It sure feels like summer has left the area--just like migrating birds--in search of a warmer habitat. We turned on the heat last night before the rain began to fall and after temperatures had already fallen.
Today's temps hovered in the low 40s as grey skies huddled over the earth. After Labor Day we're advised to take down hummingbird feeders but Frances and I wait for several more weeks just in case there are hummers farther north in need of a mid-flight fuel station.
I didn't expect to see any hummingbirds today because it felt blustery. But, once I began my TCC practice, I noticed a small bird--it had to be a hummer--who lit atop a low-lying branch and paused before, sure enough, flying to its feeder. Nearby I glimpsed a flash of white that metamorphosed into Ms. Chiripa hunkered down in the tall grasses waiting expectantly for an unsuspecting chipmunk.
The wind was strong, the air chilly, so I practiced TCC indoors with a music CD playing in the background. Again, I was astonished to discover how quickly my TCC practice time flew by. And, as usual, I feel better than when I began.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Social Butterfly-cum-T'ai Chi Chih Player
I was a social butterfly this weekend. One visiting friend left this morning after staying Saturday and Sunday nights with us and three other friends arrived about forty-five minutes after her departure. Hmmm. Just enough time for a t'ai chi chih practice between departures and arrivals.
And, indeed, a practice was just what I needed to relax and slow myself down. I admit, sometimes I get into a "hostess with the mostess" persona when I have guests. So taking time out to quiet my mind and relax my need to be all things to all people (based on strong training from my mother during my child- and young adulthood) was a blessing.
I placed myself on the deck under a sunshine-infused sky and, as I moved, purposefully willed myself to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n. It wasn't easy. The wind blew with a vengeance and my immediate surroundings felt as if they were being tossed like a huge chef salad. After some time (10 minutes?) my breathing deepened, my pace slowed, and I was back in the present moment.
Before I made it to the grand finale of my TCC practice, though, a car appeared in the driveway and I was out the door to greet two friends--along with a spouse--who worked on my community college paper, The Echo, when I was editor back in the day (or should I say way back in the day). We hadn't seen each other for 20? 25? close to 30? years???
It was a joy to reconnect and share laughs, stories, pictures, and memories. After a late lunch we rode the ferry over to Madeline Island then back again and they were off, retracing their route toward home.
And now ... I'll return to my t'ai chi chih practice. Hopefully it will replenish some of the energy I invested in two wonderful visits with friends.
And, indeed, a practice was just what I needed to relax and slow myself down. I admit, sometimes I get into a "hostess with the mostess" persona when I have guests. So taking time out to quiet my mind and relax my need to be all things to all people (based on strong training from my mother during my child- and young adulthood) was a blessing.
I placed myself on the deck under a sunshine-infused sky and, as I moved, purposefully willed myself to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n. It wasn't easy. The wind blew with a vengeance and my immediate surroundings felt as if they were being tossed like a huge chef salad. After some time (10 minutes?) my breathing deepened, my pace slowed, and I was back in the present moment.
Before I made it to the grand finale of my TCC practice, though, a car appeared in the driveway and I was out the door to greet two friends--along with a spouse--who worked on my community college paper, The Echo, when I was editor back in the day (or should I say way back in the day). We hadn't seen each other for 20? 25? close to 30? years???
It was a joy to reconnect and share laughs, stories, pictures, and memories. After a late lunch we rode the ferry over to Madeline Island then back again and they were off, retracing their route toward home.
And now ... I'll return to my t'ai chi chih practice. Hopefully it will replenish some of the energy I invested in two wonderful visits with friends.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Magnifico!
Gorgeous is too plain a word to describe this incredible day. The sun is warm, the air cool, and the quiet-- ahhh, the quiet--is restful and regenerative.
I did my T'ai Chi Chih practice out on the deck before my companions rose for the day. The peace was plentiful! And ... a buzz of activity circled me as well. Two woodpeckers chirped to each other as they climbed a tree trunk. Chipmunks and squirrels scurried around the forest floor briskly performing their winter preparations. And the sun shone with boastful magnificence in anticipation of its soon-to-be journey further south for the season.
Sunlight dapples the forest greenery as the afternoon slips quickly by. I can't help myself, I want to be walking along the lakeshore or forging my way through the forest while the brilliance of this day is still full, warm, and overflowing with energy.
It's time to gather my friends for an outing into nature's grand display. My t'ai chi chih practice was a wonderful entry into the magnificence of this day....
I did my T'ai Chi Chih practice out on the deck before my companions rose for the day. The peace was plentiful! And ... a buzz of activity circled me as well. Two woodpeckers chirped to each other as they climbed a tree trunk. Chipmunks and squirrels scurried around the forest floor briskly performing their winter preparations. And the sun shone with boastful magnificence in anticipation of its soon-to-be journey further south for the season.
