What Kung Fu Has Done For Me?

    The question I have been asked is What Kung Fu Has Done For Me? This a huge question.

    So first I guess I should start with a little diddy about who I am and how I got to this point in my life.

   Let’s start with the Who part. I am Donald Robert Bjorkquist, born May 1 1970 in Edmonton,  I lived a majority of my pre-adult years in St Albert. I then jumped around from place to place for a bit then finally settled out in Spruce Grove in 2003. I Married a wonderful woman name Deb in 2005, and had a beautiful boy named Kody. Then when Kody was about to turn 3, well, that is where my journey into Kung Fu truly began to take shape. 

   First some back story...

   I grew up in St Albert in the 1970's and 80's, and at that time there was no real martial arts schools to speak of out there. All I knew about the martial arts was what I learned from TV and movies. And even that was limited to a  Bruce Lee movie here, a David Carridine Kung Fu episode there, but little did I know at the time but the seeds of an idea had been planted by these shows. See as a kid I was never really athletic, being asthmatic and all, so organized sports were not my thing. I dabbled in baseball, skied a little, skated a bit, nothing to write home about. But there was always something at the back of my mind, an itch, a shadow, a dim light drawing me to it. Something I needed to do.

   Fast forward a bit to 1999, now I'm in my late 20's, not really going anywhere with my life, no real purpose, just floating from one day to the next. Out of the blue one day on a whim, I decide to start going to a gym on the west end. It was alright, met some cool folks, learned a little bit about myself physically, but something was still missing. In walks a lady name Wolfe, yes Wolfe. She ran the Muay Tai kickboxing class and was looking for new students and asks me if I want to give it a try. Sure, why not, sounds like fun. Well, guess what, I got my butt handed to me on a daily basis by the other more experienced students. These people were hard core, I was in way over my head, it was eye opener! It knocked my ego down a few dozen notches, something I sorely needed at that time with me being a late 20's knucklehead and all. But now the seed of a direction were starting to grow. Unfortunately the gym went bankrupt and Wolfe had to shut down her classes, so that was the end of me getting pummeled and beaten up for fun. Or so I thought. 

   You see, as soon as I stopped going to Wolfe's classes, I knew something important was now missing from my life, and this started a search to fill this new void that had appeared because I did not want to loose the wonderful feeling of accomplishment that I had just spent the last year and a bit building on. 

   A short time later, in walks a workmate of mine, Sandor, our body shop manger (ironic name eh- Sandor the sander, anyways), we strike up a conversation, the martial arts being the topic, and he proceeds to tell me about a little school he goes to, and it is right next door to my work, bonus! I'm gonna give it a try, sure why not, sounds like a good fit for what I am looking for. Well, swing and a miss. It was a hybrid style of several martial arts, Tae Kwon do, Karate, Jeet Kwon doe (that's Bruce Lee's style), Judo, and a military style calisthenics. It was a lot to take in, and I mean a lot. An you didn't ease into it, you plunged in, sink or swim, I did not do well, it was too much, too fast. I got frustrated and lost interest, I was done, I quit. But I was not done done, I knew the answer was out there somewhere, I just didn't know where, yet. 

   Enter my soon to be wife Deb and her two children Kyle and Kaitlyn in 2001, followed shortly after by my son Kody in 2005. I now saw that the ground on my path was starting to take shape, my path was starting to becoming clear, but that void was still in my way. The only way I could see for me to fill this void was to ensure the success of these beacons of light that had come into in my life. That started me on a frantic search for a martial art school for Kody because I wanted him to grow up with a sense of purpose and security, never having to worry about the bullies of the world, as well as giving him the confidence to succeed in life on his own merits. And then I found it. It was right here all along. Silent River Kung Fu.

   All it took was one, just one single meeting with Sifu Jeff Brinker and I was sold. This is it. This is what I have been gravitating to for what felt like forever. It was like a focusing of my mind, it was a channeling of my soul, it was a hand guiding me through the void, my path now had a place for me to take my first step on a lifelong journey. I cannot understate the relief I felt when I was found by this school, because yes I truly believe that Silent River found me, not the other way around. Silent River Kung Fu basically quietly stood up in front of me and said "We see you, stop wasting your time searching blindly for truth and get in here, we will show you the way". I listened, and the rest is history.

