Pen to Paper

    I have failed miserably this year when it comes to recording my numbers. Just yesterday I did my push ups, I think. Problem is I didn't write them down so there is no proof. I have a beautiful little book, labeled, divided into categories, ready to go. But for whatever reason, I have not written anything in it in for lets just say a while. I know it is now a requirement to log these with EVERY blog, but there is nothing log, that's one of my problems. I need to address this, ego or not. 

   This year of the Rabbit has been a year of excuses and mediocrity for me. Sore shoulders, new medications, pure laziness, on and on. Instead of adapting, I have been hiding. Just because I can't do my 180 push ups/sit ups does that mean I should do none instead? Of course not, but for some reason that has been my new way of thinking. I have no idea when that crept in, oh wait, yes I do cause that's when I stopped recording my numbers in my book. 

   So I will have a new attachment with me, my book. Hopefully I eventually find a way I like of recording on my phone, but till then, I will eliminate the excuse of having nowhere to write it down by always having somewhere to write it down. This should eliminate one of many problems I face when it comes to my numbers. This tool will be at the top of my tool box, not hiding in a drawer somewhere. 

From October 29th, my last posting of my numbers, yes it has been that long, ouch.

P/up  14582

S/up  14176

Spar  440

1609 km  1907.76km

Aok  549

Hand form  485

Weapon form  425 

   Nothing new to add to those numbers as I didn't record it anywhere, so this is where I am at. Double ouch.

Done for Me or You?

 

   This picture is a single point in time. It cannot be repeated. It will never happen again. But to me it is forever. It is a cornerstone in my own personal foundation. The journey to get to this single point in time took fifty-two years of my life. The fabric of time that was weaved by me to be there at that point in time is a Gordian knot, and it cannot be easily undone. 

   We (2nd degree Brown Belt and company) had a discussion in class Saturday morning that reinforced the importance of that moment. A simple question was asked about the importance of a requirement (to be named at a later date), and the enlightenment that followed was monumental. I will not try to pretend that I can even come close to duplicating the passion that was expressed to us by Master Brinker on this, but suffice to say, I was in awe. 

   My limited perception of the reality of what I thought I understood about being a Black Belt was put to task. Past, present but most important, the future. What am I doing with my Kung Fu? I know for a fact I do not want to be an orphaned black belt, that is get my black belt then just vanish thinking I have achieved what I came for. Nope, no sir, no way!

   As I had said earlier, my Black belt is a cornerstone and cornerstones are meant to be built on, not stand alone. My Kung Fu will be a palace, a fortress, a monument of light, never ending. My Kung Fu will be shared with others, it will be a cherished companion throughout my life, it will forever be part of who I am. The lesson I still need to learn are beyond my scope of awareness, but I am here and ready and willing to learn.

   So I am going to redo my requirement that we talked about, and see where I am now versus before. Have I grown, am I stagnant, where am I am what am I doing?

 

 As a side thought......

Am I a Super Nova or a Black Hole? Am I a blinding bright light that consumes all around it as it explodes outward till it fizzles out and dies or a silent invisible force that isn't seen but effects all around it by the sheer power of it's attraction? Now I am paraphrasing here when I ask that question but boy it got me to thinking.

Dragon Practice

    It was definitely Kung Fu (hard work) yesterday. Jogging/walking/poses for the better part of 45 min. Awesome. I was juicy with sweat (sorry, kinda gross I know), but it was worth every drop. Getting the chance to practice uninterrupted like that doesn't happen very often. The interaction between myself and fellow Dragoneers was much needed. I was getting feedback from people who are usually quiet, suggestions and insights that I don't usually get from being the head all the time. I feel that we as a team made great progress yesterday. 

   While it is unfortunate that a couple of the poses are not good enough yet to be in the sequence, I still want to practice them so next time we get a chance we can include them in the dance because I think they will be spectacular. Farmer's day or Canada Day maybe? We will see.

