Just Another Day

I spend this morning with my mother, making batch after batch of pasta, trying different ingredients and types. Double batches of everything so we both could give it a try. The lasagne noodles are currently drying out on the counter.

Prior to grabbing this laptop and I was folding cranes and watching a movie called "42". My dogs are sleeping on the floor and in the chair beside me. My cat stole the chair I was in up until I left it to grab this laptop. He is now sound asleep and I had to relocate.

So why am I telling you about my day? It took a while but the significance of what I was doing finally set in. I thought, cool, today is a good day. And not just because 42 is the answer to life, the universe and everything. Sometimes you need to do something that is fun, quality, meaningful. Despite the fear of sounding cliche, something that feeds the soul. Folding cranes is an obvious one, as long as you're aware of what you are doing and why. Spending time with my mommy- self explanatory. Google the movie "42" and that one will make sense as well.

However, today could have very easily fallen into just one of those days in my memory. What I was doing and the awesomeness of it all could have been lost to me if I hadn't had a fleeting thought I managed to hold onto long enough to solidify it. It goes to show how easily meaning can elude you, and the importance of staying in the moment. I imagine someone who has the most fulfilling life possible can feel empty if they never stop to appreciate the events and moments they experience. There is significance in everything around you, if only you choose to stop and smell the roses once in a while.

Anchors

On the inside of my car door is a small patch of yellow paint. Its been there for quite a while, and it isn't wearing off. I could get annoyed by this, I have paint stuck on my car, but I don't. Actually, I smile whenever I notice it.

A year or so ago some of us helped out with a bridge painting project for the town of Stony Plain. We painted a walking bridge yellow. I had paint on my arm when I drove away and it transferred when I propped my arm on the windowsill.

Having a memory anchor like this is a powerful tool. I smile when I see that paint because it reminds me about that day. I remember Sifu Vantuil's two girls laughing and getting paint all over. I remember the Bjorkquists and Kohuts playing ultimate frizbee. I remember a happy day with great people.

The Tiger Challenge can serve as an anchor as well, if you let it. Remember the triumphs and the learning experiences. The work that was put into that day and the benefits of that dedication.

All our events can work this way. That is what they are meant for, for the SRKF family to bond and grow together.

Choice

When I take a step back and listen to what people around me are saying and watch what people around me are doing one thing becomes very clear. Everything that I believe in, that I do and that I am is a result of what I do, what I choose not to do and how I handle the events of my life.

Simple, and I know many of you know this. What I didn't think of until recently is how apparent the results are to everyone around me. I don't know everything about what has shaped you, but I see the results clear as day. I see when it has made you stronger or when it made you hide.

None of you know all of my past or my present state. And no, this is not that kind of blog where I will divulge all my secrets. But despite not knowing, you can see how my decisions have shaped me. It is obvious when I choose to come to class or not, and the effects of my decisions are equally apparent. If I'm there, I get a little better, more confident, closer to where I'm trying to get to. When I'm not, you know I'm struggling somehow, in some aspect of my life. When someone shows me a kindness I know something brought them to that point. When someone shows me malice I know something took them to that place. Strangely enough, the same event can cause both outcomes.

I want to tell you a story. There are two brothers, similar in age and intellect. They come from a broken home, one of their parents left without a word to either of them. The other parent was less than understanding. They have lost both their parents since, both at a young age. Both were affected by a serious childhood illness in some way.

One brother has a wife whom loves him, a home and a job he enjoys. He is for the most part content, working towards building a family, has friends who love and respect him. He is happy.

The other brother has always felt like he was a victim, sites his poor childhood experiences as the reason for his poor decisions in life. His wife has left him, he has alienated many of his friends. He is bitter, he doesn't see how his actions have brought him to this place in his life.

Now, which brother do you identify with? Which would you rather be? Both had the same beginning in life. But they are on very different paths, simply because of how they decided to deal with the events in their lives.

You can thrive if you choose to. Or not. It always comes down to choice.

The Devil's in the Details

It all started a couple years ago when a friend bought Nick a kids bow and arrow set for his birthday as a gag. Despite the fact that the bow was more suited for a 7 year old, we all had fun that night and many nights since.

This past July Nicks brother bought him a shiny compound bow, arrows, release, target, wax and tips. Needless to say I've lost my husband to archery.

Yesterday my husband bought me my very own left handed compound bow with all the needed accessories. We've spent the last two days standing side by side shooting at the target and trying to best each other. It's great that the two of us have a hobby we both enjoy and can share.

