What a difference kung fu makes!

We all talk about how much kung fu has changed our lives and ourselves but I am not sure that I have truly appreciated it until this week.
I have been working on painting the trim of my house. Sounds easy enough! When you throw in fear of heights and lack of skill, it gets kinda tricky. At first, there was a lot of breath holding, heart pounding kind of stuff going on. And then it got a little easier, more work accomplished, less feeling like having a heart attack! I got four windows done and I was feeling pretty good about pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I moved to the front of the house and discovered that the caulking needed to be redone. Now, I needed to be on the ladder (way above the ground) and focus and concentrate, not only to get all the old stuff off but to put the new stuff on without making a really big mess. This took a bit more time, I had to work over my head (with a bit of muscle and precision) and battle the fear stuff too, it was exhausting. Yesterday I had a moment of clarity! The last time that this needed to be done, I got up on the ladder to begin the prep work, gave in to my fear and completed only the portions that I could reach (leaving the rest to my partner) and did not even attempt to face my fear. This time, giving up was not an option, I was determined that I would complete this chore and I am nearly done. It has taken much longer than the average person would take, as I have placed many obstacles in my own way (doing other chores and errands, hanging out with Katie, instead of working on the ladder) but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have one more window to do and I am confident that it will not take me as long as the other. I am able to take the fear, set it aside and get the job done. It feels pretty cool.
I think all of this has everything to do with kung fu, because kung fu has been all about pushing myself out of my comfort  zone. I have tried things that I didn't think I could ever do and succeeded, most recently a leg stack which I always thought was for other people to do not me. It turns out I really like it and it is getting easier every time that we do it. Now they are talking head stacks and shoulder rolls (from way up there!!!!), I am not dismissing the idea but I can't imagine doing it just yet. I will definitely try it when that class rolls around.