Lots of Questions

   Again I am going to praise open training. This Saturday is no different. Started doing my thing (workin on my beta weapon form), got some advice from fellow students on the "look" on certain moves, either applied or adapted, moved on. Excellent, making progress. Took a bit of a break after almost one hour of this (time flies when your swingin weapons!), took a peek around to see what everyone else was up to. Cool, Kung Fu everywhere. I observed a few things that opened up some questions about how I would do the same move, neat, questions I didn't know I had, one of the many benefits of open training. 

   One of the questions asked by Todai Voght about a certain move in Lao Gar stopped my brain and forced it to ponder. I knew the answer but her way had merit and value, plus it really worked for her. So was I wrong? Ahh intent, you poke your head in at the best of times. I hope I didn't add confusion to her question instead of answers but such is Kung Fu. Two different ways of achieving the same result, two different intents but with similar results. So home I went to try both ways until my thoughts are clearer on this, and I still find value in both ways depending on which intent I use, awesome. 

   The move, incase you wanted to know, was in part two when you are in your horse stance with the right hand on your right hip and the left hand cradled in your palm, are you stepping in to the next stance (right leg steps out to the right to a bow) or are you "kicking (bad word but you get it)" out your left leg and pivoting your right to a bow stance? This is just a sprinkle of the discussion we had. I tried it her way, she tried it my way, we each explained our intent (mostly), and so on. So there you go, try both, figure out the difference.

   So this was one of a few questions I found just floating around, waiting to be asked, waiting to be discovered, hidden in plain site. 

   I love open training. 

P/up - 2377

S/up - 2360

Spar - 20

1609 km - 93.62km

Aok -  125

Hand form - 23

Weapon form - got weapon 5 days ago, making form (25 reps of imagination)

 Mastery - 1

Value

    I don't usually write two blogs in a week as there is already so much to keep up with in our daily lives, but this one excited the crap out of me so much I just had to share it's value to me.

   13 Black Belts (1 on zoom) all together at one time. The reason for this mass gathering of Martial Artists? Tai Chi. That's right, Tai Chi. 13 Black Belts, 2 of them master level instructors. When I realized what I was looking at last night in class, I was awestruck! I had to take a moment and actually fully appreciate where I was and what I was doing, and with whom. 13 Black Belts! Even writing this blog gives me goosebumps just thinking about what I was so incredibly privileged to be a part of. The mastery in that room was mind-blowing. 

   So if you are ever doubting the value of Tai Chi, remember one thing, 13 Black Belts will gladly tell the value, me being one of them. 

P.S, I also personally know of 5 more Black Belts who would have loved to have been there but circumstances didn't allow them to be. 

Spreadin the Kung Fu

   Out of the Kwoon and into the world. 

   This is one of our many ideals that I hold dear to me. If not passed on, everything I learn is for not. Case in point, Lion Dancing. I love to partake in any event that includes the chance of me seeing or participating in a Lion Dance, even if my body now rejects the idea of "tailing it" for 15-20 minutes. The freedom of movement you get to enjoy, the workout, the creativity of bringing the Lion to life, the comradery, all things I find amazing to be a part of. But it is all wasted if not shared with the outside world. And here is where today's story comes in.......

   While I didn't get to be a part of this Saturday's Lion Dance at the hospital, I actually decided to make my own Lion Dance. True, I was really really freestyling this one and it was very short, but nonetheless, I think it was spectacular.

   Deb and I were going over to the Grandkids house to babysit and were thinking of things they could do with Grandma and Grandpa. Coloring, meh, stickers, ehh, how about, wait for it........ a Lion Dance! Why not! Maisy loves to dance and Sadie does everything her older sister does. So off to the Kwoon to grab the Lions head Grandma(Deb) made for the Little Leopards for the banquet. Bonus point because it is predominantly purple, both Deb and Maisy's favorite color. Walking into their house was sooo cute, their eyes immediately went to the Lion, WHAT'S THAT?? What is this purple fuzzy googly eyed THING that Grandpa just brought into our house?? I knew immediately this was going to be fun. 

   After some "orientation" about how the mouth moves, where the handles are, etc, is was "movie" time. Maisy is incredibly creative, so after some playing around with the Lion, it was time to get serious. I was the Lion, Grandma was the camera crew, and Maisy and Sadie were guards who were sent to stop the Lion. The next half hour was priceless, laughing, "acting", revising the story, re-takes and so on. I thing an oscar is forthcoming for my "death scene", emote emote emote, and cut! Only problem was my "acting" was so good (😅 ) Sadie thought I was actually hurt and this upset her, so I dialed it back a bit. 

   So to summarize, not only did I have an incredible bonding experience with my grand kids, I secretly go to spread a little Kung Fu around, do some acts of kindness and I got to do a little Lion Dancing, what a sly old fox I can be (tee hee). 

P/up - 960

S/up - 960

Spar - 20

1609 km - 54.67km

Aok - 111 (acts of kindness week really helped that #!)

Hand form - 9

Weapon form -still haven't received my weapon from overseas but using a substitute for now, creating form 9X

 Mastery - 1

Happy new year!

   Happy new year to all my new teammates. 

   A great big shout out to all those who made last night so special. 

   Congrats to Sihing Jordan Carreau and Sihing Michele Ward, welcome to the next step in your journey!! 

   I know the little ones won't get to read this but man did they make my night last night. The Tiny Tigers with their dragon dance and the Little Leopards with their lion dance, pure magic!!

   To Todai Mike Kohut, you busted your butt last night behind the scenes, it did not go unnoticed, thank you. To those who unfailingly manned (wo-manned) your stations, I watched you give it your all, you rocked (Todai Kat Thelwall and Todai Shawn Ritter -if I only had your energy!). The list goes on and on, awesome job folks.

   So what does this year bring for me, why the pursuit of Mastery of course! And a new direction in blogs I hope, about progress not stagnation, answers not excuses, digging deep to help unlock Me to you. 

And here are my numbers!!!!!!! I will work to refine this through out the year.

 

 

P/up 200

S/up 200

Spar 0

1609 km 

Aok 41

Hand form 0

Weapon form  0 

Go Team Dragon 

Post

 I had a blog written for today but I wanted to let is stew a bit before I posted it. Glad I did. I am keeping it for me, it is a little to raw for me to be comfortable putting it out there. This is why blogging has become so important to me, it is a release that I can look back on, good or bad, and see where I was and what I was doing. 

Goodbye Rabbit, Hello Dragon

    Tis the end of the Year of the Rabbit and time for some reflection. I do have a bucket full of “hopes” for the Year of the Dragon, but I also had a bucket full for this last year.  Suffice to say, I am not proud of my progress this last year. While it was not a total failure, my commitment to my goals has been dismal. I could cliche the crap out of it, but I won’t. That would be detrimental to my ability to move on. So I will do just that, move on. 

   One of my big, no, biggest obstacles right now is how to accept the vast variety of so called “help” I am being offered by others. I think I can take criticism fairly well, I think, but lately it just seems to be everywhere, suffocating me. I try to turn the other cheek, but I am out of cheeks. I have found myself on the edge of unleashing a fury of “help” directed at the individuals living in glass houses. But that is not who I am, so it makes me turn inward, reflecting on why I am at this junction. And I see I must make some changes because this is not sustainable. So I take a breath, clear my mind and look at the light, not the dark. Negative is too easy, positive takes work, hard work, and that’s what Kung Fu is, Hard Work. Anyways….

   Sorry for that but I needed to get it in print so I can reflect back later in my journey to see if I have succeeded getting back to me or if I am still living a farce. 

   So really looking forward to the Year of the Dragon, bring it on.