   Sure it took a few years for Deb and I to start actively taking lessons, March 1,2014 to be exact, and by that time Kody had already been in Kung Fu for quite a bit. Of course we wanted to start earlier, but life was in our way, with busy schedules and all, you know, work, family, all the standard excuses. That's my bad, hindsight is 20/20 they say, oh that is so true. We really should have started right then and there with Kody, but I don't have time machine so say la vei.

   So Kody had now been in Kung Fu for almost 6 years and it is now my (our) turn to jump into Kung Fu with both feet. I can still remember my first class like it was yesterday, stations. For those of you who don't know what that is, its simple. You have a circuit of timed stations, push ups, sit ups, kicks, jump rope and more. Good stuff right?! But wait, this was different than before, I was actually enjoying this. It took me a bit to realize why.  Then I saw it. It was the people! Everywhere I looked, people were smiling, pushing themselves without being pushed. Actually trying to do the set they where doing as hard has you could, and enjoying it!. It reaffirmed what I had suspected all along, that this was it. This was where my family and I were meant to be. 

   Over the past almost 9 years of learning Kung Fu here at Silent River, so many things have happened in my life. While my job and family has mostly stayed the same, my perception of the world around me has changed dramatically. So now back to answer the question I have been asked,  what Kung Fu has done for me.

    Kung Fu has allowed me to have the confidence to feel like I can, and will, make a difference on this beautiful blue marble we call home. Kung Fu has given me something that I didn't really understand before, hope. Hope for the future, hope for the now, just plain old fashioned priceless hope. It has also given me an understanding of empathy towards other and myself, letting me see more than just my side of a story. It has added years to me life, if not in time then definitely in quality. It has taken the void that I felt I had and filled it with so much love and caring, confidence and clarity, compassion and energy, it has become a path that I intend to follow for my lifetime. I see no end to my learning, to my growth, to my path. Kung Fu has become a lifelong companion of mine, sharing both my triumphs and failures, encouraging me to strive for mastery in my life.

   As I wrap this up, because I really could go on and on,  I must make some acknowledgements and some well deserved thank yous.

My Family. My wife, my kids, my parents, you are my bedrock, my foundation, without you I have nothing. With you, I have everything, I love you. Thank you for being with me on this journey.

Friends. You know who you are, you know I love you all, peace to you.

Classmates both past and present, you have pounded on me like soft spongee clay, molding me into what I am today, we have bled together, we have sweat together, I think there was even some tears in there too, thank you for every bruise and bump, I wear them with pride and honor.

Sifus, Sehings and Sedias, You are the architects, you are the masters, you are our lineage, you are reason I am learning to be the best me I can be, thank you for trusting me and allowing me to earn my black belt, thank you for everything you do.

A very special shout out to Todai Nigel Bauer, I honestly couldn't have done this without you or your monumental patience, guidance and sacrifice. You sir, are simply great, no other word can describe you, thank you.

And I left this till last because I may not make it through it, To my Dad, I wish you were still here with us celebrating this, I miss you every day. Love your son.

Thank you for listening.

   

Gift Horse

    Sifu Hayes gave me a great partial aha moment in open training yesterday. I say partial because he showed me a certain move that I never even realized was even there, and now it is my job to apply and understand this revelation. This simple moment of instruction made a move in three different forms suddenly flow so much easier. 

   What a golden opportunity this was, uninterrupted access to a Master instructor, one on one in person, and all I has to do was show up. Show up to open training, you know, every second Saturday of the month from 10am to 12pm. It's free! It is also priceless. Proof is in my pudding, I asked what I thought was an easy question and Bang, an answer that translates over multiple forms!! OMG! 

