Be Like the Dog

    My dog's name is Bailey. She is a 3-1/2 years old Shih tzu/miniature American Eskimo cross. She is a riot, loving, playful, mostly obedient, full of personality. She is definitely a house dog but boy can she play hard when the time is right. 

   January 2, 2021, we ( Deb, Kody, myself and Bailey ) went on a day trip to Jasper to visit my Cousin Mike. It was the first time Baily has ever been on a long road trip like this. For the first 2 hours of the drive to Jasper, she was all over the inside of the van, dog park?, Grandmas?, pet store for treats?, groomers for spa day?. You could just feel her excitement at the adventure she was on. She didn't care where she was going, just that she wasn't left behind to wait for us to get back home. 

   Skip ahead to Jasper. My cousin lives at a cabin (as big as our house, but he calls it a cabin ) at a lake just outside of the Jasper town site. Gorgeous place, a view that leaves you in awe of this marvelous planet. The lake is a few hundred steps from his back deck, so we head down there for a walk, the four of us, Mike and his rescue dog Josephine. Bailey is having the time of her life. Smell this, taste that, pee here, run, bark, more run, ice?, more dogs?, run, run, run..... I don't know what I enjoyed more, being with my family or watching Bailey have the time of her life. Us silly humans just watched her play and play and play some more, laughing and encouraging her as she gave it her all, holding nothing back. 

   By the end of our short trip, she was totally spent, but if a dog could smile, she was grinning ear to ear. 

   So why can't I be more like that with my Kung Fu? Seizing a golden opportunity when it presents itself, immersing myself totally in the moment, going 100% all out until I drop. Why do I hold back when practicing a form, when doing fitness training, when sparring? I'm not saying to lose control of myself, but to take what I have and squeeze out every drop of universe juice I have, loosening the constraints, both physical and mental, destroying the limitations I have imposed on myself. 

   Don't be left behind, don't hold back, don't hesitate, be like the dog!