   So thank you to those of you who managed to make it in with the temperature being in the -40c range, I think it was well worth it. By all of you showing up, you as a group made my Kung Fu better. Thanks!

As a side note, I am looking for a SIMPLE  online way to record my numbers. Right now I write everything down in a book and would really like a way to do it with my phone (Apple). Remember, it needs to be simple as I am not a techy computer guy, anyways, any suggestions?

Silent Auction Time!

    It's that time of year again, Silent auction time. Every year at the Chinese New Year banquet we have a silent auction to raise awareness and support for our charities through the Silent river Benevolent Foundation. More info about the charities below. First, donations, we need you and your generosity. New items, hand made crafts, local business donations, but please no used items. Every penny goes directly to our charities.

   This year the auction will be in a online format only. This is to ensure everyone gets to enjoy the banquet equally. We will be sending out details on how to view/bid a few days before the banquet, it is actually really easy to view and bid on items so don't worry. 

   If you would like to donate, bring your items to be donated to the Kwoon with details as to what it is, what it is worth (value), who made it (artist/tradesperson if applicable), dimensions if needed, and who donated it. This info is crucial so when we post everything up for auction all the details are clear. If special arrangements need to be made to drop off donations, I can be reached on my cell phone during the day as well at 780-970-3590 (Don). 

2024 is a year of the Wood Dragon, starting from February 10th, 2024 (Chinese New Year) and ending on January 28th, 2025 (Chinese New Year's Eve). The Dragon symbolizes power, nobleness, honor, luck, and success in traditional Chinese culture. The Dragon is a supernatural being with no parallel for talent and excellence.

Lets bring in the year of the Dragon with a bang!! 

https://www.silentriverkungfu.ca/silentriverbenevolentfoundation

https://northernlightswildlife.com/

https://www.scarscare.ca/animals/

 

 

Always Take a Chance to Pee

   Opportunities. It is all about opportunities. If you have a chance, take it, cause once ya miss them, too bad so sad, they are gone. 

   Here are a couple of opportunities I was lucky/smart enough to be a part of just in this last week.

   Level one Young Dragon's class. Working on stick, specifically the opening bow. I had three Todais with me at the time. I was explaining the importance of a proper open-x stance. And then it happened, the opportunity that is. One of the Todais looked at me funny and said "that's an open-x?". Boom. Needless to say from that point forward, I was paying particular attention to my stances. Now it's not that my open-x was horrible, it just wasn't as deep or straight as it should have been. Opportunity presented to me, opportunity accepted by me, opportunity used to work on my stances. None of that would of happened if I hadn't taken the opportunity to help teach in the Kid's classes. 

   Saturday's Dragon practice. Not mandatory, but still, how could I not. We ran some, we sweat some, we got better at our poses, we learned each others moves, we bonded as a team. Golden opportunity, pure magic. 

   Then there was last night. I won't go into to many details, but this was THE opportunity of the year! The Black Belt Ceremony. The pride I felt in our school last night was life changing for me. To be privileged enough to be allowed to partake in this event is humbling to say the least. To be in the presence of this amazing group of people can't help but leave me in awe. The commitment, the raw emotion, the tears, the laughs, the passing of this knowledge from Master Brinker to his students, this is NOT to be missed without monumental regret. As I looked around the room and studied every detail I could, I found myself constantly on the verge of weeping, that's how much this night meant to me. And to top it off, I was there with my wife and son, my family, beside me, adding immeasurable depth to the importance of this night to me. Opportunity, this one is forever going to be next to impossible to beat. 

Numbers

No Quitting

Push ups

0/50000

Sit ups

0/50000

Sparring

0/1000

1609km

0/1609

1000 AOK

0/1000

Hand Form

0/1000

Weapon Form

1/1000

Mend Relationship

Journal

Online Presence

Three Public Performances

Lion Dance

Tiger Challenge

Zero Unexcused Absences

Core Curriculum

Projects

Mastery