Being home for the holidays in Georgia has been so very nice, seeing many of my old friends whom I’m fortunate to be able to see (other friends of mine not from Georgia tell me most of their friends from their hometowns have moved away, or themselves no longer have any root in the towns they grew up in). This morning I woke up after a long night of sleeping (two good sessions of six hours each) and after some warmups and a round of t’ai-chi, drove myself to a coffee shop to sit with a coffee and some reading.
I started my reading today with the latest issue of T’ai-Chi magazine, something which I always look forward to getting a copy of and digesting. The article on Wang Peisheng was really inspiring for me to read and once again makes me marvel at martial arts and t’ai-chi. It’s amazing to me that after three years of study that the fascination with the art has only grown, and as time has gone by the form seems neverending in its depth and details. This is an art I am sure I will be studying and practicing for the rest of my life.
Following the article I started into Barry Lopez’s Desert Notes, reading the first two entries of incredibly contemplative observations. After reading the two entries I stood outside the coffee shop and looked out at the branches swaying in the wind and found myself too observing what was around me, my eyes seemingly truly open for the first time in quite some time.
Driving back home, listening to choral music on the local NPR station (the classical music stations in San Francisco are sadly disappointing in comparison to the one here in Georgia) I found myself connecting very much with the piece, quietly thinking to myself musical ideas to try out when returning home, and looking out around me at a seemingly fresh and beautiful world. The sky a lovely blue, the light a rich tone of white, I found myself remembering older days when driving around Georgia in a car, doing much of the same as what I was doing, listening to music, quietly thinking to myself, and simply observing what was around me.
This morning I feel as if a haze has lifted from my mind, a sense of clarity restored, and a fascination with the world strengthened. Now only the early afternoon, my only commitment today to have dinner this evening with friends, I look forward to exploring, through words, through sounds…