Change

The Festival of Trees went off without a hitch. I thoroughly enjoyed watching everyone performing their forms and was amazed by how much everyone has improved in the past few months. It was an interesting foreshadowing of the Chinese New Year. I will admit, it was very different for me, performing at a demo and not dancing in the lion. It is a first for me since joining the team. This is one thing I have learned greatly this year, step back and observe.

I am so accustomed to being in the thick of it that I never realized how beneficial it is to see how others do things and learn from that. Instead of focusing on improving just myself, I see the value in what others accomplish as well and draw in joy from that as well. This year has definitely tested my ability to remain vigilant in my training even though it seems to me like I have hit a plateau. This is because I see it in others that feels the same way. Being able to relate to those who are struggling definitely imbues wisdom in a person.

Keep up the great work team! I am excited for the new year!

Take care everyone.

Solitude

Well, my time in Fox Creek is coming to an end. The season is over and we are closing up here. I am thrilled to be returning for good. Time to catch up and get back on track! We have the most important part of our year coming up, Chinese New Year, and I intend to be ready and able to assist with anything and everything I can.

My time here has served me better than I had originally intended. The work here is fairly straight forward and rudimentary so there is not really any reason to speak to other workers. This being the case, I have spent most of almost 3 months here by myself. Alone to stew in my own self-talk. Some good, some bad. I spent some time wondering how one gets into a spot such as this; being absent from from everything that defines who I am, just to afford to live. Hearing about life back home unfolding both positively and negatively with no way of helping or contributing in any way other than commenting. I spent much of my time wishing I could do more.

I eventually started realizing, (and perhaps I knew this already in some way) that no matter how I feel and how much I wish, some things are out of my control. Many things are out of my control in fact. I can’t be home with family or at kwoon training the because I am here, I am here because I was lucky enough to get a job in this crazy economic time. So that is what matters, what is directly in front of me is all that exists. My home, it doesn’t exist. My family, doesn’t exist. The kwoon, you guessed it, does not exist. My shovel, the dirt around me and the sky are all that exist when I am working. If I think of anything else, my thoughts instantly go back to home and I begin worrying about what is transpiring and how much I want to be involved.

Let the pieces fall where they may, concern yourself only with what you can do and be happy with it. If not, your outlook on life will always seem negative.

I feel extremely lucky to have experienced this time of solitude. It really cleaned out a lot of mental garbage. I am excited to come back, more wise than I was when I left.

Take care everyone!

Narrow it Down

So far, this week has proved the most difficult with regards to keeping with my training. I have still remained engaged, but it has just been lacking the enthusiasm I have become accustomed to. I’ve been scratching my head over this all day. What is the root cause of this and how do I fix it before it becomes worse?

In class, there is a specific focus planned, a lesson to be taught to the students. There is structure and there are instructors to give feedback. When you are only training by yourself, this does not happen. You have to create the structure you want to follow.

To this point, my solo training has had little to no direction. I would just do the same thing day after day. I have been attempting to stay current with my curriculum techniques in order to progress when I return to classes. The problem was I have been over-focussed on this. It was the only thing I did aside from my I Ho Chuan numbers and I have become complacent.

I realize now that I need to switch things up during the week and narrow down what I want to practice that night. This should keep me motivated and I will be training will gusto again soon enough! Tonight I am going to focus on my kicks, maintaining proper technique while speeding up as I go.

Take care everyone!

Tai Chi

Today marks 3 years since I stepped onto the kwoon mats for the first time and began learning Tai Chi. It feels way longer than that, I’ll tell you. It has been the base for my training and has definitely assisted it in ways I cannot imagine or haven’t even realized yet. When I started, I was rigid, clunky, without flow. This form has taken that clunky robot man and began the process of making him more like a flowing river.

I find Tai Chi to be even more beneficial mentally than physically. It is an easy way to melt away all the stresses and problems of the week and start the weekend right. It is my favorite class taught in the kwoon. Being that it is a soft style I know that it is going to take decades to master, so every subtle sign of progression is appreciated that much more.

Sifu Dennis and Sifu Vantuil do a fantastic job of keeping the class engaged and are always ready to answer any question with an infinite amount of patience. Thank you for the opportunity to learn this beautiful art.

Take care everyone.