creativity Archives | Faulk TaiChi

Something to Look Forward To

October 31, 2021 By Arlene Faulk

We need to have something to look forward to. Most of our days include routines like going to work (even if on Zoom), taking kids to school, grocery shopping, paying bills, doing laundry and perhaps caregiving for a relative or friend. Most of our days are ordinary, filled with life tasks that support our well-being, tasks that need to be done.

We need something out of the ordinary to look forward to.

It’s easy to keep doing what we’re doing and we always have tasks to complete. However, for our emotional well-being we need to intentionally plan something out of the ordinary, a family gathering, dinner out, a road trip for the weekend. It’s good for our psyches to get a change of scenery, alter our routines so we don’t live blindly and then one day wonder where all the time went and what we missed.

I remember attending a workshop in the early 1990’s with Deepak Chopra. He stressed that we live today with the dame thoughts we had yesterday and the tomorrow we will re-hash the same thoughts we have today. We get stuck in patterns and ruts that keep us from trying something new, changing habits to improve our health.

In order to have something new to look forward to, we need look at our thoughts and our weekly patterns. Can I plan that trip now that we wanted to take before COVID19 hit? How might I rearrange my schedule so I can sign up for the Spanish class I’ve wanted to take? I’ve inquired about Tai Chi class that my doctor recommended for my balance, but have not committed. What can I do that will help me get to the next step of showing up?

The key is framing our thoughts into “I can”, How might I?” “Who can help me?” “I’ll talk to my friend who always seems to have time to do fun and exciting things”

Take the first step forward. Find a way to reframe your thoughts. to plan something fun and interesting to look forward to.

The Twig

September 26, 2015 By Arlene Faulk

We are in an age of seeing and hearing “scroll down” rather than “turn the page”, “click here”, rather than “call to order”. Images and videos flash before us on our phones, computers, tablets and televisions. Some days it feels like a roller coaster of sounds and colors coming at us with dizzying speed. And then. . .

A calm, simple, still picture stopped me in my tracks. A picture on Facebook. A work of art by my friend, Janet. A twig. A drawing of a lone, bare twig. Janet said she spent 2 and 1/2 hours drawing a single twig. A graphite drawing by Janet S. Reed.

Its simplicity is stunning. Look at the long, slender stem, flowing slightly to the right. Each little nodule is carefully positioned to birth other little stems. And sometimes produce little flowers. The black and white enhances the beauty and marvel of nature.

Stillness. Stillness promotes calm. Stillness gives us time to reflect, to notice the wonders of what surrounds us in nature. Finding stillness promotes creativity and better decision-making. It’s stillness we try to cultivate through Tai Chi, stillness in motion. I think of, I feel the energy of Tai Chi as I sink into the wonder of this drawing. It connects me to the earth, grounds me.

Take a couple minutes to reflect on this twig. What energy comes from its simplicity? How does it make you feel?

Thank you, Janet for giving me permission to use your work of art, the twig. It is profound.

More Qilin

April 4, 2015 By Arlene Faulk

Another colorful, bold interpretation of Qilin bestowing blessings at the Tampa Zoo Chinese Lantern Festival special exhibit.

A stone Qilin at the Shaolin Monastery in Dengfeng county, Zhengzhou, Henan provence, China. This is the home of the Shaolin monks, known for their kung fu fighting and amazing feats of strength and flexibility.