“Yielding is not easy, though we may know it is often the right choice and works best. Our culture prizes self-affirmation and views yielding as a weakness and a defeat.” – Piero Ferrucci

How true is this? Experientially, I can say this is 100 % true. We do not want to yield, whether in life or, God forbid, on the road. I am guilty of not wanting to yield just as much as anyone else. But it is necessary. I recall the lessons I learned in my Kung Fu classes, and that I later taught: to bend to yield and redirect is the most effective fighting technique there is, and the most effective life technique too. Like Bruce Lee said, be like water. Water doesn’t fight, it yields to the obstacle and goes around. To bend, to give, is the ultimate in flexibility. And we need flexibility in order to adapt and survive. So maybe next time you have the choice to stand rigid and push or the option to retreat and bend, you’ll think about what benefits and options might be available to you if you do indeed yield.

But yielding is more than just giving in. Part of yielding and flexibility is being available. Not hiding behind machines, earphones, or screens. Part of yielding is the lowering of boundaries and walls. Walls like the earbuds where you listen to music or books and ignore the rest of the world around you. That in a large way is a stubborn push and aggressive stance: a walling out of the world, thinking you can stand alone.

You can’t. None of us can. We need one another for survival and for thriving. So being available: turning off the screens and taking out the earbuds is an acceptance of the world around you for your life. But more than that, it allows people to relate to you, thereby giving the opportunity for unique experiences and true intimacy.

1st Photo: H&M top, Oak+Fort thrifted skirt, Aldo shoes.
2nd Photo: Spell Dress, Asos Boots