The Day is Coming!!!

As the date of the Black Belt grading draws closer I am filled with mixed feelings of dread, excitement, sorrow, and anticipation. I dread all tests of all kinds, but at the same time enjoy them. I am excited to be grading this year with such a great team of candidates, which have all supported each other along the way. I am also filled with a sense of sorrow that this part of my journey is near at an end, but I am also full of anticipation on what will come on the next part of my journey. 

Greg Wiebe

Stony Plain, AB, Canada

www.silentriverkungfu.com

Listen Up!

I am currently reading the book "Follow Your Passion, Find Your Power" by Bob Doyle because I am feeling a little stuck on a specific area of my life. Read the book first and then work through it is how I am approaching this book. I can say that I am enjoying this book, however page 174 was the Hello!! moment for me and explained as to why I am stuck. The bold letters in the passage reads "are you focusing on what you want or the MEANS to get what you want?" Insert Hello!! I had been focusing on the means (AKA money) and not what I really want. Hmmmm. Now the question: what do I really want?

Since my trip back from Cold Lake I have been writing out a want list daily as an exercise in clarifying what I want. The key here is to get quiet and to listen to my inner guidance as to what really floats my boat. Not what I think I should like, not what I think I should do, but what do I really like to do or want? I have discovered that a lot of what I really want is happening in the here and now.I really like to watch the sun rise as I am journaling with a latte in my comfy chair. I really like to play with recipes and make something new. I really like to train Kung Fu, daily train, and take hot yoga classes. I really like to learn about eating styles, nutrition, and personal development. I really like (okay LOVE) to play with my glass, create things, and share my creations with the world. It now makes it much easier to write my vision of a perfect day when I have a template to follow.

The block for me was that I had it in my mind that where I am now wasn't okay and that I should be wanting something different or something way out there. As soon as I realized that hey, I really like where I am and what I am doing, I already have my template of my "vision of a perfect day." Now that I realized this, I can reflect on where to go from here. Not to change persee, but to grow, to evolve. Where do I want my glass art, my training, my learning to go? This is where getting quiet and listening to my soul comes in. I have a show this weekend in Edson so I have drive/meditation time coming up. (I drive in quiet so I can think.) Shows, even though they are a lot of work, are a lot of fun and I am focusing on the fun that I will have.

As for training my idea of a weekly training schedule and goal numbers is working like a charm! A weekly picture of my goals works for me as I can see what I have to do during the week to catch up, plan to how I accomplish, and it's always great to see that "hey, that one has been met already" so I'm at choice what to do from here. Smartest thing I did do my training in a long time. I can definitely see how my weekly goals and schedule will help me keep on track during show season (this weekend until end of November). I can definitely say that I'm very excited heading into this show season for a number and variety of reasons, emphasis on the word "variety." Now to start packing.......

Sherri Donohue
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta

Breaking my cycles

This last week has been kinda helter skelter for routine I've been trying to make sure that I get a minimum of 100 push up done before I head to work and then another 50 or so when I get home just to kind of get out of work mode so I can get back into working at home mode. The only problem is that lately I have been sleeping in so it's been about 50 if any. I have to force myself to get of bed even if I am tired because doing my push ups in the morning wakes me up and makes me have a much better day. Also I have to get to sleep at an earlier so that it is easier to get up.

Basics

Hello all.  I am having a great week.  Training is going well.  I have memorized the "code of ethics" necessary for grading day and am spending a significant amount of time reviewing our cirriculum.  I am looking forward to working with my partner again on Thursday to progress with my five individual techniques.  I am working on a lot of forms and really paying attention to my foot position within stances, and the six harmonies.  This is the biggest opportunity for me as moving my centre from my shoulders to my hips is a constant work in process.

Have a great week!

Allan Gamble

One of Life's True Wonders

For those who have been around awhile, this entry may be more clear.

These past few weeks (actually, longer than that, its been years, but its starting to surface more than it ever has...), I have not played out my life in my personal favour. For me it starts with survival; making life happen financially, career, children.....top of the list stuff! After that me....the problem was, and is, more than was, is the available time for me. I burnt myself out and didn't realize how far gone I was until I came out of it. It took nearly a month before I had energy, before the care for myself returned, before clarity sank in.

During this time, my mind began to mislead me and take me in a direction which was truly not in my best interest. It was not until I met and spoke with a true friend. When I speak of true friend, I don't mean the one you've necessarily known all your live, or the one who has been your neighbour forever or the one that you hang out with day in and day out, to me a lot of those friends can still be acquaintances. The true friend that I'm talking about is the one that you can sit with and have a truly constructive relationship. The friend that can tell you the truth, the one who you trust, the one who will listen, the one who will always be there for you, the never ending caring and love.

