Work your Butt off

It was 1984 and I was working for my teacher John Kells. I had to sit at a little desk in the upstairs "Green Room" and take phone calls enquiring about classes, times,costs etc.I also had to send out an information leaflet in response to postal enquiries.

John came in to have a chat. He told me that he had never had a student who practised as much as me and that no matter what happened I should never stop.

He really personified the phrase "work your butt off", so much so that when he turned around I could see he had almost worn away the seat of his tracksuit bottoms.

If you want to be good at Tai Chi or anything, for that matter, you need to put in the work and hopefully will have good teaching to draw on.

I think I have been fortunate to have teachers and tai chi friends who have inspired me and as a result I am in love with Tai Chi and have been able to keep up a daily practise for 37 years. This does not imply mastery or anything else. I seek the light in my practise and not some overbearing, dark, dismal grinding away masquerading as a spiritual way.

Just my opinion and the reader is welcome to theirs and as Patrick Swayze said in Roadhouse "opinions vary".

Meanwhile I'm off to work my butt off with some Xingyi.