Local Happenings

On a more local front, I had an odd experience yesterday. I was at Fred Meyer, looking for inspiration for what kind of stew to make this week (I'm thinking turkey), when a woman came up to me and began telling me about how she'd had to put her dog down the day before. She was acting like I was someone she knew, but I'd never seen her before in my life. She was an inch or two taller than I am, with dark brown hair to the middle of her back. It hung loose around her shoulders like a cloak. Her face was slightly rounded, with a round nose. When she spoke, I saw that her teeth were very crooked. The bottom row almost formed a wave, and the top row managed to match it so that the teeth closed evenly. She had that soft, almost childish voice that some women adopt (the gods alone know why). I listened while she poured out the story of her dog (her baby) who always went whitewater rafting with them. The day before she "went bad," someone had asked them if she was a puppy. "No. She's ten years old." On Friday, the dog had cried all night, and couldn't even stand on her own. So they decided it was time.

It was a sad story, but I honestly don't know why she decided to tell me. I listened, nodded, and made encouraging noises. When I thought she had finished, I slowly made my way away from her and told her to take care. I suppose she was hurting and just needed someone to talk to. She did show me a picture of the dog (a beautiful husky; almost looked like a wolf), so presumably she realized I wasn't someone she knew. I'm honestly not sure.

On a happier front, I finally got the cords sorted out on my computer desk. The desk has wheels on it (handy for a manic furniture rearranger like me), but the cords kept getting caught in the wheels. So I put a cord "pocket" across the back, attached a velcro fastener, and got out a lot of twist ties. Now the only cords that hang off of it are the phone cord (for the DSL) and two USB extension cords (so I don't have to pull out the desk to plug stuff into the back). These are easier to manage than the dozen or so cords that hung off in a tangle before. Also, the desk is currently very near a heat vent, and many of the cords were practically lying on it. Okay for summer, but not good when winter hits (*ponders how much her heating bills are going to be this winter; considers relying on electric room heaters*). Now all those cords are hung neatly out of the way. My only concern is that the velcro strip might tear free of the staple. If it does, I will need to find a better way to attach it. It's not actually supporting weight, so I think it will be okay, but I don't know for sure.

Oh, one more thing to report that I found interesting. At taiji practice yesterday, we did the form 'no hands'. That is, we went through the form doing only the foot movements, steps, etc, but without moving the hands. I have done this at least once before, and I was very confused then. I was much less confused this time. But there were two things we could do with our hands. One was to "embrace the tree," i.e. have them at shoulder height, arms rounded, like we were hugging a tree. Mark and I did that through the first two rounds. I got a nice energy flow through my hands. It was nice. The other thing was to rest them on the lower dan tian (uh, basically just below the bellybutton). Don asked us to switch up, so we tried the dan tian position. That was...interesting. I got a huge energy build-up in my torso, and started sweating. I think that with the arms up in the air, they act as radiators; with them clasped at the dan tian, the energy has nowhere to go, so it just builds and builds. We did the 'no hands' routine several more times with the hands at the dan tian; I got hotter and hotter each time.

When we compared notes afterward, Mark observed that it was easier to sink with the hands at the dan tian than with them hugging the tree. I shared my energy observations, and Don said he got the same thing. If Melissa and James made any comments, I can't remember them now. I just find it interesting (and odd) that I'm the most proficient of us (students) at picking up on the energy flows. I have no clue why that is.