to hush. And in Tai Chi, we don’t fight the elements—we flow with them, hat slightly tilted, coat flapping, quietly amused at it all.

The Silent Workshop (mentioned in this episode)

https://play.21stcenturytaichi.com/b/learn-in-silence

The book: Nothing to Do Nowhere to Go by Paul Read

A simple rendition of the Tao Te Ching for you and me - by the teapotmonk

All 81 Chapters are available in both illustrated paperback or ebook formats from here at the⁠ ⁠⁠Tai Chi store⁠⁠⁠ or by following this URL ⁠⁠⁠⁠

https://taichi-store.com

Read more about the world of Tai Chi and the tao at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.teapotmonk.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

Not bad advice for knees, and not a bad way to live, either. Strength doesn’t always mean standing firm, it can mean stepping aside, sinking slightly, or letting go of the need to be right. 

In Tai Chi, we don’t brace for impact—we absorb it, nod politely, and carry on moving like a leaf that knows where the stream is headed.

Soften. Yield a little. It’s not defeat—it’s design.

A simple rendition of the Tao Te Ching for you and me - by the teapotmonk

The book: Nothing to Do Nowhere to Go by Paul Read

All 81 Chapters are available in both illustrated paperback or ebook formats from here at the⁠ ⁠⁠Tai Chi store⁠⁠⁠ or by following this URL

https://taichi-store.com

Read more about the world of Tai Chi and the tao at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.teapotmonk.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sometimes I try to explain something and realise halfway through I’ve completely lost the plot. But that’s life. This is not a stage, there are no big reveals. No neon signs, no “You’ve arrived” notification.

Life just wanders past quietly, probably wearing slippers. It’s about trust—not in maps or mantras, but in the wobbly way your feet somehow find the path even when your brain’s still asking for directions.

A simple rendition of the Tao Te Ching for you and me - by the teapotmonk

The book: Nothing to Do Nowhere to Go by Paul Read

All 81 Chapters are available in both illustrated paperback or ebook formats from here at the⁠ ⁠⁠Tai Chi store⁠⁠⁠ or by following this URL

https://taichi-store.com

Read more about the world of Tai Chi and the tao at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.teapotmonk.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

I’m not chasing upgrades or next-day delivery. Maybe it’s just me, but I can afford to wait. 

Life should not be a race. And s when someone  shouts behind you  - “Hurry up!”  Turn and quietly reply, Nah, I’m alright, thanks.

A simple rendition of the Tao Te Ching for you and me by the teapotmonk

The book

All 81 Chapters are available in both illustrated paperback or ebook formats from here at the⁠ ⁠⁠Tai Chi store⁠⁠⁠ or by following this URL ⁠⁠⁠

https://taichi-store.com

Read more about the world of Tai Chi and the tao at ⁠⁠⁠https://www.teapotmonk.com⁠⁠⁠

I read “10 Ways to Be a Better Human” yesterday and ended up feeling worse than when I started. 

Couldn’t help thinking it was trying to fix things that were not broken. Life’s not an IKEA manual. 

Sometimes, you’ve got to just let things breathe.

A simple rendition of the Tao Te Ching for you and me.

The book

All 81 Chapters are available in both illustrated paperback or ebook formats from here at the⁠ ⁠⁠Tai Chi store⁠⁠⁠ or by following this URL ⁠⁠⁠

https://taichi-store.com

Read more about the world of Tai Chi and the tao at ⁠⁠⁠https://www.teapotmonk.com⁠⁠⁠

I find that the more signs a place has—“Don’t sit here,” “No ball games,” “Mind the step” “No sitting, no standing, no running, no talking” — the less fun it usually is.

When we lose the flow, we compensate with a hi-vis yellow vest and a walkie talkie, when maybe, we should just let things wobble back into place.

Episode 18. When the Tao Slips Away

A simple rendition of the Tao Te Ching for you and me.

The book

All 81 Chapters are available in both illustrated paperback or ebook formats from here at the⁠ ⁠⁠Tai Chi store⁠⁠⁠ or by following this URL

https://taichi-store.com

Read more about the world of Tai Chi and the tao at ⁠⁠⁠https://www.teapotmonk.com⁠⁠⁠