World T'ai Chi and Qigong Day and Free Comic Book Day!
Two free events over two weekends!
This Saturday, worldwide and in all 50 U.S. states is World T’ai Chi and Qigong Day. This is the 25th year of celebration of this transformative martial art form.
To say Taijiquan (T’ai Chi) altered my life is an understatement. At 23 I took a T’ai Chi course and discovered not only my martial art, but also a philosophy that spoke to me. Taijiquan is Taoism in action. No other art form exemplifies it. And by performing the action, you find that the philosophy seeps into your world view.
I remember my first pushing hands lesson. All I had to do was push my opponent’s hand against their chest and block them from doing the same thing to me. The trick wasn’t to resist, but to allow them to “float by” as I simply relaxed and let my shoulder drift back.
I discovered that resistance, as the Borg would put it, is futile. You gain a greater advantage by letting them push by you as you “relax away” from the attack. Once they’ve pushed past you, they give you multiple vulnerable points for you to take control of them and the situation.
This action took over my world view and soon I found myself “relaxing away” from verbal aggression, allowing me to see the other side of their attack. I could see the weakness in their position, the reason for their aggression, and could respond with empathy, allowing me to take control of the situation.
World T’ai Chi and Qigong day events are happening near you, and are worth checking out. Every Shifu present will be happy to teach you this wonderful art, all you have to do is check it out and talk to them. You can find events here:
https://www.worldtaichiday.org/
I’ll be at the Salt Lake City celebration. This year it’s being held at the Wheeler Farm historic site, on the east side of the barn, on April 27, from 9:30 to 11:00 AM. This is a rain or shine event, so bring your rain jacket.
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The following Saturday, May 4th, is Free Comic Book Day, where most of the comic book publishers put out free comics to get you excited about their upcoming issues. You should be able to find the free comics at your local comic book shop. Get there early, the free comics go fast. And remember, only the designated free comics are free. Everything else in the shop still costs money. Also, don’t be a jerk. Grabbing up more than one copy of the same book means that someone else won’t be able to experience it. Only a couple of free comic book comics have gained any resale value, so take one and leave the rest for the kids behind you.
It’s also a great place to meet comic book creators. Like me, for instance. I’ll be at Dr. Volts Comic Connection with a special all-ages edition of The Shaolin Nun #1, as well as some special original sketch covers by Greg Maldonado for sale. If you didn’t get your issues from Kickstarter signed, this will be the place to find me. The signature comes with the comic, you just need to find me to get it.
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In the meantime, I spoke with Tiah and she wants to crank out the pencils for the final two issues of The Shaolin Nun as quickly as she can. This means we could potentially have issues #5 and #6 available this year! I plan to launch Kickstarters ONLY when the issue is completed. So (fingers crossed) look for the #5 Kickstarter this summer and the #6 Kickstarter this fall.