Final push

I am writing my national certification exam this month, the 16th to be exact. I forgot how much I hate studying for tests! One of my goals was to get at least 85% on this exam. I've been studying on my lunch break but I know I need to put more time in than that. With the demo performance tomorrow I will be able to put studying as my new short term goal. 

School is out and I couldn't be more proud of my girls report cards and awards at the end of the year. They both got leadership awards this year, really cool to see my kids putting into practice what we talk about and teach at kung fu. There have been times when doing the right thing has been extremely hard for them, especially Chantal in grade 7. She is one of the only people I know that will do the right thing every time. She  has stood up to people in defense of others and it has cost her a lot sometimes. She doesn't have a very thick skin, so many nights at bedtime I've sat with her and tried to make sense of why people do the things they do while she cried. Anyone with kids knows what I mean. I hope that I can live up to her example if I was in a similar situation, it's tough to take the high road and it's often a lonely one. 

Can't wait for the demo tomorrow, think of the hours of hard work we've put into this thing, not to mention the literal buckets of sweat! See you all tomorrow.

Progress

I feel like we had a breakthrough as far as practices go this week. Mr. Donahue has adapted his cane form and we are making it work with one attacker. It's fun and I think I finally stopped bumbling around and it's looking a lot better. My acting needs work, hopefully that will come. I also made progress with my cane form, it's almost done! It needs a few more moves, and it's not that smooth yet but that will come with practice. Hurray! Progress!

I am trying to be more mindful of my free time so I can actually enjoy it instead of wishing there was more of it or it was at a different time. I only had Sunday off this week but making sure I wasn't getting stressed about all the stuff I had to get done in one day makes a big difference. Spending an hour this Sunday with my feet up outside, having a coffee with my dear sister and my adorable niece set a more relaxed mindset for the day.

blocked

I'm trying to write a quick blog before work but inspiration is not hitting me this morning. I had to miss class Friday, and emergency came in and I was on anesthesia...the good news is the dog made it even though I left Mr. Donahue without a partner. I'm finding practices a bit frustrating right now, we are working on a 3 attacker sequence with only 1 attacker. I am the first to admit that I have no imagination, my 5 techniques for black belt grading was excruciating for me to come up with. I'm trying to work on my cane form but I'm stuck, I recorded myself doing what I have and I look like a pansy waving a cane around. So bottom line is there is more work to do. See you on the mats!

busy week

I couldn't come up with anything I really wanted to say this week- just that it's been so busy but really good too. The weeknight practices are making my schedule pretty tight- Tuesdays and Thursday nights are usually when we try to batten down the hatches so to speak for the next couple of days. I enjoy getting to know my team mates more and I really love being a part of the dragon dance team. I think we forget how cool it looks because we're in it, but again at the parade this weekend there was a lot of oohs and ahhs. So cool.

My first week at my new job was really cool but kind of scary too. I was put right into rotation there- no honeymoon! It's good but my mind is constantly racing and questioning my knowledge, can't wait until I know everything cold. I've been getting to do a lot- epidurals have been the most exciting thing so far, I love it!

I've been missing the kids class a lot already. I find myself thinking of stuff I want to do in class and then I remember it's not my thing right now and I get kind of bummed out. Last Tuesday I was at a school function for one of the kids and I saw one of the kids from kung fu there. He was lining up and two kids behind him were picking on him- throwing stuff and name calling, it progressed to pushing and hitting...I jumped up to put a stop to it but another mom got there first. It set all kinds of things going in my brain. Who more than the kids we teach will actually need to use the self defense we teach? A kid is more likely to run into these push/shove type situations than most adults. It solidified for me once again how important this is for kids to be involved in, also made me think about how we can get them trained to deal with these situations. Darn, I really miss the kids class!

See you all on the mats.

