The Lighter Side (November 2005)

A favorite project I help out with every year is taking school kids to the state legislature to lobby a wildlife bill into law. The kids are called Wild Friends and come from about 20 schools in New Mexico. The Wild Friends program is housed at the Wildlife Law Center at the UNM Institute of Public Law and has been going for about 12 years. The kids vote on a topic, write the legislation themselves (with a little help from friendly wildlife attorneys), and then go on field trips to the legislature to testify in hearings and press the flesh asking senators and representatives to vote for their bill. One day I had to occupy about 30 6th-graders while we waited for a hearing, so we learned Tai Chi Chih. To keep their attention, I made it a game by showing the moves and letting them come up with names according to a wildlife or nature theme (their teacher helped out with hints). Not surprisingly, there are many images of birds and fish—those which move with grace. I was amazed at the scope of their grasp of the natural (and supernatural) world. Here’s what we came up with—from the mouths of babes, er, 12-year-olds.

1. Riding the Horse (rocking motion)
2. Endangered Crane Flies to Freedom (bird flaps its wings)
3. Owl Circles for Rabbits (around the platter)
4. Bird Breaks Out of the Egg (around the platter variation)
5. Elephant Take a Bath (bass drum)
6. Hawks Ride the Wind (daughter on the mountaintop)
7. Roadkill Goes to Heaven (daughter in the valley)
8. Wind Blows the Tumbleweed (carry the ball to the side)
9. Turtle Peeks Out (push pull)
10. Aspen Leaves Play with the Sun (pulling in the energy)
11. Earthquake (pulling taffy)
12. Pterodactyls Fly Out of the Earthquake (wrist circle taffy)
13. Boy Plays Frisbee with Fido (anchor taffy)
14. Gorilla Chases Off Tourists (perpetual motion taffy)
15. Mermaid Swims with the Fish (working the pully)
16. Baby Birds Try to Fly (light at the top of the head)
17. Squirrels Store Nuts for the Winter (light at the temple)
18. Deep Sea Diver Goes Down (joyous breath)
19. Eclipse (passing clouds)
20. Hugging the Tree (cosmic consciousness pose)

– Kathy Grassel, Albuquerque, NM

One morning while attempting to teach TCC class at the retirement center, the noise from the renovation crew below was just too loud to ignore. After lots of banging and clattering, I tried to make light of the situation by saying that today’s TCC class was different, and that we should come up with a new name for the class. Lydia laughed and said, “How about T’ai Chi Chih interruptus?”

– Sharon Sirkis

As she was doing Push Pull, Lydia exclaimed, “I keep pushing out a problem and pulling back the same one!”

– S.S.

After a brief discussion on paying attention and being aware in our everyday lives, and how it relates to our TCC practice, it was time for my college class to take their break. After the break, 22 students and myself formed a circle in the middle of the gym, all ready to do our silent TCC practice. I quickly scanned the room, and it looked beautiful seeing that many students standing in a circle. Just as we were about to begin Rocking Motion, one of my students walked over and stood in front of me, and whispered, “There’s a girl over there who’s not in our class.”

– S.S.

One night I gave my college TCC class an assignment to laugh and have fun. After class, I headed out for the garage. As I approached the driver’s side of my car, I noticed about 15 pieces of salt water taffy, (some “pulled”) on the ground!

– S.S.

I remember what you have said in class a few times – that us humans are resistant to change and like things to be the same. Well, my car was totaled in the accident I had weeks ago, and this weekend I found and bought another car, which is exactly the same as what I had before! Same make, model, year, color, still a coup, still has a manual transmission. The ironic thing about it was that my father came with me to make sure that I don’t buy the first car I looked at, and we did!

– Richard Zak, Professional Genius, UMBC, student of Sharon Sirkis