   And yet, other than the black belt candidates and a few other awesome individual, no one else was there. While I am glad for this because that means I can be greedy with the Sifu's time, I am saddened for the missed opportunity that could make a world of difference in a fellow students Kung Fu. 

   Anyways, that is my share for the week, I will not look this gift horse in the mouth, I will take advantage of this gift at every opportunity.

14 Days Left of Tiger

    As of the writing of this blog we have 14 days left in the year of the Tiger before the year of the Water Rabbit (Jan 22 2023 to Feb 9 2024) starts. And it has been quite a year. For me it has been all over the map, mostly good/great with a sprinkle of 😕 and 😡 mixed in to keep things real. It has been a year filled with opposing forces. My football team sucked this year but we (Deb, Kody and I) had a huge amount of fun at the tailgating party before each game, I attended my favorite Aunt's (Constance Bjorkquist) funeral 😭 but I got to reconnect with a bunch of family I had lost touch with, I deeply missed my Dad at every family function (RIP 03/12/19) but we as a family are trying to make the best of the void he left by being better to each other. So it seems that for every dark, the light finds a way to shine through. 

   And the same can be said for my Kung Fu. Aha moments appear when least expected. Take yesterdays level II brown belt class for example. Forms, lots of forms, with guidance in between each round. Insights that, if acted upon, can help me in ways that are life changing in the way I practice my Kung Fu. Something as fundamental but utterly important as trajectory and skeletal alignment. Then we talked about thrust punches, two words, but so much involved in a correct one. I see hundreds upon hundreds of thrust punches in my future. Punches from a horse, punches from a bow, transitional (slide-side steps), in conjunction with a block (counter), and so on. 

   Yesterday showed me I am taking this punch for granted, and it is affecting both my delivery of power and my ability to complete the move before moving to the next move. Either I am swinging up or pulling it short or I am turning it into a hook (kinda). And there are many factors causing it, stance, rotation, intent, center, timing, over/under thinking it. 

   So I will be doing a LARGE amount of varying thrust punches, I need to figure this out, I need to be better.

   What does this have to do with the title of 14 Days Left of Tiger, not much, but I needed a title.

Different Views

   So I've been working on my five techniques this past while, tossing out some and refining others. With this time of the year being very busy for most, including myself, I have has to work with multiple different people. This is a real eye opener. What works with one person falls off the rails with a different person and that forces me to adapt the technique. This is a good thing.  

   Yesterday, while working with test subject Alpha, I was tasked with the possibility of having to maybe modify a clearing block that works great on test subject Beta and not at all on test subject Gamma. Alpha asked me what my intent was, to block or attack, to clear the kick or to position my attacker for the next "finishing" move. That forced me to think and not just react. We played with both for a bit and I could really see the difference, and I found it came down to something I really struggle with, my Spirit.

   In the six harmonies, number one of the internals, spirit to intent, is something I really think about deeply. Only I can know my spirit, who I am, how far I will go given a certain circumstance, I can't just skip the first one because I need to get to the second one, intent to chi. Even writing this blog is difficult, there are so many variables that fall into this concept. Am I aggressive, passive, decisive, uncertain, angry, sad, the conflict for me is hard to define as every situation is and will be different. 

   By working with multiple partners on this, I feel I am starting to come to grip with this. Size, speed, injuries, some of the hundreds of variables that blur through my mind as a technique is being done. I am super glad for the controlled environment that the Kwoon brings as it allows me to safely work with my partners, they can be the best good bad guys and I can learn with each repetition. Anger, fear, adrenaline, hesitation, these can be tamed or at least minimized and I can learn how to deal with them as they rear their ugly heads.

  

A Day Late

   It's Monday, not Sunday. Reason I bring this up? I usually write my blog on Sunday mornings, no exceptions, but yesterday was Christmas day, and like usual on that special day, it was go go go all day long. As much fun as I had yesterday with all my family, not blogging yesterday left me feeling incomplete, my mind couldn't rest, my week wasn't over, my Sunday reset and reflection on the week was left open. So my reset in now, Monday morning, it may be a day late but I feel a great relief inside that I sorely need. 