I went to visit my brother today to get some advice and tips. Rene is an avid hunter and was huge into archery for a while. He was able to show me a few things regarding my posture and stance (Horse stance Khona! You should know this, horse stance!). Despite being absent from Kung Fu for over ten years he remembers that at least.

So, I start shooting more accurately, getting a bit cocky. I forget to mind the details. The bow reminds me, the string grazes my arm upon release and I have the most wicked looking welt along the length of my forearm. I yelp, my brother laughs at me. He had told me to relax that arm, after all.

What is the point? The details are what will make or break you. You need to pay attention to what your body is telling you before your body slaps you in the face and says enough. Heel out, toes down, hips square, shoulders relaxed, all of it is important. I had tightened my grip, it turned my arm in, the string found its own target. Simple. Details details details.

Oh, and yes. Those are my arrows you're looking at. *Polishes nails on shirt*

It is ok to nap (Right Ma?)

I have something to confess. It's something I've only ever spoken to my mom about, and only because she admitted to it first.

My favourite part of the day is when I get to go to bed.

I've never wanted to admit that. Why does this weigh on my conscience so much? Because I'm supposed to be some gun ho go get 'em type person, pursuing mastery and such. But I love going to bed, snuggling up against my fluffy pillow, burrowing deep into the sheets, sinking into the soft-yet-supporting mattress. My bed is six feet behind me now and it's calling my name. Softly, determinedly.

So, I'm accepting it. No, I'm not going to try to change it. Try changing your favorite color, it just doesn't work that way.

I love bedtime. It's wonderful and makes me happy.

Appreciation

This past weekend was one that really emphasized how fortunate we are to live where we do, as we do. The parade on Saturday was epic. The crowd was positive and energetic and the group of people I walked the parade with are all extraordinary. As Sifu Brinker often mentions, to think of all that had to happen to bring us all together at that specific point in time, at that specific location.

Then later to have the freedom to pick berries, to bake bread and muffins, and to share these goodies with my neighbours and friends. To stay up and listen to the bugs and watch the bats and chat with my husband about nothing at all.

Sunday was about celebrating the birthdays of my husband, my sister-in-law and my niece. A family get together with copious amounts of food and sunshine. I had the opportunity to draw penguins with my youngest niece and talk with my older brother, to look at the blooming lilies with my mother.

I'm a bit of a science geek and originally went to university to study astronomy. The vastness of the universe is unfathomable and the idea hooked me at a young age. To look up and see so many stars and know they are so far away that many no longer exist by the time you see their light. To know that in all that space there are so many events occurring that we never think about, planets and galaxies colliding, stars being born and burning out, the endless space between an endless number of stars in an endless number of galaxies.

And in all that the idea that I exist, here and now with all of you. It's unfathomable. And I am grateful.

Sincerity

Many things in life seem out of your control and sometimes can become overwhelming. It happens to everyone, and no matter how rough you think you have it or how busy you think you are it all still boils down to you and what you do with it all. The one thing I have found that makes the difference is sincerity.

It was mentioned Friday about trying to walk that fine line between reaching out for teammates and harassing the missing individuals. I firmly believe the difference between the two is sincerity. If you truly believe in the system and the importance of having a whole and healthy team, reaching out to missing team members should be a natural and logical act. If you believe in the difference one individual can make then when you reach out to them you should be able to find the vocabulary needed and the passion that can inspire.

This concept works across the board. You need to be sincere in your reasons for joining the IHC, for trying to advance your skill and for striving for the rank of black. If you are concerned with the belt or the recognition or the glory then you're on the wrong path, and as harsh as this sounds, you are not cut out for the rank. If you are striving to prove to those around you that you are better then you're missing the point and you will always be limited in body and mind. If you understand that the rank represents more than the time spent training or the level of physical skill you've acquired, you'll understand why so few people make the rank. And you'll understand that the standards set for the rank are more than hoops or a yard stick. The character of the individual is more important than the physical skill or the time put in. If you sincerely want to better yourself and the world around you then you have what it takes. And yes, that is what is expected. And that is what mastery is about.

The I Ho Chuan is just a program designed to spell things out for you. The requirements are not new, not unreasonable. Its all just been put down on paper to make the process easier for up and coming people. Yes, easier. It embodies what it takes to achieve the rank of black. What it has always taken. And it is simple- if you are sincere about bettering yourself as an individual then doing thousands of pushups and blogging regularly and attending classes just makes sense.