Chasing Bubbles

and Tai Chi

I am delving, and old New York scenes are floating to the surface. It is exciting, and I love finding them. I am the worst at keeping up with what I put my mind to—there is a rebellious part of me that resists routine, and I constantly have to talk her down. Consistent daily exercise is one of those things, and I am like a kid grabbing at bubbles, squinting when they spray you in the face. What I mean by this is that I am constantly delighted by what is in front of me, and it is hard to hold my attention if it is not fun.

My latest bubble is Tai Chi. I went to an acupuncturist in the late 70's on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He was Jewish and had studied in China. His partner was a young woman, and she ran the office. It smelled amazing because they always had chai on a single burner, and the calm, kind atmosphere was different from all the intimidation and excitement I got from living in New York. Once, a large package was delivered by messenger, and everywhere on it was stamped "Top Secret." "What is that?" I asked this lovely person behind the desk, barely a decade older than me. "It is a document from the government. Dr. ___ is a psychic for the government. He predicted the missing tiles on the Space Shuttle Columbia, and they often send him documents to review.” I am trying to recall now whether I took this in stride or whether it was a complete I am lucky to be here moment—or WTF? Once, when I was lying supine, he put a needle in and my left arm flew up into the air (perpendicular to the rest of me). He exclaimed, "Oh, that is great! We are getting somewhere." He wanted me to feel better. I am not sure why I went to him, but I remember he recommended Tai Chi.

This has lasted, and when I saw an online class advertised on Instagram, I thought, "Oh, this is meant to be." It was $18.99 for 3 months of daily movement. It was early in the day, and I was pleased to find this. I signed up. I have a general rule not to click any links for purchases from Instagram because they lead you all sorts of places: "buy 3, get your special discount" or "$30 off, but you have to give your phone number and spend $250 to get that discount." I go to the URL and check the credibility and feel of the site before I buy, and then I wait at least 24 hours before I purchase. But the Tai Chi story got me, and I bought the 3 months. Within seconds, two charges tried to go through on my Apple Mastercard and they were refused as suspicious. I verified that, and they did not go through. Somewhere in the small print it must have had add-ons. In other words, I fell into this stupid well against all my own rules. I am now fighting with them about the original $18.99, albeit with embarrassment. UGH!

I left for pickleball at my local park to clear my brain and was waiting for my turn. The man next to me, Ed, was talky, and we discussed our local YMCA. I asked if they had Tai Chi classes. He enthusiastically said yes, and they are taught by a friend of his. I felt hopeful. Then he said she also teaches in Holly Park, which is very near my home. Ok, I can easily get to the "woogie woogie" frame of mind that this was meant to be, and I started the game I was waiting for. During that game, Ed called to me and said, "My friend is here! She will talk to you about Tai Chi after your game!" What? How is that possible?

Here is how our conversation went: "I want to take Tai Chi. Do you have a site?" "No." "Do I have to have experience?" "No." "May I just come?" "Yes." "When is it?" "Friday at 9:00 am."

What do you call this? Coincidence? Meant to be? Serendipity? Who cares—I get to chase a new bubble.

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As I mentioned before, I read an article from a friend, and it left me tingling with recognition. His name is Chris Colin. Yesterday I was on a call with Xfinity for 5 hours. The reason it was 5 hours is because after 45 minutes of me being on hold, they would hang up. I was obviously doing other things, but I had an Airbnb guest whose internet was down and I needed to speak with someone because their "text help" is multiple choice and none of the "answers" applied. Because of Chris’ article I knew I was in the midst of company policy. I have so much to say about this, but Chris says it better and I no longer think it is me but know it is “sludge”.

I am listening to John Hopkins “Music for Psychedelic Therapy” as I write this.

I wrote an article about my favorite podcast ending and sent it on Wednesday. Thanks to all who responded… it is life itself to me. This is what I mean.

And here is more from this week. If you gotta go…thanks for being here.

xoxox darc