6 moons have rotated their way on by
i am riding a different bike now
my knees hurt more than ever i've experienced in my life
i am rotating my wrists more than ever in my life
i am taking classes again
i feel like a college student
i am a teacher again of small children
and a follower of old people thru the hills
always have been following these old ones thru the hills
i like the very old and the very young
these are the closest to truth, perhaps
the knowing wisdom of old age, borne of a lifetime of accumulated stories
the innocent beaming of childhood, borne of the freshness of previous lifetimes accumulating into now
i've wandered off from taiwan for half a year, and now back
everything feels the same
it is so easy to return to old rhythms, but now in new ways
i feel fresher, more grown?
and that which i wish to attract into my life
feels like it comes ever faster
life is so very very full
spent weekend in mountains with new friends
by pure chance meeting one beautiful person after another
i would follow you thru the hills any day, and for a long time too
but the question keeps arising
as i keep following one wise beautiful person after another into the hills
and we emerge back out again into the sunshine from the shaded forest
which is my path?
i keep following the path of another
sculpting my own winding path of another person's, then jumping onto another, then another
learning so much thru walking in others' footsteps,
but what footsteps mark my own path?
my grandma says that i jump around too much
some other elders applaud my jumping, saying that without dancing around, i may not recognize my own path
and gradually a general rhythm arises from the jumping and seemingly sporadic dancing
it is not so sporadic
there is rhythm in this
what gifts have china and thailand given me?
what gifts are taiwan giving me?
i have returned
it is rare for me to return to a place, to a people
i have planted seeds on my uncle's balcony
every morning, i brush my hair there, and feed it to the seeds, and watch them grow
this feels very fulfilling
in thailand, we planted everyday
we kept seeds and scraps of plants with roots attached and planted everything
i am doing a bit of the same on my uncle's small porch
a physical manifestation of thailand, a bit of this and that
i am practicing tai chi every morning
i am beginning a slow dive into martial arts and basic tai chi sword play
i want to learn everything!
the sword play music is in my head everyday, right now
a strong rhythmic drumbeat, and a voice wild and free, looping up and down vocals that send mad tingles up and down my spine
after a good tai chi practice, even during, i can literally feel myself rooting, rooting
the chi goes back into the earth and i experience it as a rooting that is oh so satisfying
and yet... question keeps arising
how long to stay, when to leave, where to next... need to plan this already
so i know. so i can tell my family and such
staying present while also being prepared for the future
in tai chi: stance of knees slightly bent.
i can feel this now, this feeling of strength and power
energy rising from earth into my thighs, up spine, into head, back into sky
aligned
knees aligned with feet both for feeling of rightness now, and for health in future
now, sitting and typing
spine straight, head like a string suspended from sky up, floating me up up, tailbone tucked in
sitting like this, feeling of energy flow, but also preparing for future: do not want to be hunchback old woman
staying present while also being prepared for the future
am now drying a gourd for my guitar
one of my new elders is amazing with music
hung out with her this weekend
she suggested i carry around The Stick (my unfinished guitar) and really learn to play it
bring it everywhere, she says
yesterday, ate sweet potato leaves
this morning, planted them into sweet soft soil
rain graced us yesterday in mountains, and now even more grace today
biking around like a wet turtle: happy, but a bit too wet for my taste
will go seek moon cakes, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms with rice and greens at my grandma's house soon
am laying out my schedule... and it begins to look like my college schedule: colorful, and completely packed
so different from thailand forest life, yet somehow satisfying
i wonder about this nature: constantly being so busy
my family too
mmm much to mull, digest, and just be with
love and gratitude aplenty!
