Lost presence, NOT due to alien abduction

Time and Space.  It’s as miraculous an invention as life itself.  If it’s not kept, it passes by all that much quicker.  One day molds to the next and the next.  Routine, whether it is good or bad eventually becomes what you believe as normal.  I am looking back at this past summer in reflection and am asking what has happened? If you are away and do what you can to stay involved from a distance there is a fulfillment.  I have now realized the most important thing when you are away for long periods, over and above pushups, situps, form repetitions and personal goals is blogging.  In the past I did not see people face to face, but still felt part of the group moving forward.

This year has been different.  Here is the circumstance.  Pulled out to work for a stretch, returned when possible back to the kwoon in the spring.  Faced with the disappointment of a board break that was unsuccessful, brought in question and doubt.  Following this, headed back out to work and was faced with camp life in northern Alberta with no internet, aside from very patchy coverage on my phone, no realistic way to follow journals or blog. A couple weeks enveloped in work and routine had become behaviour.

Here I am in Drumheller currently, and realize one season of not paying attention to time and space has become an issue for my Kung Fu.  I am very far behind in everything, but seeing the end of the season approaching perhaps there is a renewed sense of urgency.  I am not even close to where I was hoping I would be at this time of year.  It makes me nervous to even return to the Kwoon because I feel very far behind.  So, for those of you that I run into hopefully in a couple weeks or so; upon my return, please have patience with me.  The time is short, but I will get back in the game.

Thanks again to those texts and words of encouragement from some of my teammates, they were very much appreciated.

Post Run Thoughts

The Death Race is one of those strange circumstances where the memory of the misery is quickly erased by the memory of the experience.  Why do people come back time and time again and why are longer and more grueling races cropping up every year offering more pain, and more misery than the others.  Thinking more on this my blog is quickly going to deviate from its original content.

The most common question, Why run the Death Race?  One answer may be “because it’s called the Death Race”.  Similarly to Sir Edmund Hillary’s response “ because it’s there” in response to climbing Mt. Everest.  Is there an element of this attitude of self-servitude in all we seek to accomplish? To achieve something others have not, to belong to a club exclusive. While there is a select few of humans that run marathons, there is an even greater few that stick with the martial arts for longer than six months, a blue belt even less, a black belt scant few, never mind a seventh degree. 

Training in the martial arts I understand why I do it.  There is a list of reasons a mile long.  Most important to me, is seeing the positive value it has within my life, including my health, my confidence, my control, and my relationships.  But pondering on the Death Race, and really thinking about why every race coordinator is shooting for the title “toughest ultra-marathon in North America!” I begin to investigate a little further.  I believe that challenges in these forms are filling a void in many humans for the wrong reasons.  There is an ongoing attitude that my accomplishment because it is exclusive diminishes yours.

Why then do I run to the back to pick up a broom from a toiling black belt.  Is this exclusivity, not contradictory to what I just wrote.  No.  Because I am not picking up the broom to save the black belt toil, or because they have earned the right not to do such tasks.  I pick up the broom because it is a training opportunity and the black belt gives me the broom because they recognize there is a far higher value in an accomplishment that is achieved under the dome of humility and respect. 

An accomplishment achieved without arrogance; An achievement valued on its merit as to how it fits into serving me in my life.  This is a good approach and seems to be what I observe more often in Silent River martial artists and less so in other activities. It is probably why it seems so exclusive, (not by choice) because it tends to remove arrogance and fails to fuel many peoples need for recognition and status.  This is ironic because martial arts currently have belt and ranking system, and tends to cause a misnomer that mastery is driven by these negative factors.

This is probably why I enjoyed running on a team with 4 Silent River team mates.  The race never defined us, the experience did.  Thanks to everyone, it was a wonderful experience this year.

On another note, thanks to everyone from the I Ho Chuan that have been checking in on me, and just keeping me in the loop.  I really appreciate that!

Until next week.

 

Vince.

Closet Weapons

I have jumped onto blogger and looked back towards my last post.  Whoaaa!  Way behind here.  First an update.  I recently came from Lloydminster down to Medicine Hat, then back to Grande Prairie, and now in Weyburn Saskatchewan.  It has been extremely long drives, and tight time lines to get back and forth across the province dealing with equipment break downs and foul weather. My schedule will be to complete work here this Wednesday, drive to Grande Prairie to pick up a trailer and on to Grande Cache for Death Race check-in on Friday.  Following that, back to a small job in Redwater, up to High Level, then back to Grande Prairie.  I won’t be likely around the Kwoon any time soon, which is a shame.

