Self Improvement

It was a New Year's resolution that I would sign up for a Tai Chi class. It took a couple of months to actually do this, but this afternoon there I was in my loose black pants and official Tai Chi shirt, ready to go with Ms. Linda. Before the class began with all the others she gave me a personal tutorial. So there I was in the large room desperately trying to follow the moves which seemed to be about rescuing tigers and helping birds to fly. I am o.k. with squats and kicks but all the hand movements were difficult even with intense focus. Mostly I think I looked like I was fending off flies.

After my personal class the others came in - six men and women of different ages and sizes. I was the only newby but I was welcomed. I was trying so hard and focusing so hard I did not have anything left over to observe the others. It was lovely! And then the more advanced students did some great clacking things with fans and wooden machetes. "I want to do that!" I thought. I am eying the various sashes one can get with certain expertise. GRANDMA MOLLY- PURPLE BELT IN TAI CHI! After that we did some more Tai Chi stuff along with Asian music. I really got into it. I have put down my money for three months worth of classes. I think I'll definitely do it.

Mornings, I get up with the sun, let the dog out, grab a shower and drive up the road a mile or so to pick up the newspapers. Along the way I generally stop to look at birds and the condition of the swamp. Sometimes I take photos of anything interesting I see. When I get back I feed the dog and do my daily chores of emptying the compost and trash and kitchen cleanup. I give the newspaper some time and then I am off for the morning self improvement.

First off is Lumosity, a mere fifteen minutes. Can I beat yesterday's score? These games are such fun, though I do not know if they are actually training my brain and staving off dementia.

Next up is my study of Spanish. I am now almost at the end of Pimsleur Spanish 4. In addition I am dong an online written Spanish program. I look forward to doing this and I love this challenge. I wish I had more opportunities to speak more than the rudimentary Spanish with parents I know.

Next up on the self-improvement docket is making my ten thousand steps around the property and doing strength training helped by a video.

But best of all, not self improvement, are the hours I spend creating quilts or paintings. Sometimes I work well into the night. To rest my eyes I go out and look at the stars, so bright here without any light pollution.

And most important for self-improvement, and maybe the hardest, are the hours and hours and energy I spend doing volunteer work in this community. Sometimes, on a day when I know I must go to the school and have something fascinating to read and do with those four year olds, and then do the community garden with the oldest kids  I think I would rather be playing golf (if I played it).  I must shepherd kids and their families through the network of getting them into summer camp. This is such uphill work! Getting health checks, getting them to go online to register, just getting to them by phone is never easy. I must visit the library to get books to read to the preschoolers and plan the various activities for both groups, schlep all the things  needed for the various projects into a school that is pretty much high security so I have to make multiple trips...

I hope I never quit on this !

I guess it is all in the continuum of the self-improvement.