Get Well Soon, My Girl

So, I got rear-ended on Monday. It was the first accident I've been in that has involved another vehicle (backing into Nicks truck with Nicks car in Nicks driveway sooo doesn't count)(okay, quit laughing). The very first thing I did was reassure my car that she would be alright, that she'll make it through this, that I'll be there for her. Is this odd? It worked to keep my head straight, which I really needed since out of the three of us I was the only one not in the wrong and the only one who was calm. I've always felt that if I ever got into an accident, whether not I'm in the wrong or right, why get upset or mad or panicky? Its called an accident because no one meant any harm, so relax, crap happens. All in all, I had a really good day yesterday. My car has mostly survived, little visible damage (although I can't say that about the Mercedes that hit me, and got hit, ouch), the police officer that helped me with my statement was a really nice guy, the auto mechanic guy was uber friendly, and I got a free coffee at the gas station! Really, why do people assume I didn't have a good day? Its my car that had the bad day.

Lesson- relax! Things always go better if you don't get grumpy.

Thanks, Dude

Just a quick word to thank the tall, young, lightly bearded, kind fellow at the Petro station near the studio in Stony on Tuesday. If anyone knows who I'm talking about, tell him thanks from the dark haired girl with the washer fluid and coffee. I was already gone when I noticed. He earned a gold star for the act of kindness towards me...

Long List of Stuff

I never really make any formal New Years resolutions, just continue on in my days as I normally do, but here are some things, relevant and otherwise, that I'm hoping to accomplish.

- drink less coffee and more water
- master tai chi and cane
- get regular haircuts (its been 6 months...)
- read some different kinds of books
- become better educated in good music
- learn sign language
- put my chunky dog and chubby cat on a diet
- get my students to black
- change my last name
- create a new lion dance
- keep up with the laundry (and dishes, and vacuuming, and the grass, and my dogs...)
- cook more, eat less
- practice my flying kicks more
- buy some RRSP's
- get my environmental practitioners certification
- get my AMRT and eventually AMRS certification
- jump out of a perfectly good plane
- go back to Castle Mountain
- find homes for strays
- catch the strays first
- remember to water my plants before they wilt
- complete an anger management course
- finish the renovations
- pay off my quad, car, cards
- spend more time with my dogs playing fetch
- spend more time with my friends and family


Well, these are some things just off the top of my head. Not everything, to be sure, but some things.

UBBT 7

So, I went and did something I was not planning on doing. I played the little birdy on Wednesday, and Sifu Brinker managed to convince me to join UBBT 7, which I had no intention of doing. But, now that I have, I'm happy about it. No quitting and no going back, right? So, wish me luck and sweat. Sifu Brinker, you're gooood.

Work in Progress

So, I do believe I can claim the title of worst Body-For-Life participant. I don't think I've hit 6 meals yet this week, or even last week now that I think about it. Still, I've been paying attention to what I eat, focusing on protein and carbs as required, and throwing in as many veggies as I can. I'm out of cottage cheese- this is a crisis as I have been relying on it to be a quick straight-from-the-container meal. I'm out of the shakes, which means I haven't been getting in the first meal of the day. I haven't had breakfast during the week for the last how many years, so getting into the habit now is a work in progress. I'm slowly getting better with the entire routine, so I figure that if I keep at it I'll get it down eventually and can write something a little more inspiring for everybody.

And living with a skinny Ukrainian isn't helping...
That should be an oxymoron.

Revelations

So, what has the UBBT done for me?

I remember when Sifu Brinker first proposed the UBBT to us, I went home and had a long hard talk with Nick about it. He was helping me think it through- my time was already limited, I'm a very personal kinda person and hate any kind of publicity, I already had numerous other commitments. Talking it through, logically I shouldn't have joined. So, I did.

I remember saying, this is my opportunity. This is something that can completely change who I am and turn me back into the person I was at 16, prior to obtaining black belt. When I explained it to my parents, I remember my mom saying it was a great idea, but whats the point? How do you explain to someone the benefit of doing a challenge when the benefit is the challenge behind it? I think I managed to, though.

So, what has it done for me? I'll start with the simpler stuff, because I'm still not sure what to write on the big stuff. I feel like I know some of my fellow SRKF blackbelts better. We always had a conversation starter, rather than "hello, how was your week?". I've developed a deep respect for vegetarians. I've spent many a dollar of coffee for strangers, which gives me a fuzzy happiness inside. I've gotten back friends that I thought I had lost forever, which is a priceless thing.

In the beginning, I wanted to turn back into the person I was prior to black. I haven't. Now that I'm here, I've realized that I did not manage to become her again, and I wouldn't want to. Evolution means progress forward, and not backwards. I am definitely not where I thought I'd be, but I can say I am not where I was a year ago. I may not have trimmed down as I wanted to, but I have definitely increased my strength, and as a result developed my confidence back enough to say "if you don't like me as I am, then thats truly your loss". If I'm going to change, it will be for me and no one else.

Its caused me to reach out to people I never had before. As I've gotten to know others, I think some know me better. Its also made me see things about me I hadn't before. I remembered I have strength, and its clearly defined my weaknesses. Its defined what I want to change in myself, and although I have not yet changed some of these things, I feel that the UBBT has given me the tools I'll need to do it.

I've also noticed that its made me more emotional instead of detached. Not that I'm crying at Nick or yelling at my boss, but the issues of the world are reaching me deeper, making me feel more compassionate and more responsible. Watching videos like Charter for Compassion, NASA's Sustainability Base and the impromptu dance of hundreds of people in a Belgium train station has been triggering deep emotions.

I'm sure I'm not thinking of something fundamental here, but for now this is what I have. I'll post more if there are any future developments...

Round II....

So I've been reattempting the Body-For-Life challenge, and I have to say the challenge is there. Again, as before, its the number of times a day that I'm supposed to stop and eat thats killing me. Following the diet is fine, eating healthy is fine, work-outs are time-consuming but fine. Its just eating 6 times a day takes a huge amount of work to prepare the food, and to remember to stop when you're not even hungry... doesn't always happen. You can eat only so many of those energy bars before you just want to huck it out the window. And I can't exactly stop and heat up my chicken when I'm driving down the Whitemud or Henday.

Well, I'll just keep plugging along. I doubt I'll be a shining star of an example for this challenge, but I'm trying...