Friends & Tai Chi

It has practically all day today. A moment ago the sun peeked out and gave a beautiful beam that shown on the house next door that I could see from my window here in the office. It was spectacular, and it helped my spirits to raise some. What is it the song says about “rainy days and Mondays”?


A friend of mine has begun taking tai chi class with the Hubby and me on Sundays. (This Sunday I had a nice stomach bug so I wasn’t able to go this past Sunday, which really made me sad.) I have also begun showing him some qi gong breathing techniques as well as exercises.

This friend is one of those people who have a total Western mentality who genuine believe that very little can come from somewhere off of American soil. He refuses to watch martial arts movies because he says they “glorify” culture not American and that nothing like that can truly exist. However, he has taken wing chun in the past and truly loved it. He believes martial arts themselves are good for fighting, but that other than this there is little else they can be used for.

This friend says this, but has done each and every qi gong exercise faithfully I have said and it has helped him quite well. Now that he is doing tai chi he wishes to come by the house and practice because he doesn’t wish to forget what he has forgotten in his first class. This makes me quite happy, but, at the same time, I can’t help but wonder how long this is going to continue. It also makes me wonder if he is ever going to change his mind about tai chi and qi gong in general. He doesn’t believe the internal martial techniques can do anything, yet when *I* say they are beneficial he nods and seems to believe me. Is he doing this out of friendship only, or does he see something positive I’m telling him?

One thing I can actually say has changed has been my awareness: something fell in the house yesterday, a small something; I felt it fall before it hit me and was able to block it away! Tai chi and qi gong practice have mightily increased for me now because I know it works. Even Hubby, is quite proud of me.