The Lighter Side (January 2003)

1. When I said in class that we were going to do JJJJHTJ [“Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy, Healing Thru Joy,” included at the back of Meditation for Healing], and demonstrated the movements along with the song, the males in the class were stunned.

“You mean just the girls will do this, right?” one asked. “The men will not do this!” another one exclaimed.

I responded, “If an 86-year-old man [Justin Stone] can do this, then all of us can do this, men and women.”

The men were in disbelief.

“That is girl stuff!” exclaimed one.

After a couple of classes, the men were the most eager to do JJJJHTJ, and would even request it!

– Vida Wackerling

2. I took T.C.C. class once a week on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30 – 4:30pm in New York City at a hospital for special surgery.

The week before I left for my T’ai Chi Chih teacher training course in New Jersey [in October, 2002], my teacher, Carolyn Perkins, had said to me that next week at that same time the whole class would send the chi to me.

On Tuesday afternoon of the training week, when my fellow candidates and I were practicing, I did everything wrong. Without thinking, I looked at my watch. It was 4:20pm — what was that? It had to be too much chi for me to handle!

– Thuha Bui

3. Overheard at dinner at the Seijaku training in New Jersey in October, 2002:

“You know that clicking of the teeth? I kept wondering how George Washington would’ve sounded doing that with his wooden teeth!”

– Noel Altman

4. It was the second class. Students were sharing their T’ai Chi Chih experiences of the week. Arthur, with a very straight face, volunteered:

“My wife, Joanne, and I argued all week…” (Extended pause as we wait expectantly.)

“…about the correct way to do the moves.”

(As the laughter fades he adds) “And we came in separate cars tonight.”

– Neena Mitchell

5. During one of my ongoing TCC classes, we were doing Pulling in the Energy and I, as usual, reminded everyone to “visualize energy from the most distant star streaming into the fingertips” as we moved. After we completed, one of the women in class sheepishly said that she was still having difficulty visualizing “energy from the most distant star.” She added, “I’ve only gotten as far as Pluto!”

– April Leffler