One issue I am running into this year;

Walk to a park with a Katana, and you get some very strange looks and potentially a ticket for public mischief.  True, some of the problem can be avoided with a switch out to a bokken, but I really would like to get some reps in with my weapon.  I hate being in the closet with weapon practice, but the truth is, being in various unfamiliar locations across the province, it is very difficult to find a location that is private and safe for weapon practice.  Any thoughts on this?

vincekrebs.blogspot.com

An uplifting photo on the road

This week I have spent in Medicine Hat, previously in Lloydminster, scheduled to move straight to Grande Praire, then back to Weyburn Saskatchewan which will run me right to the Death Race weekend located in Grande Cache at the end of the month.  Pheww. After enduring a flooded worksite, and problems with contractors over the last weekend, it has really caused me to take a step back and remember what matters most to me.  It is easy to get distracted in the work environment. 

Just when I thought I had reached an all-time low, a rainstorm goes over, lights up an awesome rainbow and all of a sudden my perspective changes.  At first thinking this was a sign I needed pizza, then looking closer and realizing this had a lot more significance to me than I initially thought. I snapped a shot of it outside my hotel door to remember it by.

 

 

 

 

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Demo Perspective

Today was bitter sweet.  Firstly it was the first day back in the Kwoon since my work departure weeks ago.  It was a chance to see the blood sweat and tears that have went into the demo for Canada Day.

As always, when you have been part of something from the beginning, and have repeated it many times, it is difficult to step back and see the progress you are making. There are few advantages to being on the outside of an event like this one, but one thing it does afford me is a clear perspective on the product that has been developed in my absence..

Watching this demo I equated to the motivational boost of the black belt ceremony.  It was inspirational to see how far each person, and the team had come since I had left.  To everyone involved it was AWESOME!  It was affirmation to me why this group of people are the ones I choose to be around.  Watching the demo makes me proud and extremely honored that I can be a part of this.

This could not have come at a better time, as currently I have been struggling with the transition of being away.  To those of you at the Kwoon today that I had a chance to speak with, thank you for your words of kindness, motivation and support, they are much appreciated, as are your comments and blog postings which I have resorted to following regularly.

To everyone in the Demo on Monday, we will see you there. I can’t wait to experience it, and offer any support I can!  Good Luck!  

vincekrebs.blogspot.com

Who is captain of this sinking ship?

Good morning! There is a seven course breakfast awaiting you.  Your feet are cold?  Well here are some extra fuzzy slippers. You don’t need to go to work today. I have paid all the bills for the month.  Here is your fishing rod. Your chauffeur awaits in the limo outside to take you to any trout stream you wish.

I step out onto the porch but something is dreadfully wrong.  It’s dark out, and snowy and cold. BAAAAAAM! Frozen steel toe work boot kicks me in the backside and knocks me off of the slippery porch, bounce off the frozen oak tree and land in a patch of prickly rose bushes.  Yup, it’s June again and this is the transition I knew was coming.  No more face time in class, no chance of taking in practice and demo’s, no more meeting team mates to knock off a personal goal.   

So here I lie on my back, goose egg on my forehead, prickles stuck in my neck, snowy cold ground surprisingly comforting on my bruised backside.  How long do I lie here and sulk. If I stay too long I am likely to doze off and become a permanent popsicle.   

Once again chopped from the nurture of the Kwoon and the team. It is really easy to forget how to become self-sufficient.  I have been laying here in the cold snow for long enough, it’s time to change. 

vincekrebs.blogspot.com

Maintenance is not Mastery

I am one of the first people to say if you don’t like your circumstances, than change them.  Heaven knows I hear my share of complaining from unsatisfied people in their choice of career.  But after a short stint out to Saskatchewan, I am finding that commitments are causing an increasing unrest.  As the time jar is starting to fill with work commitments, other items are spilling out onto the table in disarray. 

The big concern is moving into “Maintenance Mode” as Sifu described.  At this point in time maintenance mode is not good enough.  I really feel like I have to be moving forward in my Kung Fu, I am just not sure of the approach to take. Missing on a board break this past demo was a harsh reinforcement that maintenance is not mastery.

vincekrebs.blogspot.com