So Long to a short summer

This week was one of vacation.  It took three days of preparation late into the night after work to get all the gear prepared as everything was in shambles.  A week that vanished like vapor and tonight I return to the bombshell that I left last Saturday.  A couple of notes:

-Relaxation does not necessarily mean inactivity (but sometimes it does)

-Attitude counts more than age (So says my Ma who rappelled off the Crescent Falls cliffs this week)

-Atmosphere is a key ingredient to relaxation. (Hoorah for mountains)

-Humans are sometimes better off less connected (Yay to my Samsung and its poor reception)

So then; so long to another Summer that has officially kicked the bucket.

August 23, 2015

I have come to the conclusion that relaxation is a skill.  My grandpa had the ability to shut down the farm tractor and have a midday snooze under a poplar tree on the side of the field.  My son is currently lying beside his bike curled up sleeping on a patch of grass in the sunshine.

My mom right now is jokingly asking me for Ativan.  I am pretty sure I know which side I take after.  Today I am out camping with my family.  Relaxation is on the menu, and after more preparation than I can imagine, we have finally made it to the destination, but not without help.  My family is tremendous in support and good old fashion help.  I am blessed.

As we speak, I am listening to Johnny Cash with my feet up, my only responsibility right now is to flip the potatoes on the barbeque.  No reason to be stressed about anything.  Yet, in the empty void left by a lack of stress that should be filled with Folsom prison blues, I find my brain wandering to find something stressful to think about.  Sheesh.

The ability to relax is a bit of a learned skill, one that I need help with no doubt.  There is nothing good about stress and anxiety.  It is not good for the body.  This week being around good people that I care about is certainly helping things out.

Life, Legacy, and Kung Fu

My core values and beliefs; my personality blue print if you will; is what drives the decisions I make today.  Those decisions have impact in the world in which I live.  The resulting residue that lingers long after I am gone will be my legacy.  When I speak of Legacy, I am not speaking of a narcissistic need for the remembrance of my existence.    Rather I am thinking of what benefit have my decisions made to the community and earth which I am a part of.

I got to thinking about legacy in my Kung Fu.  On further thought I have begun to realize the impact that training has on core values, and since that seems to be the driving force behind decision making, it makes one think if training is going to provide a legacy in which I can be proud.

Action without contemplation is ignorance.  With that in mind I am pleased to say that the years I have trained in Kung Fu were not mindless, but a continuous evaluation and reflection which always resulted in insurmountable reason to continue.  Many of those reasons are the core values that training honed, include confidence, work ethic, control, and most importantly awareness.

In that awareness, I then recognize that what makes our lives great is the result of the legacy of past generations.  Clean air and water, morality and stewardship for example.  Perhaps it is due to a sense of gratitude to our forefathers, or an obligation to future generations, but I would say that the greatest driving force to wanting to make a positive influence is more self-serving than that. I think it is mostly the gratification of a positive accomplishment that drives those good decisions.   

A person toiling to build the pyramids, may have had little enjoyment out of life, but left a remarkable legacy.  On the other hand, how many lives of great joy and utter fulfilment have come and gone with very little impact to the future world.

When I got to thinking about this, I realized that a very fulfilling life indeed is one that lives in the moment, and enjoys what has been given to us through the legacy of past generations, AND, receives the gratification and accomplishment from a legacy they can be proud of.

While I flew off on a bit of a tangent there I want to get back to Legacy and our Kung Fu.  Recognize that what we do in the I Ho Chuan; from the demonstrations that display hard work, commitment and mastery, to the way we live our lives as stewards to the community and environment are making an impact and leaving a very, very positive legacy.  That legacy, and an awareness of the gifts in this life with which we are given, makes life truly awesome indeed.

August 8, 2015

It boggles my mind to think of the mathematics involved in a lunar landing.  How on earth can you send a fire powered rocket from a moving point and hit another moving point 385,000km away.  It’s all about getting the right trajectory.

Lately, trajectory has been on my mind.  Maintaining that direction for continued success in Kung Fu.  Too steep a trajectory and life is thrown out of balance and the rocket hurls to the ground in a huge fireball.  Too weak a trajectory and goals get missed, motivation slumps and the rocket runs out of fuel and also hurls to the ground in a big fiery crash.

Maintaining a positive, sustainable trajectory is tricky business.  I think it is about a continued guess and test.  Am I missing my goals, then perhaps I am on too weak of a trajectory.  Time to regroup and push toward my goals a little harder.  Am I fatigued and finding it difficult to meet the demand, including work, family, friends, mental health etc, then perhaps I need to downscale.

I am constantly assessing my trajectory.  I evaluate whether I am moving forward, I evaluate whether I am spending enough time with family, I evaluate my mental being.  This past week I am feeling the pain of a trajectory that is not steep enough.  This upcoming week I will be upping my training, then evaluating where I am, how I am doing, where I plan to go. 

Death Race 2015

No Death Race this year.  It has been a couple years that the race has been on my I Ho Chaun goal requirements.  This year however we were honored to be invited to a wedding of friends that was really special for us.  It was really nice to share that occasion with them.

Following the wedding we continued with the trailer west….and we didn’t stop until we ran out gas which just happened to be Grande Cache.  While we were about a day late for the race we were still in time to take in the atmosphere that this little mountain town provides and hook up with the racers with all the after stories.  Right now I am writing this blog on the banks of the Sulphur river on a portion of the course waiting for a family member to complete a portion of Leg 5. 

Here is a real story.  The “Red Hot Chilean Peppers”  Team name for a group of spicy Chilean runners which are also family members and friends who gave a good crack at it this year. 

Unfortunately time was not on their side, but…..everyone is running there leg anyway. Right now we are waiting to cheer on Carlos who is running leg five as we speak.  We are timing him, and we have a grim reaper dressed at the river crossing.  Now while the boat is long gone, the family and team is out in full force to see what he can do!  Prior to that Nibia ran Leg four (all 38km over two mountains) despite the fact the cutoff was missed.  Just awesome. This drive and never give up attitude is exactly the attitude of this race.

I think a lot can be learned from this group.  No failure gets them down, it just drives them forward. Just an awesome attitude and drive for success no matter what the outcome.  I really look forward to seeing their success next year.