Landing

This week I made great strides in my ability to teach. I taught an entire Black Dragons class for the first time on Thursday, start to finish without needing anyone to save me from disaster. I had a plan, executed it and managed to keep the class pertinent, fun and engaging. This success is a step in the right direction, it gave me living proof that I can indeed handle a class on my own. I gained more confidence in myself and the knowledge I have retained.

It was almost a different story. Things were going well until I needed to close things up and end the class. My mind went blank and I could not find a way to conclude my lesson. I felt like I was flying a plane, take off went well, the flight path was followed to the letter, now how do I get this thing back on the ground? I eventually got my bearings and concluded with reiterating the major points of the lesson I was trying to convey. Success, the plane landed smoothly.

I will continue to test this skill, like any other, the only way to go is up from here. I feel like the door of opportunity opened just a little bit more.

Every Day is Earth Day

Today is Earth Day. It is an event that is committed to changing the world's view on pollution. For 48 years, the Earth Day Network has been providing education to the world on just how much waste we produce and furthermore, what we can do to limit our waste and adjust just how we can produce products with less impact on our planet.

I am a huge advocate of keeping our world clean. It does not even need to be big actions. Many small actions, consistently taken, can make a big difference. Now that I have a dog, I walk around town more than ever. I am taking note on just how much trash is left along the sidewalks, it is gross. I don't understand how people can just throw something onto the ground. Garbage cans are provided EVERYWHERE for a reason, don't be lazy and just throw it where you like.

I have started picking up pieces until my pockets are full. (I don't get too far until that happens). My brother was asking me why I was doing that. His point was that it just shows people that someone else will pick up their trash for them. I attempted to explain that you can't always wait for someone else to do it. If I don't, no one else will. If I want people to change, I need to lead by example. What if no one sees me doing it? Keep consistently doing it, whether or not there are witnesses. Sooner or later someone will see it happen and be inspired to make their own difference.

It takes time to influence change, especially when it requires effort. However, if you make it a continuous part of your routine, you can prove that the effort becomes effortless. This is what I take from the message the Earth Day Network has been sending for almost 50 years. Be the change you want to see in the world.

Sparring

I have not sparred since I damaged my shoulder in August. It has been something I have been slightly apprehensive about because I feared re-injuring and creating an even bigger problem. This Saturday I decided to join in sparring during open training. As soon as the first couple rounds were over, my apprehension was pacified. I survived! No harm done and I fared better than I thought.

This leads to the second concern I had. How much did my sparring skill deteriorate since August? How much time would it take to get back to where I was? These concerns were unfounded as I found my skill did not atrophy, it in fact increased. Constant practice in other sections of my training kept the body memory in check and I even had new ideas for combinations to bring to the ring.

This reinforces the idea to not look at my training and progress as stripe by stripe. The stripe means nothing to me as a student. Perhaps, it is not the stripe that is meaningless, but the specific colour. This is because they all mean the same thing. They all mean I am progressing in kung fu. Not just fundamentals, forms or one-steps. They cannot be looked at from a separate point of view because they all compliment each other. They are ALL kung fu.

I am glad that I decided to jump into the ring this weekend. I am excited to continue sparring on a regular basis. I will still be cautious. There is no need to do something reckless and fall back to square one, only to find out I have twice the time to get back to where I am now.

Control

The weather lately has been very interesting, it is much colder than it has been in previous years. Spring is coming, but just how soon? This is a question I hear frequently as a result of the abnormally cold weather. This is of course the time of year when everyone is sick of the snow. They want it gone so they can enjoy their outdoor activities. I understand this, but why use all our energy to complain about something we ultimately cannot control?

There is no way anyone can control the weather, it is impossible. Therefore it should not be something that weighs down on our minds. Just go with the flow! When I saw the snow flying like crazy just after the first day of Spring I had a choice, to see it in a negative light and fret all the extra work it was causing me or to truly enjoy the absolute beauty of the whole spectacle. It was in fact beautiful, seeing all the snow swirling through the sky, watching the tree branches hang from its weight. This snow does not mean my motorcycle season will be cut short, it means my cross-country ski season is extended.

Now what does this have to do with my kung fu? Several aspects really. It is about recognizing what you can or cannot control and not getting agitated when something goes wrong (injury, job loss, relocation). It is also about looking at things with a more compassionate mindset, to not allow a potential altercation to flourish because you want a situation to go a certain way. To remain calm in a conflict so you can defend yourself accordingly.

I draw inspiration for this from my supervisor at work. He has to be one of the most calm, easy going people I know. When faced with a problem he just says, "Well, what can we do? You just do what needs to be done."

Representatives

It is slightly less than 2 months until the Pandamonium. This event marks the end of a years worth of raising funds and awareness for the charities the Benevolent Foundation provides for. It allows people from the school and the community to put a face to the charities and really get to know more about them, first hand.

To be honest, in previous years I have not taken advantage of this and spoke with the representatives. I could say it is because I was too focused on staying awake after being at the kwoon since midnight, but that is no excuse. I made the choice not to and I am making the choice to do so this year.

The representatives come out for a very important reason. I feel there would be a great benefit from listening to what the charities are about right from the source. Face to face communication can go a long way. You can hear their stories, their perspective, why they feel so strongly about what they are supporting, see the passion in their eyes and body language. You can't get that from a book and you can't get that from a website.

This is one aspect of my goal to improve my communication. The more that you look into a subject, the more you learn. The more you know, the easier it is for you to spread the word with purpose, instead of just regurgitating what someone else told you word for word without any meaning or context behind it.

I am excited to mindfully meet representatives of our charities and get a more enriched understanding of what they are about.