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.

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.