February 2021: covid, books, memoir, qigong, paraprosdokians, books

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10th COVID-19 Post February 2021

Because the Pandemic has lasted so long, I have lost track of just how many posts I have sent. My Solstice 2020 post was a combination of Solstice thoughts and pandemic actions undertaken at different times in history which I considered uplifting. I think that was my '9th' one, so I think this might be my 10th.

We began the year in a return to stage 1 lockdown in Ontario. We're still trying to get beyond it. While it has not been easy, I've been able to read some great books, (fiction and non-fiction), do a little more work in our Francesca Apartments 'Library', and meet a few friends in our spacious comfortable lobby. I've also been able to begin my memoir of our family. It will be one organized by 'themes' rather than chronological chapters. I'm organizing it this way because time and memory are phasal rather than chronological.

It will also be 'multi-media', with photos, a few of my poems, excerpts of my compositions, links to recordings of my works, list of books from which I extracted photos of places in Montreal, Eastern Townships and Ottawa, Perth, Scotland, and more.

There are several reasons for my writing this memoir: to record sources of our ancestries, the tyrannical times in which I was born and more...

Frames of Reference Snaps of Memory for Sounds Never Silenced: a memoir by Diane Stevenson Schmolka

I am writing this memoir because the era into which I was born was one of great turmoil, tragedy, ignorance, invention and hope. It was, in retrospect a 'hinge' period within the inter-circular cisterns and gyres of the Twentieth Century and the tornadoes cyclones of thought, societal change and upheavals which have resulted from these events.

I will be using only first names for family and friends. If I use both first and last names it will be for those teachers, doctors, professors and others who are now dead and those professionals who do not mind both names being used.

I will ask your permissions for each photo of you I wish to include in my memoir. I'll give you a time frame in which to reply. If you don't reply within that time frame, I will include the photo(s) I sent.

I will send some of you parts of my memoir as I'm writing it, for your feedback. You will be included in the acknowledgements.

8 Powerful Ancient Qigong Exercises for Cultivating Healing Energy in the Body
BY MISHA RUTH COHEN

regularly practicing qigong exercises is a remarkably powerful way to accumulate healing energy in the body

What is Qigong and Why is it Essential?

Qigong (pronounced: chee-gun), which combines meditative and physically active elements, is the basic exercise system within Chinese medicine. Qigong exercises are designed to help you preserve your Jing, strengthen and balance the flow of Qi energy, and enlighten your Shen.

Its dynamic exercises and meditations have Yin and Yang aspects: The Yin is being it; the Yang is doing it. Yin qigong exercises are expressed through relaxed stretching, visualization, and breathing.

Yang qigong exercises are expressed in a more aerobic or dynamic way. They are particularly effective for supporting the immune system. In China, Qigong is used extensively for people with cancer.

Qigong’s physical and spiritual routines move Qi energy through the Twelve Primary Channels and Eight Extra Channels, balancing it, smoothing the flow, and strengthening it. Chinese medicine uses Qigong exercises to maintain health, prevent illness, and extend longevity because it is a powerful tool for maintaining and restoring harmony to the Organ Systems, Essential Substances, and Channels. Qigong is also used for non-medical purposes, such as for fighting and for pursuing enlightenment.

Anyone of any age or physical condition can do Qigong. You don’t have to be able to run a marathon or bench press a car to pursue healthfulness and enjoy the benefits.

When you design your qigong exercise / meditation practice, you will pick what suits your individual constitution. Some of us are born with one type of constitution; some with another. We each have inherited imbalances that we cannot control but with which we must work. That’s why for some people it is easier to achieve balance and strength than it is for others. But whatever your nature, Qigong can help you become the most balanced you can be.

Qigong is truly a system for a lifetime. That’s why so many people over age sixty in China practice Qigong and Tai Chi. The effects may be powerful, but the routines themselves are usually gentle. Even the dynamic exercises—some of which explode the Qi energy— use forcefulness in different ways than in the West. The following are some effects of Qigong exercises practiced regularly.

Paraprosdokians are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected and is frequently humorous. (Sir Winston Churchill loved them)

1. Where there's a will, I want to be in it.
2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you ...but it's still on my list.
3. Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright
 until you hear them speak
4. If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.
5. We never really grow up -- we only learn how to act in public.
6. War does not determine who is right, only who is left.
7. Knowledge, is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it
 in a fruit salad.
8. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is
 research.
9. I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.
10. In filling out an application, where it says, "In case of an emergency,
 notify..." I answered "a doctor.
11. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street
 with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.
12. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to
 skydive twice
13. I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not so sure
14. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you
 hit the target.
15. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian, any more than standing
 in a garage makes you a car.
16. You're never too old to learn something stupid

Since the lockdown in January our Francesca Library has grown. We’ve been able to obtain another bookcase. This has made it easier to accept and offer more donated books. Usage of the library has also risen sharply so that there are many more books of all genres in circulation. We also have a new volunteer. Now there are three of us, and each of our hubbies has helped with carrying boxes of books, suggested great ideas for letting residents choose more of the books they enjoy reading, and more… We are indeed, very fortunate!

Love,
Diane.

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Page last modified on March 16, 2021, at 02:08 AM