The friend I refer to was there for me and has always been there for me, for as long as I have known this person. To me, finding this true friend, has been one of my lives true wonders.

Darcy Regier, Silent River Kung Fu, UBBT, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.

One of Life's True Wonders

For those who have been around awhile, this entry may be more clear.

These past few weeks (actually, longer than that, its been years, but its starting to surface more than it ever has...), I have not played out my life in my personal favour. For me it starts with survival; making life happen financially, career, children.....top of the list stuff! After that me....the problem was, and is, more than was, is the available time for me. I burnt myself out and didn't realize how far gone I was until I came out of it. It took nearly a month before I had energy, before the care for myself returned, before clarity sank in.

During this time, my mind began to mislead me and take me in directions which was truly not in my best interest. It was not until I met and spoke with a true friend. When I speak of true friend, I don't mean the one you've necessarily known all your live, or the one who has been your neighbour forever or the one that you hang out with day in and day out, to me a lot of those friends can still be acquaintances. The true friend that I'm talking about is the one that you can sit with and have a truly constructive relationship. The friend that can tell you the truth, the one who you trust, the one who will listen, the one who will always be there for you, the never ending caring and love.

The friend I refer to was there for me and has always been there for me, for as long as I have known this person. To me, finding this true friend, has been one of my lives true wonders.

Darcy Regier, Silent River Kung Fu, UBBT, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.

Don't know what to say

I have no idea what to write about this week. My week has been low and high and in between. I am glad that it ended on a positive note with an amazing Dragon Dance practice.
Until next week, work hard and have fun

On the other side

My oldest daughter has moved up to the Advanced Teen/Adult class and it has definitely been an adjustment for us. She is settling in well, but I am finding it really different being on the sidelines. For numerous reasons, I am not on the deck, but instead I am on the bench with some other parents.

It is hard on one hand, as I want to jump in sometimes to help. However I am finding that I am learning a lot by by observing. It is a completely different view from the bench, and it's neat to see what you miss by being directly involved.

I highly recommend that if you ever find yourself sidelined due to injury or illness that you attend class anyway. By sitting out, you can learn a lot - and there are so many things that you can apply to yourself.

stretching myself

I finally did it...I booked myself a trip to mexico this christmas. I know, I know, you all hate me, but suck it up. It took alot to do it. First, I've never been anywhere. Yes, you heard me, ANYWHERE, and all I've EVER wanted to do was travel. But there was school, then job, marriage, kids, divorce....any number of things that always took precidence. I turn 40 this 2012; and even though I didnt make this a UBBT goal, its whats really in my heart, what I really want. So, even if I cant afford it, I'm going. Theres so much to see and experience in this world! And even if this is a very short, basic trip (one of my dreams is to hike the Inca trail to Machu Picu) its a baby step in the right direction. I may not come back:)

Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day

Today has been... rough. I was no showed by employees, had to cancel two jobs (one twice), deal with grumpy contractors, pay $460 for one single tire since I ran over a piece of shrapnel the size of a small country, I think I broke my back and a strut on a back country road, I had to deal with a company car accident (not me, and no one was hurt) (but the van is a write off), and I just burnt my tongue on my supper.

But... class was great, the night is beautiful, and I have a dog curled up in my lap. Today has been great.

almost forgot!

Almost forgot to blog this week! I think it's just an indication to me of how fast time is flying by these days. School is keeping me busy and kung fu is keeping me REALLY busy. I have my days that feel like I'm walking a tightrope and I'm ok, but a slight breeze could send me over the side. Despite the occasional feeling of impending doom, I'm really enjoying myself. School is really really interesting, one of the best choices I've made as an adult was the one to go back to school. Kung fu is pretty great too, again despite that impending doom feeling once in awhile. I stopped taking my recovery supplement to see if there were any permanent changes in inflammation and there hasn't been, my hands are falling asleep at night and the old familiar pain in my elbows is back, so it's right back on the supplement, not a bad thing, just an expensive one. I'm really looking forward to fitness class and dragon dance practice tomorrow, my shoulders are tight from hunching over a desk! Happy training everyone and say sphygmomanometer 10 times fast for your mental work out!

Andrea Prince

Fall Forward

I've heard the saying over and over again to always have something to fall back on. If you fail at what you try, you can always go back to where you came from. Playing it safe is wise, but is it really? What would it be like if I approached my art like there was no safety net? To clarify "with no safety net" means with full on enthusiasm, excitement, and passion. What would my art be like if I had no safety net? What would I be like? And where would this take me?

For me to be pondering these questions this means that I am holding myself back somewhere, playing it safe with something I know how to do. Yes I make this variation or that variation, but it's still a variation on something that I know how to do. So why am I holding back? Well what if I don't know how to make it? Considering that I didn't know how to make any of the things I make now, that excuse is really quite pathetic. I think that instead of me trying to figure out why I'm holding back, it would be more enlightening if I looked at what I'm holding back on and go from there.

