Break a Leg

Despite my busted foot, it's been a good day already. It's my momma's birthday, I've made chili and my bird and my cat are finally getting along. It's gonna be a bright, bright sun shiny day!

Good luck and break a leg to everyone in the demo. I wish I was there.

I Have Such a Long Way to Go, and I'm Thankful For It

Last night Sifu Beckett and I were talking about our Friday class, and I believe I had an epiphany. The two of us ran through Mlong Kuen, and I was trying to pay attention to where in my body I was generating the power and flow, and some things felt great whereas some things felt mechanical and lacked draw from the earth. And I realized the things I felt good with are the moves I had been struggling the most with over the last couple years. There were several places in the form where I had never felt comfortable, and I was constantly looking for feedback on them, asking repetitive questions and fighting with the flow. As always, eventually an answer would ring true with me, or perhaps I'd finally understand the answers I was getting and translating them into movement. On the other hand, the areas of the form where I had always felt comfortable with I was no longer content with.

This reiterated to me the importance of striving for mastery. You will always improve, as long as you are pushing forward. And remember, forward is fluid, circular. So yes, you may feel as though you're moving backward, but it is all essential in reaching for mastery. "Correction is essential to power and mastery". Stewart Emery nailed this. If you are comfortable with something, don't just settle there. In my mind, comfort is just another word for mediocre.

Paw Prints on the Car Door

Last week, en route home one lovely afternoon from Stony Plain I saw a black & white dog laying in the ditch on the side of the highway. It was a sad sight, he was just laying there with his head on his paws. Anyone who knows me knows I can't pass that and forget it, so I pulled a U-turn at the next intersection to go see if the doggie was alright. I noticed the car in front of me made a U-turn too, and who would have guessed that they had the same idea. As they came to a stop across from the puppy, the dog jumped up and ran to the drivers' door, tail wagging.

Two things came out of this- one, the dog was fine. Just taking a snooze in a very bad spot, but dogs will be dogs. Two, I witnessed a stranger take time out of his or her day to ensure a strange animal was okay. I was thrilled- sadly, I usually see people just speed by without a second glance. But, not that day.

It was a good day.

Sorry, I'm Whining

This is going to be quick and painful. I'm sick, feel like I'm going to cough up a lung soon, my shoulder still hurts from Pandamonium & I pulled some muscles in my butt/thigh area last Monday. Needless to say, I've been slacking on my daily stuff. I meant to complete 1000 sit-ups and push-ups last Friday, but me, the couch & the blanket were fused together. We were some strange being I named Khouchet.

I feel better now, but I keep aggravating everything. I did one rep of my monks spade last night with my own spade, and now my shoulder is screaming. I should ice it, but its so cold and rainy already, I just don't wanna.

Yes, I'm complaining. I apologize, most people figure out fast that I'm a whiner when I'm sick. I admit it.

Two Titles- Update 5.0 & Whilst is an Awesome Word

Sorry for the long delay between posts, I was gone for almost two weeks in the bush, and I forgot about it this weekend. But, I'm back!

Still have Hollywood the pigeon, she (I think) looks more like a bird now and less like some freaky sideshow. Doubled in size, double the appetite. Trying to fly, but not quite there. We hung out for a while yesterday in the yard, fresh air and sunlight was good for both of us.

I think I'm done the monks spade, I just need to try it out with my spade (which is significantly heavier) to see if its possible to finish it the way I'm planning. Made progress on it when I was gone and on Friday, but my shoulder is definitely not healing because of it. Progressing wisely is a phrase I need to remember.

Need to play catch-up on my push-ups and sit-ups. Looking forward to this Friday when I have no excuse not to do 1000 of each. Horrah.

Back at work. Bah. I am not one of those people who says they'd go nuts if they just stayed home everyday. I could keep myself busy in our yard for a good two years, in our house for probably three years. And I'm not even kidding about that. If I could find a way to make money whilst staying at home...

Definitely need to get back on track with the diet thing. I have to admit, I lived off of smokies & hot dogs whilst in the bush. I don't think it added to the waist, but I know it didn't subtract either. Also have to admit, had a couple cold bevies that didn't help either. Still managed to drink mostly water though, and less coffee than usual!

And aren't these baby geese cute! View from my momma & papa's house. Momma threw out her back, so get better mommy! I'll mow your lawn for ya!

A Pigeon in a Pear Tree

So I don't know how I get myself into these situations, but it seems that I'll be taking a baby pigeon with me to our annual May long camping trip. Despite my best efforts, I didn't find a home for it yet, although I do have a home lined up for when he's able to feed himself. But, chances are I'll be attached to him and won't want to give him up. He'd fit right in- three stubborn, bratty dogs, two talkative cats and a pigeon (in a pear tree). This counts as one in my acts of kindness tally for sure.

I think most people in the office think I'm completely insane for trying to save this bird, this "rat with wings" as he's being referred to. I'm feeding it every few hours, taking it home at night and I just spent a hundred bucks for a cage, heat lamp, baby bird formula, doggie bowl used as a nest & bird bath spray (all the nests they had were too small). Maybe I am, but I don't care what it is, be it an overpopulated scavenging bird or the last endangered dodo bird, if it needs help I'll do my best. If I can afford the car I drive then I can afford to try and save a life.

On Poptarts & Dentists

I woke up this morning with a memory of a dream, none of which made sense. The one detail I remember most was teaching the kids how to break boards, only instead of using boards they were breaking poptarts. Kung fu sneaks into every part of your life, while dreaming or while awake. And its helpful in so many ways, from catching something you drop before it breaks to having the patience & discipline to wait quietly in the dentists' office. Sometimes this can backfire, like when Sifu Beckett instinctively caught falling knife blades while driving, or this morning when I had a strange craving for poptarts with blue & purple icing. But normally, its all good stuff. It's upsetting when I see a student leave the school. They are walking out on all this good stuff, opportunities that are not going to present themselves elsewhere or with the same frequency. When you see a student leave after years of training is even worse, because they should be aware of what they are leaving. To me, when you become aware, walking out is not an option. I was talking to my mom in the dentists office yesterday about this. She gets upset when I mention a new injury or ache. You have to admit, what we do is hard on the body. I'm starting to have issues with my knees, and my mom is scared I'm going to be crippled soon. The way I see it, I'm happy that it took this long to develop. And no, I will not be crippled. I just have aches and injuries on occasion. But no matter what, she agrees that the benefits far outweigh any chance of injury. Far outweighs.