For two months, ever since I came home to Fairbanks from Colorado, I have been very nervous about forsaking my respectable social comfort-zone as reading tutor and political activist and “coming out” as an intuitive-in-the-making, specialty unknown. However, I am determined to follow through, so I tell everyone what I want to do and confess that it scares me. No hiding—unless you count hanging out at home and the tai chi studio! LOL.

I have two approaches to changing my life direction. Needless to say, one of them is to read/listen to a wide array of books. (That will be my next post.) The other is to push my comfort-zone a little here, a little there—in an effort to stretch it and balance taking risks while constraining my consternation at taking risks!

My plan is to progress by “baby steps,” as my path unfolds. After two months, I can see that those baby steps have already accumulated significantly. Who knew they would add up so soon!

To find more like-minded souls in Fairbanks, I turned to my familiar Taoist Tai Chi Society and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), a university-sponsored program of seniors teaching what they like to other interested seniors.  (I have long been jealous of my friends taking cool classes there.  I was always working!)

Tai chi is the easiest part of my transition, since I have been doing Taoist Tai Chi in Fairbanks since 2004. I am already comfortable with this cohort of people, and I trust them to be supportive of my tentative steps along an emerging new path. Tai chi is a big part of that path by being my most likely portal into meditation and because I feel ready to start instructing it.

This summer I am being trained as a tai chi instructor, and will have beginning-level class(es) in the fall.  I have already led a few “sets” in continuing-level classes of senior instructors, led two (poorly attended) open-practices, and taught one small beginning class.  I was terrified at the first open practice and solo class, but I confessed to the group and got on with it anyway–and of course, I survived to tell you about it.  The proverbial ice has been broken.  The second open practice was much easier, and next week I’ll be teaching another beginning class and three open practices.  I expect I’ll live through that, too.

OLLI accepted my proposed numerology class with a tarot emphasis last month, and I am preparing materials for the class scheduled this fall. I will be practicing on my Caritas dream group in Boulder on June 25^th–wish me luck! My Fairbanks neighbors will let me practice on them in July.  I am quite excited; numerology is both insightful and fun.  (I chose to focus on numerology first because it is simple enough for me to just lead a group through the book!)

OLLI’s June newsletter included an announcement for my proposed dreams interpretation group. I had three responses in three days, woo hoo, and will start that as soon as I can find a place to hold it, which will probably not be until August, realistically.

So my “baby steps” have helped me progress without having any proverbial heart attacks. In the fall, I will be teaching tai chi and numerology and leading a new dream group.  I suppose I’ll have high blood pressure again, then.  But, by then, I think I will feel well enough prepared to make the leap.