First off I'd like to wish everybody a very, very happy 2018 and may everyone be healthy, happy, successful, and prosperous!
I've never really been huge on forming resolutions as a new solar cycle is reigned in, I basically feel they're a trap to set me up for failure down the road which, take it from me, I'm certainly no stranger to. However, I'm taking this year a little bit differently as 2017 has really stretched my body, mind, and spirit to the limits and this is definitely reflected in my blood sugar levels running high (T1 diabetic). It's time to re-center myself, shift my psyche, focus inward, etc... the best way I can accomplish this is returning back to the International Taoist Tai Chi Society (ITTCS) which I've been a member of since 2013; I've unfortunately fallen out of practice over the year and a half and given both my mental and physical illnesses, the loftiness of my dreams/ideas, I can't pull off what I want to do in my current state (moving back to Colorado and getting band together, doing more travelling, meeting more people in Europe and the Pacific Rim, Japan). Shit, I can't really work in this "zone" I'm in and after Hurricane Irma the job market has shifted steeply in to the realm of heavy construction and medical jobs that only hire those with a degree. The last thing I'm going to be right now is a liability. Things are picking back up though, and I remain hopeful. Plus, this give me time to really focus on myself and interestingly enough with all of the challenges I'm facing, this was the best holiday season I've had in years!
A lot of people rag on Tai Chi as being a useless form which it nearly is if one is discussing its application in solely in self-defense and combat. You can learn some things that may help but the point of it is ultimately to focus inward - it is the more internal side of Kung Fu and I recommend it for anybody that is fighting chronic illness or for anybody that is looking for more than simply lifting weights or stretching in Yoga. Tai Chi is great because it teaches you how to create your own resistance, it works more than just the muscles and essentially gives the organs a massage as the movements are performed (which I'm feeling the effects of this morning from last nights first class in years - the restroom screams my name lol) while having an incredibly grounding spiritual side to it. I personally can tell it's different from other forms of exercise by how I feel the next day; the soreness I experience is beyond what I'd feel after the gym. I'm not sure if it's my neuropathic problems that's playing tricks on me or what but I feel my knees "open up", I feel my feet have "expanded", my hips feel more "open" while my neck, back feel more relaxed and even my mind feels more stable. It's truly awesome and this is just the day after one class - I totally remember why I picked up the practice in the first place.
So, I'm taking this new year in from a much different stance and perspective than the last. Can't do what I want to do if I'm physically dysfunctional and I can't cultivate the creativity necessary to make more music and whatnot being so off-balance... I'm so glad to have the ITTCS community down here in the Keys - I encourage everyone to look in to it! I'm going to put the link below if you want to check it out; it's an international community based primarily out of Canada and the United States:
https://www.taoist.org/find-a-class/
Cheers, folks. Thanks for following and reading.