The Chi Made Me Bold

We have come a long way together, George Manning and I. When I learned that the 2021 conference would be virtual, I asked, “Why not?” I had messages and learnings to share: all I had learned from George about softness, loss and resilience, reaching out and sharing the gifts of the practice.

The core message was inclusiveness. The deep desire was discovery: discovering the beauty of the overlooked, forgotten, dismissed. Allowing the practice to reveal this beauty to those who had forgotten their own beauty, their own power of self-transformation.

George embraced this passion because it was his as well. Neither of us had attended a conference, much less presented. But we submitted two proposals without hesitation.

During a Tuesday teacher practice during COVID-19, Linda Robinson shared her efforts to integrate seated students into her classes. I immediately felt her openness and sincerity. After a few phone conversations and Zoom meetings, we became a team. George and I visited Linda’s class on Zoom and we clicked.

As the conference approached, I was beset with two hip surgeries, two traumatic weeks in a nursing home, and the prospects of a lengthy recovery. But thanks to the support and encouragement from the conference hosts, we pulled it off.

As I sat in my wheelchair in the nursing home during the Q&A portion of the presentation, I felt all of the Chi. And I marveled at the global community that embraced me as I am and gave more than I could have expected.

I am grateful for the Chi that made me bold, for teacher George who gave so willingly, and for Linda, a perfect partner in this good work. And I am grateful for a community who heard the message of inclusiveness. Who embraced it, echoed it, expanded it. May the Chi continue to embolden us, take us to new places and new people, and make Justin smile.