T'ai Chi and sunsets

This is week 8 of 10 of my t'ai chi class. We are a stalwart group of 5 now and they are getting pretty good. T'ai Chi practice is usually done to one's own pace predicated on one's breathing pace. The question came up about doing t'ai chi in groups, for example in the parks in China. If t'ai chi is done to the rhythm of one's own breathing, how do the classes all seem to be doing it together - wouldn't everyone be doing it at a different pace? Well, the answer is that in a group setting the practioner follows the pace of the leader and adjusts one's breathing to that pace, out of respect. The question brought to mind a wonderful memory from my teen years. When I lived in Hong Kong, at one time my bedroom window faced the front of another apartment complex where each apartment had a balcony. In the morning as I was getting ready I would look out at the many balconies and see many people practicing their t'ai chi on their balconies, unaware of each other's pace or place in the exercise. There would be many people all moving at different paces working through the forms! I wish I had taken a picture.

This reminds me of the sunsets here. Almost everyday the sunset is spectacular. The local newspaper prints a picture daily submitted by local residents in the classified ads section. Recently they commented that due to the large number of sunset (and sunrise) pictures, people will have to wait a long time to see theirs in print. I was going to take a picture of the beautiful sunset this evening but heeding the warning by the newspaper, I resisted - therefore no picture today.