Blog challenge number 2

Well, in answer to Sifu’s challenge, I am blogging today about my experience of performing my form in front of someone not within the I Ho Chuan group, and receiving feedback.

My options are pretty limited.  Aside from a couple of equipment operators, the odd time a heavy equipment mechanic, and my dual personality, there really is very limited persons to complete this task.  Since I don’t like my alternative personality (always eats my snack food) I was stuck with the equipment operators.

So, me in cover alls, steel toe boots, hard hat and safety glasses completed Kempo on a very lumpy dirt site.  And from his perch on the D6, taking a deep long drag from a cigarette offered no criticism of sorts, just a simple question.  Where do you think your gonna use that?

Aha, he had opened up the opportunity!  No, not the opportunity to knock him off the dozer track with a flying kick, but rather the chance to explain how forms are instrumental in the practice of our style of Kung Fu. This led to a very good conversation regarding the martial arts with a person I originally pegged as having little to no interest in any activity whatsoever.

This was challenging because it forced me out of my comfort zone entirely.  It forced me away from being a closet martial artist.  Truth is, how can you make an impact, be an activist for anything, or influence somebody if you lack the confidence to just get out there and do it.

Blog Challenge

I am posting this one a little behind schedule, but here is a narrative on two of my goals:

One of the greatest challenges for me was completing Kempo 1000 times.  This is a challenge that I have not been very successful at.  Space and time were at an all time low this past couple months. When I had the space, I had limited time.  When I had the time, I have limited space.  I suppose that is never an adequate excuse, Kempo could be done in the dark outside.  What I found however was completing the form 1000 times is a challenge itself, however when additional constraints were thrown on it, there was that much more reason to avoid it, or focus on other matters.  With the winter approaching, it is only getting harder for me to complete this goal, freezing weather, but more importantly the lack of light is becoming a real drag.  I am finding I can complete pieces of the form during the day when appropriate, but to complete the entire form several times a day is a struggle.  The nunchuk weapon form, is an absolute no no on site which leaves very cramped space in the trailer or in the dark outside.  Hmmm, never tried the nunchuk form in the dark before.  I will give that a go tonight.  Black eye to follow tomorrow.

Pass an introductory grade ten Spanish test.  That was a personal goal of mine which so far has been a complete crash and burn.  My wife is fluent in Spanish.  My in-laws are fluent in Spanish.  I have CD’s and little doo dad games for learning Spanish on an ipod.  I listen on occasion to Dora the Explorer. 

Current status;  The family cat knows more Spanish than I do. There is no excuse, this is a goal that has no space constraints.  Headway can be made while driving, waiting, or cooking dinner.  I have been pretty hard headed with this one.  There is still time however, I am ending this blog post and putting the CD into the player as we speak.

Shadow Ninja's

I’ve since moved from hotel life to trailer life.  It has been a good transition as I am now in better control of making healthier meals and I am getting better and more consistent sleep.  The transition was tough as it came close to Sifu Regier’s challenge of shadow boxing in confined space.  The day I received the challenge I remember precisely. 

Here I thought a battle with the trailer sewer hose was big.  This I hadn't counted on. Ninja’s had somehow gotten into the trailer.  Dressed in black, one Ninja had already gotten into the cupboard and had a mouthful of dry mini-wheats. So with nothing to lose I launched down from the bed and snapped a side kick into the first victim.  He flew clean past the table well into the kitchen and straight out the tiny one foot window.  A second one wielding a stick.....no..... a battle ax came flying from the 3 foot squared bathroom.  Crossblock, knee to the guts, second Ninja down.  

Suddenly ominous music was playing.  Obviously the worst Ninja had been hiding in the closet the whole time.  He was obviously the leader because like all good martial arts encounters, the best Ninja is always dressed in a different color.  He wore crimson yellow and definitely meant business.  What was this!?  In his hand he had popped the top of my Pringles.  BIG MISTAKE.  After a fight of epic proportion the battle was over, the ninja’s were vanquished......for now.

This was an interesting challenge.  Practicing kicks, punches in confined space is nothing new, but a full out attack of shadow boxing ninja’s makes things very interesting.  I sometimes like tapping into the imagination for shadow boxing, forms, techniques.  It adds some realism.  What I also noticed in the exercise is how I missed circular motion on my opponent.  With the very limited space I had, everything had to stay linear, so my techniques and sparring style adapted.  I would say it got a great deal simpler, sticking to more thrust punches and front thrust kicks.  Most importantly was an awareness of surroundings and concentration on technique rather than getting in on an opponent opening. It was a great challenge, thanks Sifu.

Save a tree, shoot a forester.

I don’t have boots made from horned lizards, or eat burrowing owl omelets.  I don’t throw rocks at whooping cranes, and would probably think twice about hitting a dodo bird with my car. But...

