Lessons from My Students

I feel like I have an advantage over most, simply because of the age I was when I joined. For example, last night in class we covered the front thrust kick. That's it. The front thrust kick, taking an entire night to dedicate to the first kick any of us ever learned. To me, the concept was simple- the ankle is fully extended, making a straight line from your knee to the base of your toes, aligning the skeleton. No, pull your toes back. Okay, but don't bend your ankle. But now your toes are pointed again. I didn't understand why my students were struggling until one gentleman mentioned he had never in his life thought to position his foot in such a way. Click.

I get what Sifu Brinker means when he says see a hole, fill it. If something needs to get done, do something to ensure it does. Leadership, both in the spotlight and behind the curtain is essential when striving for mastery. I get frustrated and don't understand why others can't see the gaping hole. But I figured it out- I've been taught since a very young age to recognize this type of thing and to fix it, be it in my stance or at class or in my life. The credit for this is not mine- I'm just the lucky duck in the middle. Recognition and credit goes to my instructors for getting these lessons through my thick, stubborn skull. Do something, fill the gap, even if you're unsure as to how. I know I've stumbled my way through many a problem. I know that I'm stumbling even now.

This is my vision for the I Ho Chuan team- a group of already exceptional people with strong leadership skills, the ability to motivate a community and a driving passion that can accomplish anything. This is where I want us to go. And you know what? It doesn't matter where you are in your training, where you are in the province or country, what your day job is- these are qualities that come from within. These are internal, personal qualities, independent from your schedule or any external factors. The physical goals outlined in the I Ho Chuan curriculum are external tools, in place to be used as stepping stones towards the development of these internal qualities.

I love to see leaders pop up from out of nowhere. When Ms. Gibbons took on the demo, that was one of the coolest moments in my I Ho Chuan/UBBT years. At the end of the year, wouldn't it be awesome to see everyone find their niche and run with it? We could have a dragon expert in our midst, maybe an extreme lion dancer, maybe the ultimate weapons expert. If you see a hole, fill it. Maybe you'll find your calling.

Thursday Extravanganza

-let three cars in traffic, two at a construction zone
-held door x2
-paid for coworkers lunch (different coworker)
-offered to make supper (I'm not normally the one who cooks)

Hump Day

Yesterday I-
-let two cars into traffic
-paid for lunch for two random people
-left my newspaper (the one I bought) for the next guy
-let my dog sleep on my side of the bed and let the cats sleep on each side of me (didn't kick them off or anything!)

Tuesday's Escapades

So what did I do yesterday...
-bought lunch for coworker
-held door x3
-let car in traffic x2
-let couple in first at greenhouse
-waved at a neighbor

Yowling Kittens Need Love Too

Acts of kindness from yesterday-
-held the door 3 times
-let car in traffic
-smiled & talked to the waitress
-complimented a couple students
-cuddled with my kitten when she wouldn't stop yowling

I love my animals and its hard to count what I do for them as acts of kindness. But last night, man, she was annoying. 11pm and she decides to make a ruckus. Why Charlie, Why?

The Good Thing about Construction Zones

I did record my acts of kindness for the first couple months, but I admit that I've fallen off the wagon recently. Big thank you to Sifu Playter for this challenge.

My acts of kindness for the last couple days:
-let a couple cars in at a construction zone
-held the door (about a half dozen times)
-let a lady in front of me at the grocery store
-offered to let a gentleman in front of me, but he declined (with a smile)
-cooked my ma the most amazing supper (not humble at all)
-gave my mom a jasmine bush & fudge (thanks Sihing Donohue) for "Christmas" (I was informed I was not allowed to buy her anything for mothers day)
-bought my neighbor a couple beers
-made the time to play with my puppies
-gave my husband a compliment


Looking for opportunities today!

Perpetual Struggle

I'm falling back into my old routine of dropping my stuff for everything else. Its so easy to put aside my own training because so-and-so is depending on me to do such-and-such. Its very short sighted of me, and I can only imagine where I'd be if I had just kept my focus constant for these past couple decades. Decades! Geez, I'm aging myself.

I poked Sihing Langner and Sifu Robinson last night about bringing out their new weapons. But what about my spade? It was sitting at home in my breezeway. Sheesh. Hypocrite. When I hear "I can't do this!" my heart flairs and I respond "Of course you can!". But I tell myself the same thing repeatedly. I've given up of many things because of this- as soon as it gets hard and I don't see myself getting better I throw up my hands and say its not for me. Hockey, softball, guitar, snowboarding, dance, learning sign language, archery. Makes me wonder how I've managed to stick with kung fu so long. Oh, I know- my mom used to drag me by the ear when I'd complain that I didn't want to go. Thankfully, I caught the bug one day. But I never gave myself a chance to catch the bug with anything else... downer. Even now, I get disheartened when I can't pick up something as quick as I think I should. Footwork, vectors, close combat, dragon- these are all concepts I continually struggle with, and I feel I'm not as good as I should be, considering how many years I've been training, how many times its been explained, how old I am.

Then, I get a compliment- the height of my kicks or how I move. I politely say thank you, but I'm secretly wondering what the heck are these people on? I watch myself in the mirror, and I see how high I am in my stances. I see how much I sway when I move, I see the sloppiness in my hands. But, then I notice how high my kicks really are, and how I still feel strong when I do them.

I'm thankful for inheriting my fathers stubbornness. And my mothers passion. I think thats what keeps me going. I turn my back to the mirror and focus on doing better than last time instead of what I look like.

Side note- I had a teammate comment about how he was surprised after the last meeting, how he thought I had everything together and was full speed ahead. Nope. I struggle just like the rest of you. I know what I am and I know what I ain't, and I ain't always what you think I am. That was just fun to type, doesn't really mean much.

Pandamonium? PandaAWESOME!

I am absolutely loving my kung fu family right now. I had such a good time on Saturday, the atmosphere was fun and friendly and passionate. I got my first taste of face painting- Sifu Brinker, you made my day. So many people just came up and started talking to me, and honestly I didn't know who half of them were. Parents of kids, random people who just stopped in to see what the fuss was about, reps from the charities. I can't name a single highlight, because there were so many. I had one kid break out in the biggest grin when he saw his painted reflection in my sunglasses- he was spiderman! Watching the yeti race for cookies with the kids, seeing the paramedics there, the puppies (puppies!), the weather.

The feedback I got on Saturday was great. Sifu Brinker, you've definitely made a name for yourself in that community. As I mentioned, I talked to quite a few strangers and the topic was usually the same- the positive impact that you've had on the community and its members, the amazing school you've built up over the years, how your passion is spreading like wildfire in the students. Someone even called you a white knight.

Even the small things that have come out of being a part of a team are huge. I've been introduced to music that I didn't know existed (and love!), learning the art of dramatic death (thanks Sihing Langner), air high fives where ever I go, movie plans, and oh, the fudge. I'm no longer afraid to be the nerd I am because I've discovered a group of nerds. I don't get embarrassed when my voice goes up an octave around puppies because I'm not the only one. I'm not worried about trying fancy flying maneuvers because I have someone to catch me when I fall (usually). Sihing Langner came to me and said hey, lets go practice outside, and I didn't even think twice about practicing in front of a group of people. That was a first for me.

I'm already excited for next year.