Inaction

Inaction is something that plagues our society today. Why do anything when someone else will do it instead if you wait long enough? We missed a terrific opportunity this weekend with the form seminar. I believe this is due to inaction. Only 6 que belts responded that they would attend. There were some who responded that they can't go, but where are the rest?

The form seminar is an opportunity to learn a form you may not have before or improve one you do know; Then after all of that, present it in front of black belt judges. I remember my first form seminar as a yellow belt, I was still learning the Tai Chi form and felt a little overwhelmed with both it and the regular kung fu classes. When I presented my form (kempo 1), one of the judges mentioned how much Tai Chi helped me with this. This inspired me to continue with Tai Chi, year after year.

I know the loss of this opportunity is due to my inaction as well, had I been promoting it more, writing a post similar to this a month ago, there may have been a chance more would have joined up.

So I will say this, we have another extra-curricular opportunity next weekend, Farmer's Day parade. This is a good way to meet your classmates and instructors while representing Silent River as we tour the town. This is unique as it puts us out there to the whole community of Stony Plain, plus throwing candy at the kids from inside the lion is always great. Hope to see you there.

Fire

This weekend I took a short trip to BC to get some land surveying done. A lot of fun was had on this trip and we completed what we wanted to. On my way back, I was given yet another lesson in perspective.

I was riding my motorcycle back through Jasper, Hinton and just about to Edson when there was a dead stop in traffic, a large plume of smoke to the east. Forest fire. My plan to get home to my family tonight has been put to a stand still.

This is an inconvenience, but it could be much worse. Home could be where that fire is raging. The hamlet of Malboro, just west of Edson is being evacuated. I am thankful that I still have a home to go to. This minor inconvenience is nothing compared to what those people are going through right now.

Next time you want to get mad at something that wronged you, just look at the big picture and have compassion for those who are worse off by the same situation.

May

May is always an interesting month for training. It is the first consistently warm month of the year and happens to be when many of our group have other obligations or activities popping up and taking our attention away from kung fu. The thrill and momentum of Chinese New Year is over and the pressure of the deadline next year is still far from people's minds. This is the mental wall, the blockage we get and our motivation is low.

We need to push past this wall, Canada Day will be here sooner than we think, it is a great booster for motivation, a sort of second wind. To benefit from this wind we still need to act now. I haven't seen too many blogs these past couple weeks. Let's get back at it. The more we blog, the more our minds are thinking about our journey, the more we think the more we act, the more we act the more we have to write about. I'd say it is a pretty good first step to getting that momentum back.

Morning and Meeting

The sun is just poking over the trees, casting it's light into my windows. The birds in those trees are chirping, speaking to each other in their peaceful way. The best part is that not too many people are awake yet, the road is quiet of vehicles and the pace around me is still nice and slow. Morning is my favorite part of the day, I think it always has, even as a child, for these reasons. Even if I am awake all night, the sunlight coming up over the horizon is a welcome sight, a new day has arrived.

I want to reflect on how our meeting went yesterday. It was great to sit down and hear how many of us are doing in our journey. This is the reason for these meetings and the reason for our blogs. I know when I started my first year in the I Ho Chuan, I was quite reluctant to speak up at all. I was afraid that what I had to say was unimportant or just plain stupid. However, the years have gone by and I know that even if you think what you want to say has no meaning, say it anyway. It might provide someone else with some insight or strike up a very compelling conversation. I make it a point to say something every meeting now, sometimes with a little too much zeal. (Apologizes for yesterday, I was just very excited about Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and was a little tired.)

All of this provides another reason the morning is so great, this slower pace allows me to really think and reflect. This thinking and reflecting sets the tone for my day and puts me in a good space mentally. Enjoy the morning everyone, see you when I see you.

Numbers of the Year of the Pig:

Pushups: 12750

Situps: 12750

Acts of Kindness: 362

Wudang Hand Form: 199 reps

Taiji Sword Form: 199 reps

Sparring: 216 rounds

Distance: 1061.7 km

Meditation: 200 minutes

Whistle practice: 17 hours

Books read: 6

Kung Fu movies watched: 6