I am a Forester.  I have cut down forests.  I have burned countless litres of diesel fuel transporting the logs to the mill.  I have powered kilns and saws with vast emissions. I have pounded those trees into pulp using noxious chemicals.  I have bleached the product white as snow, and packaged it in spiffy oil product plastic to catch your eye.

You have decided to use ten sheets, when four would do in the bathroom stall.

I am a forester...and you complete me.

This week, think of putting me out of business.  Make choices that are based on need rather than demand.

An Epic Battle With The Knapster!

-I won’t push a grandma out of the way to get further in the line up for an I-Phone 5.

-terabyte is something I do on a tough steak.

-A hard drive is two boys buckled in the back seat and only one superhero action figure.

-My wife is the oracle when I need to play a beta tape.

-It may be a smart phone, but can it ride a bicycle?  Wait a minute... neither can I.

-Google, twitter, blog. After paying a handsome fee, those are the parts my mechanic said he fixed in my car.

I like welding, fixing and building on most things.  I really like seeing talented craftspeople in a well renovated kwoon, and quality workmanship like that of a glass dragon.  I appreciate a nice car for what components it’s made of.  That would fall in the classical understanding in relation to Pirsig’s definition.  But some things, I just like the shiny good looking exterior.  That is until it fails to print in which it is hucked off the back deck or dropped out the second story window. 

I am kind of a person that is torn between classical and romantic understanding.  Unfortunately, when it comes to computers, and the myriad of technologies associated with it, the balance is tipped towards the romantic understanding.  I follow it because the exterior shows promise, its overall concept is shiny and romantic.  The components and programs and processes that make this technology what it is, make my eyes gloss over faster than a class of high level calculus.

Public journaling has been a challenge for me to say the least. Turning the computer on when it is something of little interest to me is tough.  However, being away from the kwoon, I can’t emphasize the importance of the team member’s journals to keeping me on track.  I read every journal of every team member.  Every entry has importance to me while I am away.  I can learn a little bit about the people that are contributing to my successes, and relate to the experiences they encounter.  It is motivation and encouragement.  This is why I journal.  If the journaling tool is this significant to me, then it may be significant to other members of the team as well.

If you are considering skipping your journal entry this week, or maybe catching up down the road, please think of me.  Your journal entry is not flying into a cyberspace black hole. It is being read by me and every word is important for my success.

Anyway, I guess I will wrap this entry up before my computer breaks its Android again.

Smiles are Free

Two days ago was the first time in my life I have watched the sun rise, and watched the sun set in the same day.  It was pretty neat.  I am a person that strongly believes in the power of positive influence to life longevity.

Weird things that made me smile in the last 2 weeks:

-On his first day of kindergarten, my son telling my wife she should really leave the classroom now.

 -Deep dark rain clouds mixed in with intense sunsets.  

-Flying.

-Johnny Horton on the radio while driving to the mountains.

-Untangling my kids fishing lines.

-Catching a salamander and moving it off the work site. (I haven’t seen a salamander since I was a kid!)

-Old barns in wheat fields

-Two ravens having a conversation on a roof top.

I find it is easy to focus on the things more tangible to maintain health and happiness.  Diet and exercise always take the forefront in my life.  More importantly though, health of mind.  Being involved in the martial arts we know how important the mind is in controlling the body.  Presence of mind determines completing 50 push-ups or completing 500 in a day.  It’s the difference between breaking a knuckle and snapping a board.  Presence of mind affects health in a big way. Staying positive, taking joy in things you pass by every day will mean a healthier lifestyle. 

If you are conscious of them, there are a million things that you pass by everyday that will affect your presence of mind in a positive light.  Positivity breeds positivity.  Surrounding oneself with other individuals of positive presence of mind is important to me, and important to maintaining a strong mindset.  It is partially why I joined the I Ho Chuan in the first place. In the presence of engaged individuals, I will be a stronger individual.  In the presence of positive engaged individuals, I will be stronger in body, but also in mind and spirit.

 

In the I Ho Chuan we are expected to show leadership, and make positive advancements in our lifestyle.  Positive advancements seldom come from negative leadership regardless of engagement.  Expecting results under continual criticism, anger, disappointment, won’t inspire the school and our community or cause the changes we wish to see.  I believe we should be inspiring for more than our accomplishments, but also for our strong positive presence of mind.   

Make hay while the sun shines

 This week has been stressed more than ever for time.  I am not sure why but lately we are always facing weather that is threatening a shutdown, so it is a period of time when we are making hay while the sun shines.  A lack of time has really affected me.  I have not had the opportunity to follow the journals of the other students as well as all that is going on with the team and kwoon through the various emails over the last renovation week.

I have been struggling for the first time on the most basic of my requirements, including the pushups and situps which were previously never a real problem for me.  I seem to be falling a bit behind on a few fronts and furthermore can’t seem to keep up with the additional challenges and other goals that are floating in from the team members.

While I appreciate the enthusiasm of additional challenges I am really going to focus on what I can tackle from my original goals.  Getting those back in order is important for me right now.