Sunlight dapples the forest greenery as the afternoon slips quickly by. I can't help myself, I want to be walking along the lakeshore or forging my way through the forest while the brilliance of this day is still full, warm, and overflowing with energy.
It's time to gather my friends for an outing into nature's grand display. My t'ai chi chih practice was a wonderful entry into the magnificence of this day....
Saturday, September 4, 2010
A Labor of Love
Labor Day Weekend ... the official end of summer. Well, summer's been disappearing for awhile now. The days are growing shorter, of course, but the light is different too; it's shady and shadowy more hours each day.
Today was a flurry of activity as Frances and I prepared for a last-minute visit from a friend. After our friend phoned this morning to confirm that she was headed our way it was off to the market, ready the guest room, and cook and clean....
I slipped my t'ai chi chih practice in right before our guest arrived. It was timely. I felt relaxed and at ease when she pulled into our yard and ready to give myself over to socializing, cooking, and eating from now 'til Monday evening.
While I practiced in the cool shade of early evening, the geese grazed and the cat hunted at the edge of the woods. I felt like I was just one of the animals going about my daily routine. It was comforting to know that each of us was doing what suited us best.... Our own individual Labors of love.
Today was a flurry of activity as Frances and I prepared for a last-minute visit from a friend. After our friend phoned this morning to confirm that she was headed our way it was off to the market, ready the guest room, and cook and clean....
I slipped my t'ai chi chih practice in right before our guest arrived. It was timely. I felt relaxed and at ease when she pulled into our yard and ready to give myself over to socializing, cooking, and eating from now 'til Monday evening.
While I practiced in the cool shade of early evening, the geese grazed and the cat hunted at the edge of the woods. I felt like I was just one of the animals going about my daily routine. It was comforting to know that each of us was doing what suited us best.... Our own individual Labors of love.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Speaking the Language of the Soul
Just as the weather forecast predicted, temps dipped and rain fell. Today's temperatures--so far--are in the mid-40s and winds are gleefully tossing treetops and branches as leaves twirl wildly.
After a late night spent processing tomato sauce from our fresh-picked garden tomatoes (the sweet kind of sauce, not the spaghetti kind), I began this morning with my freshly-picked TCC practice. It felt good and brought me back to my quiet center.
I'm contemplating silence a lot these days since the topic keeps arising in a variety of contexts. First and foremost, our dear aging dog, Namaste, is losing his hearing. It appears that, as his world grows more silent and his sense of smell--his key signal of imminent danger--remains the same, his fear and vulnerability increase.
We've started using more hand signals with Namaste and increased our touch to provide him with a greater sense of security. But, for this little 10 pound dog who served for years as our No. 1 guard dog, he's experiencing a dramatic change in his role and responsibilities.
A recent post from Daily Good titled "In Pursuit of Silence" highlighted some intriguing quotes and observations about silence as well. From Henry David Thoreau:
Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods.
And from the book, "In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise," by George Prochnik:
In the interim let me just note that I benefit greatly from the silence that flows from my daily T'ai Chi Chih practices as well as my life here in the woods. For each of these quiet moments I am exceedingly grateful....
After a late night spent processing tomato sauce from our fresh-picked garden tomatoes (the sweet kind of sauce, not the spaghetti kind), I began this morning with my freshly-picked TCC practice. It felt good and brought me back to my quiet center.
I'm contemplating silence a lot these days since the topic keeps arising in a variety of contexts. First and foremost, our dear aging dog, Namaste, is losing his hearing. It appears that, as his world grows more silent and his sense of smell--his key signal of imminent danger--remains the same, his fear and vulnerability increase.
We've started using more hand signals with Namaste and increased our touch to provide him with a greater sense of security. But, for this little 10 pound dog who served for years as our No. 1 guard dog, he's experiencing a dramatic change in his role and responsibilities.
A recent post from Daily Good titled "In Pursuit of Silence" highlighted some intriguing quotes and observations about silence as well. From Henry David Thoreau:
Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods.
And from the book, "In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise," by George Prochnik:
When we ourselves are in silence, we are speaking the language of the soul.A review by Megan Buskey in the Wilson Quarterly, Summer 2010, of both the above book and another book, "The Unwanted Sound of Everything We Want: A Book About Noise" (by Garret Keizer) as well as an article published in The New York Times on August 15, 2010, "Outdoors and Out of Reach, Studying the Brain," by Matt Richtel and a similar story aired last weekend on National Public Radio, are compelling me to think seriously about writing a longer blog at Under the Forest Canopy in the very near future.
In the interim let me just note that I benefit greatly from the silence that flows from my daily T'ai Chi Chih practices as well as my life here in the woods. For each of these quiet moments I am exceedingly grateful....
