A slow-moving gazelle, am I.

I am a gazelle. In slow motion. Moving gracefully. At a snail’s pace. Caught up. In my own version of tai chi  Mostly internally. In my imagination. In the spirit world. But physically, too. With my Italian amore as the only corroborating witness. In our living room.  She laughs. Yes, she’s amused. So am I. At my new-found way to relax.  Gliding gently through daily life.  I watched. Through a narrow window in a door. Into glass-walled Studio 2. At the local YMCA. Yes, it was a class in tai chi.  With my amore as one of three active participants. I was learning, too. From the outside. Looking in. As an observer. Yes, my favorite method of learning. Away from the masses.  Capturing my own tai chi essence. Not the instructor’s. Or anyone else’s. It was necessary. For me to become an unusual slow-moving gazelle. On my own.  Some day. I will practice. In front of an audience. Perhaps at a comedy club. As part of my stand-up comic routine. It will be the next step. Performing in public.  To welcome laughter. Coming to my ears in ripples of slow motion. --Jim Broede