In the eye of the storm

Last Thursday was the beginning of a crazy roller coaster week for me. I got a call that my dad was in the hospital, they thought he had meningitis or encephalitis. Scary. Luckily it turned out it was pneumonia, but he spent a few days in the hospital on oxygen and antibiotics etc. Over the next few days we realized something weird was going on. My dad has been on medication for anxiety and depression for years and something had triggered a huge downswing for him. For anyone who knows someone who suffers from depression you know this is scary. The worst part is that you can't fix it, well for me it is anyway. Watching someone you love try to get through that is one of the hardest things I've had to do. My first thoughts when I was driving to the hospital when he was originally admitted was "there goes all my requirements for the day" and that was the last I thought of it. After they had stabilized him and I went home, everyone was gone to kung fu. The house was empty and quiet. I went down to the basement and was able to finish all my push ups, sit ups, forms and finally, my meditation. It was a blessing to have something to take my mind away from worrying and analyzing. I had not expected to find a haven in kung fu. I realized that the physical aspects of the UBBT requirements have given me an outlet for the emotions that can build up and overwhelm me at times. Physically exhausting myself gave my mind the ability to find peace in the whirlwind.

oh cruel, cruel pushups

So today has been a really up and down one. I have had problems with my right wrist with what I am pretty sure is carpal tunnel syndrome. I would get numbness from doing repetitive motion etc. It usually doesn't bother me. Of course doing from 100 to 200 pushups every day (somethingI'm not used to) has really exacerbated it. I have started working at a horse boarding facility where I do a lot of barn work that I don't think is helping much either. Last night I woke up 4 or 5 timesbecause my hand was numb. When I woke up this morning I went to check if my hand was blue and purple becauseit was so completly dead numb. I had trouble making breakfast for the kids and signing the homework etc.

This morning in class during warm up we did 30 pushups. Before the first 10 were done my hand was going numb and my wrist started to ache. I had to finish on my knees. argh! We mostly worked on techniques the rest of class so I was doing not to bad. Near the end we all did fitness testing which includes 30 pushups, 30 situps, 30 round housekicks each leg and 30 squat thrusts for my level. Of course my pushups were terrible. I've been doing knuckle pushups which helps but doesn't solve the problem completely. I had to stop every 5 to 7 pushups to shake my hands out to get the blood going. So the point of this really long post about my wrist and hand is that Sifu Laurie gave me some really great ideas to try. I thought I would post them in case there is anyone else having wrist issues. So #1 get the little handles for the floor to hold onto so my wrists are straight. #2 Apparently there are wooden wedges used in yoga for people with wrist issues to decrease the angle that there wrists are bent, on a side note, my husband has a balance board and if you plant your hands on the edge it tilts so your wrists aren't bent as much, which might work well also. She also made me promise to not do more than 125 pushups every day, I've been doing 200 so I can have rest days. I bought a wrist brace that looks really silly, but seemsto work not to bad.

It's really hard to take it easy. I feel a little like my body has betrayed me. I hope that some of the suggestions work out and I will be back to 100% as soon as possible. This has been my first setback and it made me feel grumpy for most of the day. I went to the UBBT website and read a bunch of journal entries, and it made me realize that I'm not alone in the setback department, and of course everyone is still going, which is what I will do. Just so you all know, it means a lot to me to be able to go on the website and read my fellow members journals. It always gives me and emotional boost and renewed purpose.

David Suzuki Living Hero #1

David Suzuki is an amazing Canadian who has been educating the world about the environment since the mid 70’s. I grew up watching the Nature of Things, where he tried to stimulate interest in the natural world, wildlife and the threats to it and to humans, with alternatives for a more sustainable society. He made it interesting and accessible, even to a an 8 year old. He is also the co founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, whose goal is “to find ways for society to live in balance with the natural world that sustains us” He has received 22 honorary degrees for popularizing science and environmental issues.
In one of his books, The Sacred Balance, he talks about how we need to understand that the amorphous idea of “the environment” isn’t something separate from ourselves, that we are the environment. He urges us to be connected to the world around us, something that I believe is the first step for anyone to take action and change the world for the better.
In more recent years, he has been a compelling spokesperson for global climate change. His passion for the environment shines through and has inspired many people to take action and make changes in their lives and the way they look at the world around them, including myself. David Suzuki is someone who has been an advocate of the natural world for many years and has inspired others to do the same. He is my living hero #1.