   My focus has been all over the map lately, and not getting my Sunday reset exasperated it. My daily plan/routine has been chaotic, no focus, no agenda, just training randomly. I didn't realize how bad this had gotten until last night. It was like a voice inside me was waving it's arms and shouting "Hey, dumb dumb, you forgot about me". And it was right. I had a routine that was really working for me, I was up early, Tai Chi 1-4, one other form slow with purpose (usually Lao Gar), stretching, push ups and sit ups. Only took half and hours or so, started my day off right. 

   Then I slipped, first one foot off the path, then the other. Now I am heading who knows where, cause I sure don't. I have no morning routine, only excuses. And I have been denying it, saying "just today, give my body a break", then it is two days, then five. Luckily(?) I was journaling everything, and that was devastating, cause there it is, in all it's ugliness. December is basically a write off. Sporadically written logs here and there, vain attempts to regain momentum. I am buried in excuses. I am drowning in mediocrity. 

   But this reset feels like a pointy toed kick in the butt. I have been told to ease up on the thinking about it and focus more on the doing it. Knowledge versus skill. So away I go, first step back on my path, then the next.....

Traditions

    I had a really interesting and thought provoking conversation last night. Deb and I were at her branch Christmas party just chatting away when one of her co-workers sat with us, Jack. He is from China. No big deal, everyone is from somewhere, right? But I took a chance and asked him about China, not knowing if he would think I was "stereotyping" or being an annoying jerk or whatever, but I honestly wanted to get first hand knowledge of what life was like there. At first he was a little standoffish, but after he realized I was honestly interested in what life was like there, he opened up. We talked about food, the media, the village his grandparents live in, Chinese New Year celebrations, the Martial Arts, and so on. It was great. I could have listened to his stories all night long. It was like a little light in my world started to shine on the truth about something, not what the media tells me the truth is, but first hand honest truth. 

   What really struck me as amazing was when Jack was talking about the meals in his Grandparents village, it was basically a communal gathering. Everyone sitting around, sharing the days catch, the days food stuffs, the days stories, interacting with each other, family to family, all as one, no hierarchy, no rich or poor, all equals. Jack said everyone is so friendly, so open, caring about each other.

    This is so foreign to me being from the west. We all sit in our homes, segregated from others, maybe if we are lucky enough, sharing a meal with our family. Can you imagine sitting with everyone in lets say your block or subdivision (I dislike this word subDIVISION), gathering around a large eating area, seeing all your neighbors, talking, interacting, being communal, and eating your meal, EVERY DAY!? Wow, I can only imagine. Even events like our Chinese New Year banquet, we all sit at our tables, mostly keeping to ourselves. And yet within our grasp right across from us might be our next best friend, or someone with an amazing story to tell. And yet we squander those chances, substituting social media for actual human interaction. 

   Well enough of that for now. Tonight we are off to our third Christmas gathering, this time with my side of the family and there should be about 12ish people there and I will talk to each one of them tonight, they are one of my little communities. So are you.

   I know I didn't talk about my Kung Fu much in this blog, and yet I feel I did.

Lookin In

    Self awareness, trajectory, time management, applying knowledge learned, mindfulness, identifying the problem, have a purpose, does this serve me. All things mentioned in Saturday's morning class. I am sitting here thinking about what to do, which one do I think about first? Which one should I prioritize? All are equally important to deserve independent devotion to. And yet, with a little thought, I can see it as one all encompassing thought sequence. 

  Mindfulness and self awareness with a purpose, used with proper time management, can help identify problems in my training and my ability to apply the knowledge I have learned,  showing my trajectory, being positive or not, and whether I am serving myself with my intentions or not. 

   (this is just one way to look at this, others may see it differently)

   The more I read my take on this, the word that stands out the most to me is purpose. Others may see this or interpret this differently, but this is where I am at. 

   What is my purpose? Why am I doing what I do? Am I doing this on purpose with a purpose? Does my purpose serve me? That is going to take some thought.