Ahhh Spring

This last week has definitely been a nice change. Warm weather hitting double digits, so nice. My whole neighbourhood is coming alive with activity as everyone gets outside and starts on their yardwork and flowerbed prep. I especially enjoy the longer daylight hours. Being able to walk Doogie at 8 pm and still be light out is so nice. I always feel myself becoming more alert and active as spring becomes a reality. Mowing the lawns, racking the leaves, watering the garden are chores, but chores I enjoy doing. I have started running 3 or 4 days a week again. It is so nice to be able to run without all the ice and slush. My knee is thankful I know. It actually is feeling pretty good with just the occasional bit of discomfort. I am continueing to wear my brace running, just to be on the safe side. It is still crazy busy around my household but that is the norm lately. I spent this past Saturday with Shelby at open training. She is practising every day, so proud of her. Her Da Mu Hsing is coming along nicely and we went over her red stripe combos. It has been along time since I did any of the white bely curriculum. Something I should do more often as it is the base of the pyramid and without a solid base you are just creating a wobbly pyramid. I am striving hard to achieve my blue belt. Its definitely a big step in my journey. Time to walk the dog, think I'll run him a bit tonight, good for him and me.

Kung fu runs in the family

My daughter has now begun her journey in kung fu. I am so excited for her. She wanted me to be on the mats for her first class but I told her that I thought it would be better if I just sat and watched. It is definitely hard to just sit there and try to by impartial, but I want her to get her own confidence and to feel as much at home in the kwoon as I do. The next few weeks are going to very busy with my whole family involved in a number of different activities. There are going to be a lot of hi/byes at the door as we pass each other. Fortunately its only for a month or so. We'll get through it, somehow we always do. I'm on a new work site now. Back downtown again for 7 to 8 months. Building an expansion to a data center in the Edmonton City Center Mall. It is definitely challenging as it is a 4000 amp service with 13800 volts being fed up to the roof from the basement. I expect I am going to be working some long days and hours this summer. I don't mind as it will all help pay for our trip to Mexico for my nieces wedding this coming November. If life wasn't hectic it would be boring. Time for a well deserved sleep and the beginning of a new week.

Silly me

This past week I went and banged my knee at work and of course it hurt like crazy. I hit it right on the side of the kneecap, ouch and a few other words came to mind. This weekend I decided to no longer let my injuries restrict my training. I have been shying away from the San shou class and was justifying it by saying it's only until I get better. But I really sat and had a long look inside myself. I realized I was accepting mediocrity again. I can attend class and just do what I am able, and modify the rest. I don't have to do everything and kill or re-injure myself. I don't have to worry about what everyone else in the class is doing. I can do the best I am able, and push myself to my own limits. I have heard this said a number of times, but I was sitting there folding laundry and thinking about my Kung Fu it finally sunk in. I can learn a little by watching, but only by doing am I really going to learn and improve. One small step on the road to mastery even if it's sideways is better then standing there doing nothing or running backwards and not realizing it.

Miss the team already

I think I managed to retreave all of this post. Here's hoping. This is the first week after the banquet and it has been strange. You would think I would love having all the extra time from no extra practises but that isn't the case. I miss the team and commraderie(spelling police check). I'm always amazed at how I get set into a routine and when it suddenly isn't there I feel all out of sorts. I definately felt like something was missing in my training this week. I know my wife appreciates having me home more, and I got to spent more time catching up on my family's activities. That I do enjoy. My family is important to me and sometimes I get to involved in my training and I get selfish. I need to get my family more involved and invested in my kung fu so that they see and understand what it is I'm trying to achieve. Without the support of my family I'll never achieve my black belt or any form of mastery. This week I have been focusing on what I really need to improve to achieve my blue belt. That's the next goal I have set. My forms and techniques feel good, of course forms can always be improved. Board breaking I know all the mental aspects, hopefully my injuries won't affect the physical to much. Chokes defences I need to review big time and get down pat. Look out open training here I come. The other goal I have set myself is to miss as few classes as possible this year. If I'm not in class I'm not learning and staying engaged in my training. I believe blue belt to be a big step on the way towards achieving my black belt. I have alot of hard work ahead of me, but if I can just approach my training in a mindful way, I know I can get it done.