A Truly mindful experience

My mini vacation to Victoria was awesome- even though I had to miss class/practice to go. One of my favorite things about Victoria is the food/wine/beer. There is just no comparison when your eating fish caught from the ocean you can see out the window of the restaurant you're in and eating artisan wood fired bread made with ingredients all grown within miles of where you are. We were sitting on the pier in a little village on Salt Spring Island sharing a some wonderful bread-y creation made by a local baker and I felt sad that it was one of the best things I've ever eaten and I'd probably never get to eat it again. I felt the same way about all the amazing cheese and fish etc. that I couldn't bring home with me. So while we were eating I asked Adrien if he thought that you enjoy something more knowing that you'll never have it again? Neither of us came up with a great answer but thinking about it later I've decided that having the knowledge that you will never have something again forces you into the moment in a way we normally aren't or have trouble bringing ourselves to on our own. Knowing I was never going to eat that amazing bread again made me savor it in a way I don't normally savor my food. I thought about the chewy texture and the juicy tartness of the crushed tomatoes, the slight saltiness of the cheese- I never think that much about my food while I'm eating it. Sifu Brinker recently talked about eating mindfully and I think I did for the first time REALLY while I was away- even though I thought I had before, very cool experience.

New life stuff

So this month has seen a lot of changes that I didn't see coming. I quit my job in Stony and I will be working in Westlock which means I won't be able to be a part of the advanced black dragons class any more. It was a tough decision, thinking about leaving that class was the hardest part of deciding yes or no to Westlock. I'm hoping I'll wow them so much they will make a new shift up for me so I can make Monday/Wednesdays.  

Funny, but quitting my job once again made a connection from kung fu to other parts of my life. This sounds like I'm tooting my own horn but I want to make a point: when I left my practicum site (in Westlock) they wanted me to stay, I sat down with the office manager and a couple vets and they embarrassed me with wonderful feedback and comments on my work ethic and offered to match what I would make at my job in Stony. I had to decline as I had made a commitement to work in May there. When I knew that Westlock was the place for me and gave my notice a very similar meeting took place with my current boss. I always feel embarrassed when people go on about my work etc. It feels like I don't deserve any accolades for just doing my job properly but apparently it has become a rare commodity these days. Mediocre and just barely good enough and how soon can I get out of here has become the norm. The mastery we talk about at kung fu again applies to all aspects of our lives. By going the extra mile and making sure things are done right, following through, being in the moment- paying attention to whats happening right now, are all things that make you indispensable in your work place and as a friend, as a mom/dad/sister/brother or anything.

Anyway- bit of a rant but I just think it's cool how kung fu connects to all aspects of our lives. I will be away at the end of the week, Adrien and I are going away for our anniversary, 15 years!

See you all next week.

Premeditated acts of kindness

I know a lot of people have been using the phrase "random acts of kindness" and I was thinking that it may be that phrase in particular that makes people feel like recording an act of kindness somehow cancels it out. Just because we try to and maybe even plan to do an act of kindness it does not make it any less kind, in fact it may make it more so. These may seem like random acts to those that are receiving them but they aren't really. I like to think of them as premeditated acts of kindness. Are any of us really only doing nice things because we have to write them down for others to see? I don't think so. I think we are just more aware of the opportunities to do something nice or helpful and take advantage of it. I don't think that there is any member of the I Ho Chuan team that will just stop doing nice things once their year is up- it's just a way of life and writing it down just makes you realize all the chances to do those things. So here are the last few days premeditated acts of kindness.
-Held the door for a lady struggling with a dog, kennel, bags etc.
- picked up garbage cans that blew over in the alley
-made a point of thanking someone who doesn't get thank you's very often
- picked up litter on walk with the dog
- talked with elderly neighbor (even though I REALLY had to go and it was an extremely personal story that she probably shouldn't have been talking about to me)
- gave our busy server and extra big tip
-spent time with a hospitalized dog that hates being kenneled
- stayed late at work to help another tech catch up.
-let someone in on drive to work
-picked up broken glass on walk with the dog.