What a great week this has been. I realize that I haven't been away from Kung Fu for very long ( 1 1/2 weeks ) but it sure felt like a super long time. It was great to be back. When I first arrived on Monday evening, it was hot and sweaty and noisy in the kwoon, I took a deep breathe and my whole body relaxed. It was a great evening of forms and running the gaunlet for the brave ones. Tuesday was another great day. I met with Sifu Brinker (which is always uplifting), helped with the kids class and attended San Shou. We worked our butts off in San Shou doing drills with partners and the focus shields, it felt great to really sweat again. Wednesday dawned bright and early and I was off to the morning class. My muscle were reminding me that 1 1/2 weeks on the couch was not acceptable. We did more bag work, this time focusing on our sound focus while doing kicks. It was interesting when I concentrated on controlling my sound focus how much more of an impact it had on my kicks and on my awareness. I think that my sound focus was just on automatic before, now it feels like something. After class, I was off to the park to review techniques and enjoy the sunshine. Kung Fu is so great outside, I always feel so in touch with the earth when I am out there. After supper, Katie and I headed out to Onoway to teach some choke defenses. One of our assignments from the leadership seminar was to chose a technique, make a teaching plan and execute it ( preferable with students you don't know as well ). So that is what we did last night. We were both a bit nervous but we had fun and the students seem to have a good time too. I am off to help with kids class again tonight and I am sure that it will be a good time.
That was my week in a nut shell. I am feeling better but still need to watch myself a bit as my lungs haven't quite healed yet. I don't think that I take my Kung Fu for granted but when I have a break (big or small), I definitely appreciate how much it enhances my life when I return.

334 days to grading.

I'm sick

What a great way to start a new year of training....I'm sick! I have bronchitis and the biggest draw back is that I can't breathe, therefore my training is limited. Okay, non-existent. Here are the things that I can do. I am reviewing my goals (again) and trying to figure how to set them so that I am challenged but not so far that there is no way I can reach them. I am determined to figure it out so they will be in place soon. I am reading a book called the Heart of Buddhism and I am finding it very interesting. I am not going to comment further because I definitely need more time to contemplate the ideas that I am learning. I am working on my knitting projects while watching movies with my family (also sick). I am finishing re-writing all the techniques and combos on recipe cards so that I can laminate them. The first time (last year), I did them in pencil and after much carrying around and some sweating, the pencil wore off. Ahhh, we live and learn. I am also working on how to publicly display my leadership project. It something that I am have been trying to find the time for and now I have found it. So I guess my training isn't non-existent, it is just non-physical. I'll be back next week with more happenings in the Kichko world. (One of my goals is to blog every week).

341 days to grading

Sihing Kichko

Here's my week

It's great to back to training with everyone. It is so much better training when you can go to class and hang out with like minded people. I helped with the Black Dragons this week and it was a lot of fun. They sure do work hard. It is cool to look around the kwoon and see what you helped with, the painting, the scrubbing, the putting back together. It is a good feeling to be a part of our place.

I also participated in the Rotary Run this week. I had started out (for most of the year) training to run the 1/2 marathon with my partner, and then I hurt myself and had to have a rest and then switch from running to power walking. I learned a great deal in the process, first of all, I love walking. I think that I forgot that, in my push to improve my fitness and get better. So I think that I am going to stick to power walking and keep my injuries down to a dull roar. The second thing that I learned is that I enjoy training for the run much more than actually doing the run, I thoroughly enjoyed walking 10 km on Sunday. I invited my mom to walk with me and we had a great time together. We raised money and awareness for Suicide Prevention and it really had a strong impact on my this year. I was more aware of the lives that are touched by suicide and over-whelmed by the support I received. In the past, when I have participated in the run, I have always miss all the announcements and awards afterward ( I take too long), this year because I walked the 10 km, I witnessed the ceremony at the end of the race. The most powerful part of the entire experience was the piping in (bag pipes) and honoring the families that lost someone to suicide. I could really feel their pain and was hit with a desire to do more, raise more money and awareness to prevent any more families from going through this struggle. I think that with more people talking about how they are feeling and what is happening for them, we can help prevent suicide and the pain that it causes by those left behind.

That was my week......

350 days to grading

Sihing Kichko

Don't be a Litter Bug

That's what we used to say when I was a kid, Don't be a Litter Bug. We were very open about telling anyone we saw to pick up their garbage. We were not worried about being politically correct, it wasn't a case of respecting our elders or not, it was socially acceptable to chastise anyone for littering. That seems to have evolved into people throwing their garbage around when no one is looking. We seem to have taught our children that it is okay to litter as long as no one is looking. Not the best message. The children have, in turn, decided that 'You can't tell me what to do' and throw their garbage on the ground where ever they are, no matter who is looking or not. They seem to have the attitude that it doesn't matter or someone else will come and pick it up,or that it is okay because other people do it.
Well, Guess What? It is not okay and it does matter and we need to go back to telling people not to be litter bugs.

Here is my plan:

Don't litter!

Be brave enough to tell anyone you see, not to litter

Pick up garbage when you see it, don't leave for someone else to get.

There are lots of big jobs that need doing to clean up our environment and to treat mother earth with the respect that she deserves. This is something that we can all do every day to show that respect.

One Foot In Front of the Other

My training is going well. I have been spending a lot of time in the park and that is a fabulous place to do Kung Fu. I have also tried Tai Chi in the park and it is amazing. I have tried it outside before, in my yard, but in the park, surrounded by trees and grass and all that stuff, it is amazing. I felt like my Chi was humming the whole time and I really felt in touch with the earth. I think that I will continue to practice outside as long as the weather permits.

My Kung Fu feels good as well. I continue to move forward, one step at a time. I participated in the demo this weekend and it was a lot of fun. It isn't something that I have ever imagined myself doing and it was totally outside my comfort zone, but I enjoyed it anyways. It was fun practicing with a group of people, it felt neat to represent Silent River, and once the demo started, it was all about Kung Fu. I didn't even think of the people watching, only of doing a good job and staying with my team mates.

I have been spending some quality time with some of my classmates, doing forms, reviewing technique, discussing combinations. It is such a blast to hang out with like minded people, laughing and trying stuff out on each other and taking risks and helping each other. I feel truely blessed to have these people in my life.

My at home training is going well too. I have developed a new routine to exclude work for a few weeks and I seem to be settleing in to it. I thought it would be easy to train and not have to worry about going to work, but it was a bit of a struggle at first. I really had to push myself to get started and to follow a routine. When I have limited time, I just get it done. When I have all day, I have to create a structure so that I don't wasted time and put off what needs to get done. It has been a learning process.

At the Kwoon, I feel the support and encouragement from everyone, each time that I train there. It feels absolutely fabulous. I am not sure how I could have not noticed it before, I guess I had my blinders on. I am very glad that I opened my eyes.

So, that is what has been happening with me for the last couple of weeks. I will be reviewing my goals this week and posting how that is coming along.

We got a new puppy, her name is Sadie, and soon there will be pictures for all to see how adorable she is.

Have a great week.