A River Runs Through It

After conference, my husband and I went to Estes Park, the eastern edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. As in Boulder, we encountered beating arteries of water, cool lakes reaching deep into the earth, and we sighted snow-capped mountains, the source of water for this Western paradise. It had been a long year, so diversion with Nature was a relief.

We don’t hike a lot these days but we did go on a few short hikes, one to Bear Lake where we ran into KG and Lisa Otero. Kim was cooling her face after a rigorous day of hiking and Lisa was soaking her feet. They were communing with Nature, and though I didn’t recognize Lisa at first (no longer holding a mic and leading us through much of the conference), the scene felt right – that these ladies would seek a calm yin environment after the soaring energy in Boulder.

At the conference, we were on the go a lot, in a good way, sharpening our awareness of the principles, with movement refinement led by Sandy, and many other clear mirrors like Marie Dotts, our Boulder host; Carolyn Guilott, master of softness; Dora Derzon, a clear light who told us to “go bigger” in our connection with the world. There were so many great teachings by so many amazing teachers; look at the schedule conveniently included in the May Vital Force.

I’ve felt better since coming home, and my students are soaking up my conference Chi. When I announced at a New York State “T’ai Chi for Arthritis” class that I would be doing a five-week TCC class, eight people snatched up a flyer (and we made a copy for another). I sense this is a sign that people really want to heal, practice, and evolve. It’s a great time to be alive.

All this goes back to the Big Thompson River in Estes Park, which flowed by our B&B. It was a Satori experience; I felt my stillness, or center, and yet felt the healing, strong currents passing through and soothing some deep intangible suffering. Being in the present moment, not doing anything, can get the job done. So I sat there.

My mind recalled a terrifying book about an aberrant Great White Shark at the Jersey Shore that killed many humans in the early 1920s. Eventually “she” was destroyed but I was shocked that a creature of such pure destruction could be a female. It occurred to me that even female energy can get out of balance if we are away from Nature, stressed out, caretaking others, staying away from TCC practice.

At the Big Thompson I imagined negativity, stress, fears, and suffering released to the speedy strong waters flowing to the big ocean where scary sharks live. I visualized that crazy adolescent shark taking away all the yucky stuff no longer serving me. I recalled Justin saying there is no difference between good and bad Chi; it’s just all Chi. The more we practice, the more we don’t differentiate.

The river continues on the East Coast, in tap water, in the Hudson, in the bays of Long Island Sound, down to Jersey. And it keeps traveling, perpetually, continually. Let’s be part of that and practice our TCC so we are ready for what’s next.