Teri and B's Blog: Vancouver life: a self-assessment

I’m taking a moment to reflect over the past 11 years as tomorrow is the Teri’s anniversary. A montage of memories of her insurmountable 19 month illness with innumerable complications confronted with grace and equanimity; followed by care for my declining father for 3½ years 22/7 while working and learning new life skills with no time for grief; another 3 years to organize his memorials, academic and collection legacy, and, with the help of family, friends and counseling to come to peace with the hand dealt and finally emerging into refreshed air. It has been a full journey to the depths and back.

A glimpse of my Vancouver life as an indicator of progress. My life remains peripatetic with more than 50% time on the flight path but here is the single spot where I stay firmly entrenched during summers, focusing on one thing, Chen Tai Chi, in a self-imposed boot camp. This year, I’ve crouched up to 17 hours per week and my knees have been accommodating and my balance, proprioception and strength have noticeably improved. Post-COVID, the Sifu Paul and disciple Mary are back to basics (even warmups) retooling hand placement, knee positioning and hip movement with a fine microscope. Any inch off is called out and redone until revamped. Although my Boulder biking has consequently declined to a single weekly long ride, I’m swimming twice weekly. My intermittent fasting, portfolio diet + chia, hemp, flax seeds and CoQ10 have reshaped and rejuvenated me.

Art has become a major endeavor that began by listening to my father’s stories about artists and his career as this was the main way that I could get him to relate to me. Chinese contemporary ink painting began to become my passion while organizing his papers and collection. Now, I have expanded his collection in a thematic way, made a gallery using his chosen name and commissioned calligraphy, and plan to have private showings for friends to curators. I have focused my attention on Margaret a near nonagenarian artist who in the 1960-90s was an avant-garde ink painter who was close to my parents and now my close friend. After interviewing her weekly during COVID, I gave my first art history lecture on her career. Although my relationship with my father was limited or one-sided, I strangely find myself following in his extra-large footsteps … and appreciating his remarkable prescient, open-minded eye for abstract ink and my own subsequent visual high.

Close friends and family are widespread representing lived places from Iowa City/Lawrence, NYC, San Francisco, Madison, Columbus, Chicago, Milwaukee, Vancouver and now Boulder and a geographical challenge to maintain. They are a diverse lot from friends, former neighbors, fellow residents and faculty mentors, gourmet club, colleagues (Geezer’s Club or Grumpy old Gastroenterologists), artists, and biking and Tai Chi buddies. Of course, the 46-year relationship with three generations of Chuns who treated us like family (‘Teri was like a second daughter’) continues as does the 45-year history with Steve (best bud) and Mary and their three generations – our most secure life-long anchors. What is interesting is that my continued physical moves, academic involvement, APAMSA board activity, and art interests are forging new relationships with old and young’uns the latter are helping me to better understand and appreciate gen Z’s from which hope springs for better, beyond our current quagmire.

So, my self-assessment in Vancouver tells me that my life is refreshing and meaningful, still on a slightly upward, exploratory, adventurous incline despite the world as it is and aging as it will be.

Best