Summer Solstice

My son and I went camping over the weekend. We went to Gualala, probably one of the most beautiful spots in Northern California. On the summer solstice we went to a spot overlooking the estuary and the ocean and waited for the sun to go down to take some pictures. While we waited, we did our Yang style short form.

Moments like these are nothing short of amazing. My son has been training in Tae Kwon Do since he was 7 years old, and has had his black belt now for 2 years. I think that this is a great accomplishment for him, but part of the attraction for him is that he gets a chance to mimic some of his screen favorites (Jackie Chan, Jet Li). So it pleases me to no end that he started T'ai Chi training with me over a year ago and has stuck with this as well. T'ai Chi certainly doesn't offer the gang buster high kicks that his other art does, but he has an appreciation for the softer and yielding forms that he may not have gotten had he not started practicing.

So being able to do the Yang style set with him, overlooking such a beautiful coming together of the Gualala river and the pacific ocean, with the sun setting on the summer solstice was a really awesome and powerful experience for me. It was a great day to be alive!