what have i done now

My last two blog post are somehow stuck in draft limbo. I have been trying to enhance my blog site and I have obviously messed something up. I love technology, but sometimes it likes to play jokes on me. I can get part of my one blog but the other is blocked atm. So will have to see if the old memory is up for a challenge. I think I have managed to reset things properly and I guess I'll find out the hard way when I post this blog. This past week has been good, all the snow hasn't bummed me out like I thought it would. If anything my walks with Doggie have been amazing. So peaceful and quiet. Even slugging through the deep snow has been enjoyable. Todays walk completely replenished my spirit. The sun was warm, not a sound except for the occasional bird and no wind as we walked along the trail beside the train tracks. I am so looking forward to no snow or ice. But today it just didn't matter. I love the ahhhhhhhhh moments in life.

An awesome nite with friends and family

Saturday nites banquet was fun, inspiring, happy sad and most definately awesome. I so look forward each year to the banguet. Yes it's a ton of work, but in the end it is always worth it. I was more nervous this year then last. The demo with Sifu(know I'm gonna mess that up a few times) Robinson was very fast paced and intense and being his nite I wanted to to the best job I could for him. Yay we didn't kill each other for real. The muse demo was even more nerve wracking. I put in alot of hours the last 2 weeks fixing my stick form. I was not expecting to be in the muse demo doing stick. I know that was no excuse not to be better prepared. Even when I thought I was ready I wasn't even close. I had learned stick with bad technique and everything looked incomplete and jerky. My stick was my nemesis or so I thought. What I realized was I was my own worst enemy. I let my frustration with my lack of wrist flexibility and my elbow injury( I find out in a couple weeks what I did to it) distract me from putting in an honest and true effort with my stick form. I started down the path to mediocrity, but thanks to Sifu Rybak and Sifu Brinker for believing in me and allowing me the opportunity to switch tracks and show that I could be better and do better then I was. Nothing in Kung Fu has come especially easy for me. But I have not had anything challenge me the way my stick has. Looking back on it, that is a good thing. I have learned to focus better and pay more attention to my training. And to ask for help earlier. I am not ashamed or afraid to ask for help. Heck I have a ton to learn yet so I had better not be. I have to be more honest with myself when I'm struggling and not get into such a deep hole that I can't get out. I can't wait to watch the video from the banguet, just to see how many things I can improve. That's the one thing about practising at home, it's easy to think everything is ok with your form when you can't see yourself. But if you're truly honest with yourself there is always room for improvement. On a side note I am going to substitute kicks for pushups until such time as I get my elbow injury fixed. It is getting worse at times and pushups hurt like heck now. Oh look an opportunity just sprang up, who woulda thunk it. Thanks Sifu Brinker for the way you word things, it sticks with me and I am able to grow, that is definately not something I would have been able to do 3 years ago when I first started this amazing journey.

Year of the snake

I am looking forward to this next year in my journey to become a martial artist. I am a snake, so that's cool to start with. Second I am growing bit by bit, step by step everyday. I am nowhere near where I want to be with my effortless effort. But I am gaining the tools I need to achieve that. It's going to be very wierd to not be an official member of the team this year. But I wont stop what I know is working for me. That means doing my daily situps and pushups(or kicks til my elbow heals). I want to and need to stay engaged in my training. I'm still helping instruct the kids classes. It is so rewarding to me and I am able to give something back to the kwoon that is giving so much to me. The kids inspire me, and motivate me in so many ways. I see my struggles in theirs and share in their triumphs and even their failures. I know I expect to fail at times. I'm human and far from perfect. But to learn and grow from your failures is a far greater gift then vast riches or false praise. Society seems to be driven by the acceptance of mediocrity and the pursuit of wealth or things. To find a place and a group of people who don't want that and are striving for a better self and a better community and better world. Thats the place I want to be. I feel I have found that at Silent River Kung Fu. Thank you Sifu Brinker for unlocking the door and allowing me to begin an amazing journey. Now I just have to make the most of the opportunity and work hard at being a better martial artist each day then the day before.