By Sharon Sirkis, Columbia, Maryland

1. Ruth, a former nurse who now has Parkinson’s, wore an elastic key ring around her wrist during class. I asked, “You want to take your bracelet off, so you don’t shake, rattle, and roll?” She smiled and said, “Sure, but I’ll still shake whether I wear it or not.”

2. When asked about my fingers trembling during a T’ai Chi Chih move, I said, “No, I didn’t just have a drink before class. Would anyone like to take a guess why my fingers tremble?” One senior promptly responded, “Nerves.”

3. Sometimes I’ll teach with toys to clarify the movements. Once, while teaching Pulling Taffy, I pulled out silly putty. One student was convinced that I brought my wadded-up chewing gum.

4. One of my favorite pieces of music to play during practice is Anugama’s “Shamanic Dream.” It’s popular with most of my students but not all. One woman said, “What is that music? It sounds like a funeral march.” (Lesson: you can’t please everyone.)

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