My impulsive answer was “okay.” My buddy Greg had been hearing me talk about a ping-pong table for a couple of years. I had been thinking about it for our family cabin, the place where we imagine putting fun stuff. Greg just called up and said he found a table on Craig’s List and was delivering it the next day. I hadn’t really thought of one in my house, but when the Greg’s mandate came, I smiled and agreed. I’ve needed to inject some fun into my life and a ping-pong table had become a placeholder. Greg grew tired of my idle chatter and pushed me into action.
I figured I could put the table upstairs, right outside of my yoga room. I imagined many a game with my son Paul when he was with me every other week. I imagined a raucous addition to our normal routine.
I came in through the garage and there it was. A monstrosity! Gigantic! There was no chance it could fit upstairs. Apparently I had forgotten just how big a regulation ping-pong table is. Greg gave a nervous smile. He had just finished assembling it and realized there was nowhere to put it. Except right where it was…my living room. Greg offered weakly, “It is on wheels and it folds up.” I just nodded.
A crossroads. I have faced many in my life. Breaking rules, going against the unsaid order of things. I live in a beautiful, accessible house. I should keep it pristine and orderly. There is a way one lives in a house, a way one uses space, a way one entertains. A ping-pong table in the living room is definitely not that way. Paul and I choose to make it work, at least for a while. We need laughter and a little light-hearted competition over the winter months. We decide to leave it out 24/7 but will eventually fold it up and pretend to hide it in the corner.
In fact, having the table downstairs rather than upstairs ensures that Paul and I will play more. No planning is required. We play on whims, before this and after that. Unfortunately, Paul’s skill level has recently surpassed mine. This first week, he leads our on-going series 15-10. He just skunked me 7-0 before leaving to hockey practice tonight. Ouch!
I wonder about other invisible rules that hold our lives in order. How much is lost? What I teach often confronts some of the rules that hold our bodies in place. I am often imploring people to take off their shoes at work, to lie spread-eagled on the floor to let go of a hard day, to stand with their legs 4 feet wide while they wait for their coffee in the morning. I am even more amazed about all of the rules that surround touching each other. In fact, there is very little contact between people in public spaces. What a strange phenomena when one thinks about it, considering our consciousness manifests through both a mind and a body. Too bad physical contact is all too often delivered and perceived sexually.
We order our lives in such ways for good reason. We create rules and boundaries to ensure uniform interactions, to allow for comfort, ease, and a sense of safety. But I wonder about ping-pong tables and laughter and playing around the edges. I wonder about creativity, imagination, and freedom. Paul and I will be playing ping-pong in the living room through the winter. In the spring, we will move it to the garage…but not today.