uninteresting :: rich

it’s been hot and humid, in the 90’s the past few weeks, and we’re well into ’summer training’ at the temple. not only is there no a/c, but the heat almost seems to gather in the training room. even though the windows are open, there’s hardly a breeze at all. and no fans. the sweat starts to drip during stretching & warmup exercises. within 20 minutes of the 2 hour class, my first uniform is drenched top to bottom. after 1/2 hour my hands are pruned from the humidity. by the end of class, my 2nd uniform is drenched and my shoes squish when i walk because they’re sweat-logged.

the first few summer classes were a bear to get through, but i’ve been diligent in going to class and now i’m starting to get into the groove. i’ve completed all the basic exercises and the first form (chuji quantao), now learning the 2nd form (yi lu quan). and most importantly, i’m finally doing cartwheels! that was my big embarrassing secret. i’d discreetly step aside when it came time for ceshoufan (cartwheels). i just had this mental block about being inverted - i’d just flop down on my head. finally, last weekend my baby and i went to central park and she showed me how to do ‘em…and now it’s cake! in fact, it’s fun!

overall, i’m much further along in class than i ever thought i’d be. there’s still infinity more to go, but i’m feeling so much stronger and more flexible than i’ve ever been. there’s been a definite shift in my exercise paradigm - it’s all about stretching now. and balance. couldn’t care less about weights. and soon, i’ll be able to fly.