I check my horoscope in the morning. I don’t really give it much stock, but still — being a Taurus is a good thing, and just like being left handed, I’m glad these two traits are my fortune.

That being said, today’s horoscope was boring and doomsaying, so I went scouting around for a better one. I figure if they don’t really mean anything, why not choose a horoscope that at least says you are going to have a good day.

Scorpio was the closest I could find this morning that offered anything close to a good day, but it still suggested communication problems and cautioned to be careful.

According to astrologer, Georgia Nichols, today is going to be a rough one for everyone.

So, here is my two cents for April 30, 2012 —

Today, don’t be bothered with horoscopes, fortune cookies, or the IChing. Swami, Sifu Jan says, “Be nice and Sally Forth!”

Slowly starting a very busy day.

I saw a whale brain yesterday. It was floating in a plexiglass box with fluid and it was cool.

I was lucky enough to have a backdoor, private tour of the Vancouver Aquarium yesterday. I was with a two scientist and an artist. It was fun to listen to the scientist talk.

I enjoy listening to the vocabulary of experts. It doesn’t matter what the topic is, if the speaker knows their stuff, it’s a delight to bathe in new sounds. Words that are familiar to them but foreign to me have a way of rolling off their tongue as easy as one, two, three. I suppose they assume if I didn’t understand something, I’d ask, but in the mean time — when in Rome.

When I speak about Tai Chi or Qigong, I throw around words like dan tien, qi, and bai hui as easily as these scientists spoke of the members of the odontocete superfamily Delphinoidea (dolphins, porpoises, belugas, and narwhals). Anatomy verbiage was also used as if everyone would know about the rostrum and fluke, or that the head contains the melon, a round organ used for echolocation.

When they started talking about the size of the cerebellum on this brain in a box, I really perked up. I recognized a word and held the knowledge that it’s the cerebellum that plays an important role in motor control.

Our host, Lance went on and on about how members of the Delphinoidea family will repeat a task again and again until they learn it. He said it is fun to watch the first few times a dolphin tries some new skill — how it is clumsy and awkward. Then after doing it time and time again, they get good at it!

Practice! Go figure.

Reward programs!

I was in a pharmacy in town, buying batteries, and was asked if I had my “rewards card” with me. Nope, but what kind of reward do you give out here? Oh, we give points and then when you get enough points, you can buy something else.

Personally, I think that reward sucks. Buy something and we will reward you with the opportunity to buy something else.

If you go 30 days without a drink, you get a chip in AA and more than that, people applaud you. Go a year and you get a cake!

In my small world the biggest reward really are just points, chips and cakes. Sometimes a title is bestowed – The well deserved title of Martial Artist of the Year goes to Leslie Lippard this year for her work with PAWMA. Marian was given an honorary doctorate from a university last year. Donavan is getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Frame this year! Reward? Prize? Honour? It is all recognition for work well done.

Some shout outs are at the ready and everyone can easily get involved – Happy birthday, you made it another year! Congratulations you launched an app, published a book, wrote a song, stayed married, finished a project, honoured a contract.

I say we start giving out chips for dealing with a panic attack, or facing fears. How about a cake celebration for coming out of a depression, letting go of a resentment or showing up for practice every day this week.

Today, I’m in the mood to celebrate. I’ll be looking for reasons to back-slap, acknowledge, and definitely, I’m looking for a celebration that will involve some cake!

At this point in my life, I notice my memory isn’t as sharp as it used to be, and my memory isn’t as sharp as it used to be.

My neighbour Marian, has a small deck on the West side of her house, that overlooks Tunstall Bay. At night you can see stars out over the water, airplanes or satellites travel across the sky, and also lights glimmer on Vancouver Island, 26 miles away. The view is framed by big trees and is like a very large peep hole looking out over the water. It’s a nice place for friends to sit and chat. So we do.

Yesterday was the birthday of Marian’s mom, June. Today would have been my mothers 82nd birthday. June died in 2006 and Alice in 2003, both were 75 when they died.

As we looked out at the vast view, framed like a picture, we told each other mom stories, reminiscing the way motherless daughter do.

Happy Birthday June and Alice!

Your daughters miss you!

We have a second hand store on the island that sells junk. It is called the Knick Knack Nook — but for me, it will forever be the Tacky Shop. Kinda like I call the Ruddy Potato, the Rusty Onion.

This Tacky Shop is a typical second hand shop, full of unwanted household stuff, clothes, shoes and books. I bought a lava lamp there once and it worked for almost 5 days before it broke, but I will say it was the coolest thing I ever got there. I go to the tacky shop about once a week — just to see what possible treasures they might have. I usually walk out empty handed, but once in a while, I’ll come home with something — usually a book.

Yesterday I was perusing the book section and saw a book that made me laugh until I thought about it, then I just shook my head.

You know those Idiot’s Guide To books? There is an Idiots Guide to almost everything now. I have the Idiots Guide to Tai Chi that has a lady doing a yoga pose on the cover, so I guess they really do guide idiots through all the different topics.

My problem is I assume some topics should be off limits and not cater to idiots. But there it was.

The Idiots Guide to Raising Children.

Now, you know how much I love the children in our world. But seriously, IF you think this book will help in any way — well, then I think we deserve the next generation.

The word of the day is coterie (noun) An exclusive circle of people with a common purpose.

The Full Circle, the Roughriders, the folks at the O, my coven, people in the choir, members of a book club; almost everyone has a coterie.

I have several coteries, but as life changes, I am engaging with them less often. So, yesterday, when I went for a walk with a woman I just met, the thought that I hadn’t made a new friend or joined a new coterie in a while crossed my mind.

Now I have to say, I am not lonely or pinning for attention or fellowship, I am quite happy. Still, the combination of the “word of the day” and the thought I had yesterday are worth looking at.

I like how Ken and I live. We have nice ruts… er routines and ways. We have good friends and amazing circles;  some we haven’t seen in years, others we check in with daily.

I know I’m friendly enough. I’m able to make friends quite easily but, yesterday was the first time in a really long time I asked someone new to go for a walk, with the conscious mindset to get to know them better — to make a new friend.

Being a good friend is not hard — you just have to pay attention. Cultivating coteries is good qigong — taking effort and time.

When folks tell me they want to learn Tai Chi, they are surprised when I ask them what they are willing to give up in their life to do it. Because to add one more experience, practice, lesson or friend into our already full time lives is hard. Time has to be made, room has to be cleared, effort has to be put in.

I think having coteries is worth the practice.

The book I’m reading is at a good part right now, so I’m passing today’s post on to Jim. This is from the NAC blog site and is very cool, so I’m sharing his post and getting back to my book.

Enjoy This!