something is going on!

being rested is a magical thing. i have just finished my first set of days off since being on holidays and i am very pleased with how it went. i did not have a busy first week at work and did not really wear me out (health issues not withstanding) and therefore my days off were pretty good. i kept busy for the entire three days and not in a crazy got to get things done sort of way, just kept moving forward and i am rewarded with many completed tasks; getting katie ready for school, spending family time out to celebrate a birthday (happy birthday mom) and katie and i worked together yesterday and got some house work done. now, there are many things that still need to be accomplished ( and there always will be), but the way i feel right now, there is no doubt in my mind that it will all get done :)
fun story - this morning, red discovered that if he stood in just the right spot he could get a kiss each time i sat up, it was pretty cute. he wagged his tail the whole time, i'm sure that he thought my sole purpose was to play with him.
so the next time you are wondering why do we do the same thing over and over again, what is this incremental progress all about, have a look at your everyday habits and see if there is a difference. in the olden days (before i ho chuan) i would have looked at my list of things to do and been completely overwhelmed by it. now, i just do one thing at a time and then move on to the next. another funny thing, on my day off, i just didn't have the get up and go that i had on the other days, hmmmm.....there just might be something to this madness

this and that

What a busy week! I love/hate going back to work each and every time. I like going back because I have a great career and I love what I do. I don't like going back because I have to adjust my schedule from doing whatever I want whenever I want to not. :) I always begin the first week with the notion that I can still do many things before going to work on an afternoon shift and stay up late and take care of household tasks when I am on day shift. That is not the case ever! Well, maybe occasionally, which always makes me think it can be done more often. So I am over tired, a little sick and completely overwhelmed by the number of things that I would like to accomplish in the next few days. I will do the best I can with the tools I have. :)
I am looking forward to helping with the renos this year, I like that we are concentrating on cleaning and polishing the place up 'cause these are things that I know how to do. Tiling and tearing down walls.... not so much. I hope that we have lots of people come and help out, I always enjoy chatting with people outside of class and finding out a bit more about them.
It was challenging once again to go to work and complete my requirements but it also felt really good to have a routine again. Over the summer, I worked out at many different times of day and I liked it but it felt kind of willy-nilly. I like doing the same thing at the same time (sort of) every day. When I am working, the first thing that I do each day is kicks, sit ups, tai chi and weights and then I fit in my forms throughout the day. My first thing ranges from 4:45 to 7 or 8, depending on my shift but I am consistently doing it first thing. I feel a lot like I am making progress again and felt a bit stagnant over the summer.
Wondering why I am talking about summer like it is over? Well, it feels sort of over to me. I have a difficult time breathing when the air changes from warm and cozy (33) to chilly (7) over night. I have spent the weekend trying to look after myself, resting, and taking my homeopathic remedies because of the chilly air. I usually don't experience this until Sept. or Oct. so it seems early but it seems over.
Black belt class on Friday night was amazing, we are learning some new concepts to apply to the moves that we already know. I don't really know how to put it into words but there were many ah-ha moments and puzzles unraveling. I am looking forward to exploring these concepts more as I do my forms and techniques.

technology

I have not been able to blog for the last two days because my computer would not load the necessary sites/pages (I'm not really sure what to call them). I have no idea what was wrong but I know that my husband fixed it and for many hours (while I slept) my computer had a black screen with white words on it. Now it works just fine!
I have been trying to update my photo and it isn't as easy as it looks. I finally changed my flavors page and I thought that I changed my google picture but as I look in the corner by my name, I see the old picture. I am determined to figure this out and I can understand how and why others get frustrated with different systems. I like how I feel when I figure something out and know how to do it so for that reason alone, I will persevere.
Today was sort of like a day off but it is also the same day that I meet my buddy to go through the Tai Chi form. We did the whole thing three times today and it is starting to feel pretty good. I also worked on my Tai Chi Broad Sword and I think I got a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel.

More complicated than I thought

I bought a new vehicle today! What does that have to do with my kung fu? Well, it kept me from classes and an instructor's meeting. I can't believe how long it took, choosing colors, talking prices, then when all that is done then you have to sit down with the financial guy and talk about warranties and protection. It was hours longer than I thought it would be because we thought we knew exactly what we wanted when we went there. In case you are thinking, who doesn't know this, me! I haven't purchased a new vehicle in over 25 years.
I did managed to do my requirements and go for an extra long walk with my puppy after a late supper. I am determined to keep packing on the extra miles before I go back to work next week.

My Muscles :)

I have put a few miles in since I last blogged. I even took my dog out last night even though it was still too hot for him. He did pretty good until the end when he just wanted to stop and lay in the grass. That was all well and good for him but I managed to lose a house key in the process. I looked last for a  while and then retraced my steps in the light of day this morning, I did not find it but put in a few miles trying. That will make up for the days when I didn't walk him far or not at all.
The key situation resolved itself with some anxious moments (or hours) and some kind heartedness. Thank you again for helping me out :)
I lifted weights this morning and I could really feel my muscles working today. I don't lift big weights (10lbs.) but I do different exercises to strength all the muscles in my arms and shoulders. I used to have to really concentrate to use the muscles that I wanted and now it takes less effort. My hard work is paying off.
I did 300 sit ups too and I really pushed myself to increase my reps and I liked it.
I am trying to mindfully do my daily routine and focus on the muscle groups and not just do them to get them done. I also want to slow down and build the smaller muscles too!

