Moving & Flowing with COVID-19

April Fool’s Day 2020 was when this newly accredited teacher set out to teach her first T’ai Chi Chih class. Was I excited? Yes. Was I prepared? You bet. Did everything get cancelled because of COVID-19? Without a doubt.

I had taken couple of weeks off from my volunteer work to prepare for the class. On St. Patrick’s Day, I stopped by the food bank to drop off some treats for the staff and fellow volunteers. They were extremely busy, so I donned my green apron and got to work helping them. I later learned that in March because of COVID-19, there was a 53% increase in individuals and 63% increase in children seeking help from our local food bank. The community stepped up to help. People bagged food, loaded carts and cars, made deliveries and cleaned. At first it seemed like rules changed hourly; the air was heavy with tension. I’ve learned you need to go with the flow. I know how to move through heavy air and flow (from my center). It’s what we TCC folks do. Mr. Rogers said, “When I was a boy and would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” It’s very true.

I’m not teaching right now, but I practice in the park with others. Recently, one of the food bank staff members joined us. She was going to be in my first class. The Chi guides you to where you need to be, without a doubt.