Reflection and Recognition

Yesterday, the entire day was as incredible, no other way to say it. It started the same as any Saturday morning, for me the best way, teaching the Lil Leopards class. Honestly, there is no more positive way to start a weekend than that. 

This was followed by banquet prep and practices. I must admit, it was very difficult to not help with the operation of the event. I found myself wandering around observing and taking in as much as I could. We have ourselves a great bunch of people in our school. When things need to get done, our team gets them done! Fantastic job everyone! 

I feel the banquet itself flowed nicely. The new venue was large enough to accommodate a good crowd yet it seemed more comfortable, more intimate, I enjoyed it greatly. 

The lion dance was a blast! The fact that we had such little time to work on it, yet produced something as successful as we did demonstrates the high level of teamwork our lion dance team has, great job everyone, I look forward to seeing it.

I am at a loss of words for how grateful I am to so many people. I could not name anyone in my speech because we would still be there right now with all the people I would have to name who made an impact on my journey to this point. Thank you to my instructors and mentors, thank you to my fellow students, thank you to the I Ho Chuan team.

There are a few teammates I would like to specially recognize. Thank you Sifu Ward, for sticking with me this year and working incredibly hard to achieve the rank of black belt, you definitely earned it. 

Thank you Don Bjorkquist. You have no idea just how much you helped me this past year, both with my grading and with my personal life. 

Sifu Randy Langner, you have been there for me for many years now. You have always had the utmost confidence in me and yet were never afraid to give me a good slice of humble pie once in a while to keep me on track. When I needed you to be there, you were there, you are my best and most loyal friend. Thank you.

Checking a List

A conversation during lion dance practice yesterday made me think about how one approaches their kung fu. We were talking about not simply going through the motions in the lion, it needs to make logical sense, it must have a purpose and you as a lion dancer must recognize and understand in order to successfully tell your story. Don't just check off what you need to do on a mental list and move on.

There are several requirements that you must complete in a single year in the I Ho Chuan. They seem quite daunting, but once you set yourself a routine and are diligent in keeping that routine even when life around you complicates the process, they will seem easier. The effort becomes effortless. However, we can get caught up in just doing the pushups, the forms, the acts of kindness without actually thinking about WHY we are doing these things. At this you will begin to forget what the requirements represent, what their value is.

The obvious benefit is physical, after doing 50,000 pushups and situps properly in a year, you are going to be in much better shape than you were a year before. The mental benefits are not so obvious at first. They become more so when you realize how your life habits change. You don't have time to sit around and watch T.V. or play video games all night when you are working towards you yearly goal. You are practicing your forms and doing your pushups. Priorities change and you feel that bettering yourself and accomplishing something is more important than catching up on the 5 popular shows you are used to watching.

When you are mindfully documenting when you do an act of kindness, it makes you think about the whole situation. Something as simple as opening a door for example, many of us just hold it open because it is the courteous thing to do, but don't actually think about it. When you hold that door for that person, even give them a smile, making eye contact, you could potentially be making their day. When you open the door, don't do it for your own benefit or even a "thank you" from the person, do it out of compassion for the other person. It might inspire them to do the same for someone else and so on and so on. Kindness spreads fast if you just try.

The requirements of the I Ho Chuan transform you mentally as well as physically, ALL of them. This is only done when they are done mindfully, not as just another item to check off your list.

Overcoming Struggle

It is clear we struggled as a team this year. There was some blockage in our communication, I am as much to blame for this as anyone else. We took on this year knowing what was expected of us and all of us have been doing the best we could. Our greatest fault has been our lack of communication. United we stand, divided we fall. The I Ho Chuan is not intended to be a year long challenge that you take on all the requirements on your own, pushing your way through and planting your flag on top of the mountain you just climbed. It is a team effort. 

I know how difficult it is to ask for help, I am stubborn that way sometimes. However, just putting the word out that you are struggling will allow the team to realize and understand what you are going through and they may even be able to help you even if you didn't ask. Most of the time when you don't ask for help it is because you don't know how to.  

Let's finish off this year with a bang, Team Pig. Let us pull together and remind ourselves that it is not  just the banquet that is the high point of the year, but the preparation, the journey. I always have enjoyed the practice days. The mistakes we make and the laughs shared because of them is what brings us together. Let's help the Rat team by pushing forth with some motivational momentum to start their year off.

Practice

This is always my favorite time of the year, preparing for the New Year banquet. Everyone comes together to produce amazing results. Every year I have been involved with the I Ho Chuan this has been the case and I can see it coming again this year. I am proud and pleased with the effort many of us have made in the last few weeks to put together our demo, considering how difficult this year seemed to be for us.

Developing a demo and a new lion dance is by far my favorite part of the whole experience. Creativity is at its peak and team engagement is strong. I am amazed by what we come up with and what we accomplish with so little time. This year is the closest I have seen with regards to practice time and we are making it happen. I am very excited for the lion dance, this one is sure to be amazing! As always it is my favorite part of learning kung fu, the conditioning and practice it requires benefits the rest of your practice immensely. 

Reviewing my form and techniques in the demo via video has been a great tool for me. Actually seeing what I am doing as opposed to what I think I am doing allows me to develop more eye for detail. I can see what others could see and can correct accordingly. I appreciate Sifu Csillag filming our practices for us, it has been a great help.

I feel quite energized following our last practice, I can't until the next one, if we remain consistent we will have this nailed down.