54

So I have achieved 54 years of living!  Still feel like I'm in my thirties with alot to learn and part of that is because of my martial arts/I Ho Chuan. Setting goals and constantly working to be more/better/evolved as a person, well that kind of thing keeps you looking forward ... not always reminiscing about the past and seeing  your life winding down.   My life is actually ramping up and thats a good feeling and although sometimes it seems there just isn't enough hours in the day to get everything done, I always have lots to look forward to and be challenged by.

A Moment

At Tai Chi class I was working on the transition in part two from carry the tiger up the mountain to fist under the elbow which involves a 270 degree turn which I have always found difficult to achieve slowly and maintain the timing in the hands.  Sifu Dennis was helping me and the way she described it was the turn is done with the core, for most of it the arms and hands are just along for the ride!  The problem is that most of us lead it with the hands and arms ... so with that in mind I have been working on that part and wow what a difference.   It amazes me that a discussion like that and change of mindset while doing the move can have such an impact on the actual performance of your body.   I don’t consciously engage or disengage any muscles I just think okay lead with the core while practicing and the hands figure out where they need to be.  I am going to be more aware of this throughout the tai chi form and probably driving Sifu Dennis crazy with questions at class but hey for me it was a big moment.

Went for a couple of massages on my back and legs so all those tight muscles are much softer and alot less painful.  Progress is being made! Yeah!!!

Hola

So on the weekend I got the Spanish Course loaded on computer (learning Spanish is one of my goals for the year). I got the Rosetta Stone course which is so far awesome!   Monday & Wednesday nights I got lessons 1 & 2 done and the way it is taught is awesome.  No English is spoken or written the only indicators are sets of pictures and you have to figure it out, which really makes it stick in your mind.    I can read and figure out stuff pretty good its the pronunciation that I have to go over many times.   There are sounds in Spanish that I have never made before so when you are reading the words a person sounds it out based on English pronunciation which causes problems between the brain and the mouth.  I think the toughest word so far is newspaper periodico (this has funny symbols over the vowels which my keyboard does not have and I struggle to say).  I have tried some of the small phrases out on the Spanish speaking workers at the office .... being very polite they don't laugh at me but I talk very sloooowly in comparison to the way they speak.   I recognized one word when they were talking this morning agua water which although pretty minor made me feel pretty good about my whopping two lessons.  So I am done writing escribe for today and will say Goodbye    Adios!