It’s Earth Day!

I imagine everyone has a lot on their minds given our current world situation. An uncertain future makes even the most secure individual uneasy, and no one can predict what the world will look like once this pandemic is over. But we can be hopeful.

An unexpected result that I’ve observed is conservation. People around our lake are being more careful with their water because it has to be hauled in, creating possible risk. People are being smarter with their food, wasting less and cooking more. People are turning to baking, creating, reusing and refurbishing. We’re making smarter financial decisions, being less frivolous with our money.

I can hope that some of these habits will remain in place after the crisis is over. I think if we reflected enough, we’d see some valuable lessons; even in peaceful and secure times the future is uncertain. However we can stack the odds with a little foresight; understand, acknowledge and accept the fact that our world is directly impacted by our decisions and then base our decisions not on what we want today, but what we want for a future.

Happy 50th Earth Day everyone. Let’s show our home a little extra love today.

Kung Fu Saved My Son

I’m not exaggerating.

Normally I’m so careful, paranoid. I’ve had nightmares about it. But it’s 4am, he’s having his third night terror and I’ve hardly slept. I missed the top step. And I’m carrying Carter.

This was two nights ago and it still fills my thoughts. Unfortunately, instinct caused me to throw my arms wide trying to catch myself. I can still see so vividly his fragile body completely airborne and free falling towards the stairs. I’m crying thinking about it.

Thankfully I reacted fast enough. I reached out and pulled him tight to my chest before either of us hit. He’s perfectly fine. Me, I ache down the entire right side of my body where I took the full impact. I’m bruised and I’m sore. But I am so happy. He’s fine.

I don’t write this for sympathy. I write this because I never want to see another student walk away or another parent pull their child. You don’t know what Kung Fu can do for you until it does.

And I am grateful. Thank you to every student who ever gave me the chance to deepen my understanding, to every classmate who threw a thousand punches at me, allowing me to develop the art, quicken my reflexes and sharpen my mind. Thank you to Sifu Brinker, my mentor, for dedicating yourself to us and this school, and for every opportunity and the abundance of guidance.

Thank you to my mom, who never had “quit” in her vocabulary.