Chatting

I'm still not really comfortable with the changes that I have made to my form but I can see that it will improve and be amazing when I have more reps in. I am at that 'is it ever going to change?' point and can't wait to get past it.
I have not been getting in as many miles as I would like or thought that I would during my time off. I have been creating moments like parking far away from my destination but I know that what I really need is some time on the trails. It is not easy when it is too hot for the dogs, I really count on them to get me out the door.
Acts of Kindness are a work in progress, some days opportunities seem to come out of the wood work and other days I feel like I have to go searching for ways to be kind. I am feeding my friend's cats while they are away which I count daily as an act of kindness. Yesterday, I wanted to count it times ten as one of the cats seemed to have disappeared when I went to feed them. Many crazy thoughts went through my head as I contemplated how he could have gotten out, where he could be hiding, it was fifteen minutes of panic and anxiety. And then I found him, sitting on a chair tucked in under the table, he seemed to look at me like he didn't really care how worried I was. Some days acts of kindness are not so easy.

Win Win

Today I went outside my comfort zone and did something that I convinced myself that I would fail at. I was anxious and unsure of myself but I had decided to do something and I was going to do it. I did not fail, I was not sure until the very end how it would end so it was a bit of a stressful day. Before kung fu, I would have created an excuse to not go, I would have set up excuses to fail that were not my fault or I would have found a reason to leave so that I could escape the uncomfortable feeling. Now, I accepted that I was feeling uncomfortable and why, not only did I not want to fail, I didn't want anyone to know that I failed. Once I accepted that, I settled down, got to work, paid attention and was successful. Now I'm really tired and glad the day is over and kind of proud of myself for sticking to it.

HUGS

Highlight of the day.....
A little girl who recently joined kung fu in the lil leopards class, ran up to me after class and gave me the most heart-felt hug. That is what this is all about!

More learning

I am feeling slightly less over whelmed while in the lion's head. At first, there are so many things to think of, it feels nearly impossible. Of course, that does not get in my way. I am slowly getting more comfortable with the moves and the head (having a great lion and a great partner also helps!) and today I think that I may have actually been able to follow direction. It is a very different but completely cool to be in the lion head. I usually use the mirror to see if I am doing something right or wrong and in the lion, you have to totally rely on how it feels. This is something that I use to fix a trouble spot in my forms so....I think that you have some chance of success when you can mix how you feel with looking amazing and telling a story.

Not physical goals

My fund raising/knitting project is finally looking like it may succeed. I have a pile of finished orders to deliver and a few more to make. I have callouses from knitting ( I never thought that would happen!) and I have used this project to spend quality time with my family. There is nothing like a great big knotted ball that takes more than one person and long stretches of time to undo to create the perfect time for chit chat. I also rewind my balls of yarn so that is another great way to get the hands busy and the mouth wandering. I also knit while we watch movies, so with more knitting to get done, more movies get watched together.
I wanted to make a goal this year to spend more time with my family and I wasn't really sure how to do it. I decided that I would stay aware of how my absence and presences affects the daily life of my family and act accordingly. I am more aware of what they need and what I need in order for us to live happily together, it is a fine balance and I am getting better at it each day.

Learning

Learning to play the guitar is much like learning a new form. This is not the first time that I have had this thought but I was reminded again today while at my lesson. I was working on a particular transition and having a bit of difficulty getting it and I thought, I need to go home and practice this repeatedly and it will become easier. I know this because there comes a point with every form that I practice when I know that the only thing that is going to make a difference is time in. This happens especially after learning a new move or correcting a move that I have been doing for a while.
A few years back, after I had learned all the moves in Kempo, it didn't feel right and I didn't know why. I spoke to Sifu Brinker about it and he suggested that I break it down, do a bunch of reps and see if I could figure it out. Well, at first I didn't notice anything and kept going back to him and he challenged me to look at different ways that I was moving and try different things. I continued to repeat the form until I was familiar with it at a level that I didn't think was possible, it felt like I owned the form and I knew how to move in it. I began to figure things out on my own  and discovered that I was adding movements that didn't need to be there and skipping ones that did. I learned to figure out how it felt to move correctly and how it felt when I wasn't. That was a turning point for my martial arts training, once I now how something feels, I am well on my way to figuring it out.
I am hoping with a lot of repetition I will be able to figure out this chord transition too!

Leadership is.....

Leadership is getting people to do what you are doing 'cause it looks cool, the results are amazing, you make it look easy, and many many more reasons. As a leader your job is to inspire others to be like you - whether it is doing push ups to get in shape or taking on a project in the community - they are following because you inspired them.
The I Ho Chuan program is all about leadership, demonstrating good leadership skills, getting others involved in what you are doing, and getting others to want to do what you are doing. That is our job! We need to work hard, train out loud, and document our journey so that others may follow. It doesn't mean that we have to lead every project and have all the great ideas, we just need to be there to encourage and cheer for everyone who wants to step up.
Leadership is.....inspiration!

Red's journey

Some days, I am not really sure whose journey this is. Today is one of those days! Red (1year old boxer puppy, in case you forgot!!!) got me up nice and early so that he could have a nice breakfast and of course, go for a pee. I may benefit from the early call by getting more things done during the day but that is not the focus of this blog. Red helped me get more steps than usual in my being indecisive about whether or not he wanted outside, wanted to stay outside or wanted me to stay with him outside. Red helped me with the barbequing, we may or may not have learned that the bbq is hot, and I got to practice my ninja skills when he tried to help me carry the plate of chicken with his mouth. (For the record, I did not drop the plate or the chicken, maybe a little chicken juice dribbled!) He loves the cane and seems to think that he should have it because carrying it around is fun. (he encourages me to move faster). Red also helped with my crane stance this evening, his foot chewing distracted me from looking at the timer too much. And last but not least, he helped me relax by flopping beside me and dropping his head on my mid section, it is difficult to do anything but chill out when the 80 lb baby needs a snuggle.
ps he helps with other things like painting my toe nails which is less kung fu related except when you are color matching with your lion :)