Six Months

 

Every six months I get checked at the cancer clinic.  I am incredibly fortunate in so many ways but I must say, the days leading up to the appointment get stressful because I never really know what the verdict will be.  

The bottom line is that I am living with cancer.  It's just really slow growing - which is good!  And right now it is so slow I am considered to be in remission - as in no treatment is required.  (Thank goodness because every cancer drug I've taken has had pretty massive adverse effects while it works to keep me alive - talk about a mixed blessing!  So I'll take 'remission'...)

But there is nothing quite like having a couple of health issues that remind you on a regular basis that you have a 'best before' date.

So it was today.  But I'm still in remission, so that was good news.  Doesn't mean the cancer is cured because at this time it isn't considered to be curable.  OTOH, it is so slow growing that we joked about how people with this type of cancer don't die of it, but with it.

Once again I am reminded that I need to prepare myself for changes in my body, my life.  

There was a thread on line in a group about how the poster wished a group of really knowledgeable teachers would get together and teach in depth classes.  They didn't like a class they had taken because level one was 'boring'.  They wanted something else, and named a group of people she would like to see get together to produce something.

Well, folks, I am here to remind all y'all that I wrote a book addressing many of the subtleties of the craft.  But there is only so much that one person can do, so I also support the idea that people who want to know more, learn more.  

There are many ways to learn, and even when someone like me writes a book, things will be left out.  Because a book only conveys so much.  Plus not everyone can learn by reading alone.

A number of people the person wanted to learn from already teach.  At least two have teaching studios (that I know of) so they are trying to get the information out.

More teachers are moving on line, including me.  But after thinking about the filming we did last month, I know we didn't cover every little detail.  My approach has been to focus on principles so that students can apply them, rather than try to cover every single variable.  The student participates in their learning by applying the lessons.  Those lessons might be boring, but sometimes you just have to do the work.

Post production on my two classes continues, in spite of the pandemic, in spite of the environmental disaster of the past few days in my province.  The production team are not in the affected areas, nor am I.

Once the classes launch, in the new year, I will continue to work with this team because they are young, enthusiastic, and have skills I am too old to even want to try to learn.  This team also have a vision for the future that I am hoping to contribute to as their plans develop.  

While learning on line is perhaps not ideal, neither is learning in person, if the teacher and student don't mesh well.  Or the course content wasn't what the student hoped for.

It is said that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.  In reality, the teacher was always there, the student just needed to recognize them.

In the meantime, if people are looking for more in depth classes, Jane Stafford takes a deep dive into the craft.  Tien Chiu and Janet Dawson are working hard to bring good content to students.  Others continue to work in person, in words, or on line, like Robyn Spady and Daryl Lancaster.  There are others, as well.

Above all, we should always remember that we are here to create joy.