Around yet another bend in river we come upon work crew that is clearly pouring every ounce of energy they can muster into project at hand. Their story says a person can draw a living from nature without harming it. One can move steadily through workday and through one's life, chopping and digging, sawing and clearing, earning an honest buck and sleeping good tired sleep of farmer or stone mason. They wish nature no harm, and believe they have enough knowledge about proper and improper behavior in field. Like our forefathers, they are forging ahead towards a bright future among fresh new land, only much more efficiently with their expensive trucks, backhoes and graders.

The end of a reflective day is nearing as we tie up canoe at modest dock we've fashioned at edge of our 3 acres of wetlands and natural prairie with a simple pathway made of stone leading up to house. Our guiding story is that of someone with conservationist knowledge and instincts, who is willing to stand up to his neighbors for those goals. Our aesthetics embrace woods and wildlife. Thoughts turn easily to how we may better protect species of fish we are after and quality of our water. Like a sudden bolt of lightning in night, a knock comes at door and we are snapped backed to reality in an instant. Two men from a local governmental unit have come to explain details of their latest plan to dredge and straighten portion of river in front of our house. It is explained that our woods and neighbor's property get flooded during times of high water, and a very generous consortium has offered to pay for work to its completion. They go on to mention something about mosquito control and such, but we're not really paying attention at this point, as our attention is fixed on sight and sound of some birds working feverishly to build a nest in tree just beyond door.

In each case stated above, actors are guided by personal stories directed by specific attitudes and behaviors. Attitudes perhaps prescribed to by our own personal environmental heroes: golfers, loggers, naturalists. Spontaneously and without conscience we go about our life standing by our beliefs and traditions. I'll leave it to all of you to decide if there is a moral to story this river has to tell. I'm certain your favorite stream has one of its own, unique in nature but common in its entirety.

Until next time, I'll leave you with this to ponder: "The nation behaves well if it treats natural resources as assets which it must turn over to next generation increased, and not impaired, in value." ~Theodore Roosevelt

This is what is promised to us from this work:

Balance and harmony between body-mind-emotions, electro-magnetic forces, and our internal universals of yin-yang; Conscious engagement of endocrine system to produce hormones, enzymes, neurochemicals to boost our immune system; PH balance of blood; Better circulation of blood and energy, nourishing and energizing all organs and glands, detoxifying tissues by carrying away metabolic wastes and dissolving accumulated toxins, damaged cells, undesirable microbes and parasites. Improvement in cerebral function: training of mind to take conscious command of energy for healing and spiritual growth. Improvement in relationships between others/Nature/Cosmos. I studied many of these techniques at Chi Kung Institute in San Francisco. The instructor was Chiu Lim Chan, age 54 at time (1975), who looked 35 and had a belly as hard as a stone. He got teachings on Wu Tang Mountain from a 180 year-old man; that was in 1940.

Tao Ga Chi Kung/Taoist School Energy Work

· Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation)

· Tao Yin/Lead and Guide Energy

· 5 Animals Frolics

· Meridian Chi Kung

· Medical Yin-Yang Chi Kung

· 5 Organs Chi Kung

· 5 Animals, 5 Elements Chi Kung

· 6 Joints Chi Kung

· Two Meridians Chi Kung

· 18 Silk Reeling Chi Kung

Lohan Shou Chi Kung/Buddhist School Energy Work

· Pa Tuan Jin/8 Pieces of Gold Brocade

· Iron Warrior

· Bei Wu Hsing Chi Kung/N. 5 Animals Chi Kung

· Shaolin Rou Quan 1

· Chan Mi Kung

· Shipalohanshou/18 Methods of Arhat

· Yi Jin Ching/Tendon Washing Classic

· Shii Shoei Ching/Marrow Washing Classic

· Bodhidharma Jing Kang Ch’uan/Diamond Body Chi-Kung

· Stone Warrior Chi Kung