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Ripening
I began my TCC practice today with a single purpose in mind: to gain more clarity about a complicated--to me!--conundrum in my life. My practice succeeded: It helped me to relax the repetitive, circular thinking that held me hostage.
Of course, I still don't know the answer to my query but, amazingly enough, that answer doesn't matter as much anymore. I feel better about myself ... more relaxed, centered, and less ill at ease. And so it goes....
Today's reading in 365 Tao ("Garden") was helpful too (p. 245):
Of course, I still don't know the answer to my query but, amazingly enough, that answer doesn't matter as much anymore. I feel better about myself ... more relaxed, centered, and less ill at ease. And so it goes....
Today's reading in 365 Tao ("Garden") was helpful too (p. 245):
Those who follow Tao say that all reality is like a series of nesting circles: microcosms within macrocosms. What is close at hand is a microcosm of what is far away. Why search all over for Tao? It is all contained in the seeds of the gourd growing in your garden.My own garden yields ripe tomatoes every day as a result of the recent spate of intense heat and sunshine. Today was an exception as rain fell, then stopped, then fell again. The change in weather was a welcome respite from too many days of high heat and humidity. Now, if I could only find my answer in the seeds from one of those tomatoes....
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
A Gratitude Attitude
The T'ai Chi Chih Teachers' Conference this year (our 25th!) focused on gratitude. To elaborate on that theme teachers were asked to bring their favorite quotes about gratitude and share them with conference attendees.
In addition, a group of Minnesota TCC teachers created a ritual about gratitude and invited us each to make a beaded bracelet as we thought about what we were grateful for in our own TCC classes and practices. We then hung our gratitude-infused bracelets on pins stuck in the wall (the pins were pre-arranged in a pattern that spelled out the word "gratitude") and, after our final TCC practice Sunday morning, we each selected a bracelet out of a bowl to carry home with us. What a wonderful symbolic gesture!
Gratitude can be a slippery topic. Often we have plenty of reasons to be grateful for our lives. Instead we focus on our frustrations, disappointments, disabilities, ... you name it. In Sr. Antonia's September Newsletter she shared a quote by Paul Reps that Justin Stone, TCC's founder, uses in various settings: How grateful I am with no thing to be grateful for. Justin then added that he didn't say, "with nothing to be grateful for."
Sister then quoted from a talk Justin gave to the 2005 T'ai Chi Chih Teachers' Conference in Albuquerque, NM. He said, in part:
So, too, am I grateful for today's TCC practice on the deck in the middle of glowing green light. It was so silent--not even a single puff of breeze lifted a leaf--that I could hear the sounds of silence....
In addition, a group of Minnesota TCC teachers created a ritual about gratitude and invited us each to make a beaded bracelet as we thought about what we were grateful for in our own TCC classes and practices. We then hung our gratitude-infused bracelets on pins stuck in the wall (the pins were pre-arranged in a pattern that spelled out the word "gratitude") and, after our final TCC practice Sunday morning, we each selected a bracelet out of a bowl to carry home with us. What a wonderful symbolic gesture!
Gratitude can be a slippery topic. Often we have plenty of reasons to be grateful for our lives. Instead we focus on our frustrations, disappointments, disabilities, ... you name it. In Sr. Antonia's September Newsletter she shared a quote by Paul Reps that Justin Stone, TCC's founder, uses in various settings: How grateful I am with no thing to be grateful for. Justin then added that he didn't say, "with nothing to be grateful for."
Sister then quoted from a talk Justin gave to the 2005 T'ai Chi Chih Teachers' Conference in Albuquerque, NM. He said, in part:
... it's very easy to have a good life. One word tells you how: Gratitude. If you live with gratitude and express the gratitude, you can't be unhappy. You can't be unhappy and feel gratitude. The two don't go together. I say (many times during the day) what I'm grateful for. True gratitude doesn't come from getting a new car, or from when something good has happened. That lasts two or three days before it wears off. True gratitude and bliss are synonymous. I would say from my experience: If you're looking for a good life, be grateful.... I believe that teachers who've taught you T'ai Chi Chih have helped your lives very greatly. Do you agree? If you're doing T'ai Chi Chih and getting the benefits of it, it's not hard to be grateful. That's the secret of a happy life....Yes. I am grateful for the life I lead here in the middle of the woods. Grateful for the trees that surround me. For my partner and the animals that share my life. For the beautiful plants and wildflowers that gather 'round me in ever-widening circles. I welcome the peace and silence that grows within me when I continue to return, again and again, to my t'ai chi chih practice. I am grateful, as well, for my t'ai chi chih students who continually teach me.
So, too, am I grateful for today's TCC practice on the deck in the middle of glowing green light. It was so silent--not even a single puff of breeze lifted a leaf--that I could hear the sounds of silence....
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