How's your chi?

Ch'i (pronounced "chee") is the Chinese word used to describe "the natural energy of the Universe."

My chi is not with me this week. There is no natural energy going on from within me and certainly no chi is apparent at Teddy's house. This could be the result of traveling all weekend and having no time to organize and relax. It could be the result of the school honeymoon being over and the drudgery of the routine has taken over. The boys have been tuning me out all week - I have turned into the background noise...

I researched Feng Shui this morning to try and learn how to rearrange my surroundings so that Teddy's house can be more naturally peaceful and relaxed. Feng Shui is the idea that you live with nature, in harmony with your surroundings. Fengshuitips.com is a good resource for learning, except that nothing has been published on it since 2003. Is that the last time that Feng Shui was trendy? (In my scattered mind this makes me think of all the web sites and blogs that get started and then drift into the back shelves of the web library and nobody ever checks out those books anymore...)

The website suggests tips for creating harmony in the home - to take all good with gratitude and accept the bad, and then let it go.. that's seems like good advice for me today. It also suggests silly things like sleeping in red sheets if you are feeling sluggish and placing a dragon on your desk if you want to be powerful at work. If only life were that easy - just rearrange your office and sleep on red sheets,

So many things in the last few weeks have upset my harmony - just the stress of watching the news, or if you dare to look, the balance of your 401(k) account. Yes, Lee and I won't be retiring for 227 years. easy come, easier gone.

My conclusion from my brief research and discussion is that you have to balance your chi yourself. If things aren't feeling right then make the moves to work it out. Chi and Feng Shui harmony do not happen on their own, one must make deliberate steps to correct your missteps and deliberate steps to move forward, at home and at work.

I need to start off with dusting my bamboo plant.