I want to make a dragon. However I've never made a dragon and every time I look for images of a dragon there's a gazillion different varieties of a dragon. Where do I start? How do I know if what I make will even look like a dragon? Maybe I'll just stick with the dragon kanje, that's easier. Dennis suggested that I start with the dragon head. Sure, start with the most difficult detailed part. Sigh.

Sherri Donohue
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta

Mastery - Life Changing Continuous Process

This has been a great year so far.  I have been committed to the UBBT process along with my personal kung fu goals.  Mastery is the process that has allowed me to continually improve myself both physically and mentally.  I have been thinking about this a lot lately with our black belt grading approaching on October 15th.  I find myself sometimes equating mastery, the destination, with the black belt grading and this brings about some emotions of fear and anxiety.  Wow, this is a breakthrough for me.  I have never publicly spoke of these types of emotion before, nor will it ever happen again.

I quickly remind myself that mastery is not attained on black belt grading day, nor is mastery a destination, but rather it is a life long process of continuous improvement.  The attainment of a black belt is one point along the journey of a life committed to mastery.  When I think of things this way I feel confident and proud of the accomplishments I have achieved so far this year.  The black belt grading is another day and if my preparation serves me well, everything will be fine.  When I personally have doubts of my "preparedness" I reflect on my experience in the wonderful sport of hockey, which I have been blessed to have participated for 40 years.  I have prepared for I would guess about 1,600 hockey games and it is the same preparation each game.  All nerves and butterflies are gone as soon as you step on the ice.  Kung fu will be exactly the same on black belt grading day.  Everything is fine as soon as you step on the mats.

Have a great training week!

Allan Gamble

Training

This has been a tough few weeks for training. During the 10 days of renos, there was no training. Since then, I've had a few ailments (strains, sprains and soreness). I would say that before renos, I felt good and in the best shape of my life but now I feel like I've lost some of that vigour. Today is the start of the big push to grading. It's time to put aside the negatives and start focusing on forms, techniques, kicks and conditioning. The only one who can really hold you back is yourself so remember the first thing to do is remain focused mentally and the rest will follow.

Sihing Kevin Lindstrom
Student UBBT Member
UBBT 8
Onoway, Alberta, Canada

Learning..

Lots of stuff buzzing around in the brain; sometimes I need just to get it down on paper(or whatever) before it will all make some sort of sense. If you've ever seen the comedian that compares mens brains to womens brains--men think in boxes, one at a time, women its like a mess of interconnected wires--you'd know this is pretty close to the truth. Sean once asked me what I was thinking, and for fun I told him exactly everything--now he's learned to ask just for the top 3:)
So with that in mind.....
Master Brinker talked in the UBBT meeting about how many perfectionists there seem to be training sometimes....I am one! I have a real hard time asking for help (even though I need it), and seem to labor under the impression I am meant to struggle on alone. Don't ask me why.
Trying to teach my kids to be in charge of their own health, diet, and destiny without my continued reminders--yeah, thats gonna take a while.....
Love how we're trying a new way of training in the morning class--being responsible for our own training by deciding what to work on and approaching the instructor rather than him trying to herd us all in a multitude of directions. (hopefully we're better at it then my kids...)
Struggling with an injury(although I'm not sure how I got it) to leg muscles and getting annoyed that its taking its sweet time to go away
Struggling with the idea of Sanshou class--want to to get better, but scared to death
Enjoying the fall, time with my kids and Sean, especially on sundays when time to relax and just BE is there. Love it.
Reading about marriage this time, and how it too is a struggle for mastery--of ourselves, if its to be successful. Sounds like kung fu again...
And most importantly, pondering WHY  dogs have to find carpet when they have accidents as I spend my evening shampooing carpet and deciding whether or not he lives or dies. Whoo hoo.

Theft

On Saturday September 17, 2011 in between 16:30 and 19:00 my trust in our fellow men was shattered. Ok I will be the first to admit I am sheltered from the real world (the bad parts of it) by the way I choose to live. I live in the country on enough land that I cannot see or hear any of my neighbors that are adjacent to me. The biggest city I go into on the majority, is Spruce Grove and I am never there very long when I do go there. Yes I may go into Edmonton from time to time to see the chiropractor but I go in and then leave, not spending any more time in Edmonton then I have to.

Ok back to what happened, I had went into Edmonton after our UBBT meeting on that day feeling good about the positive things that had come out of the meeting. The reason I went into Edmonton was to take in my son’s Ipad for repair, it was not charging and would not hook up to the computer. So I ended up at West Edmonton Mall at the Apple Store (they were great) to see what could be done with his Ipad. I came out of the mall with a properly working Ipad feeling pretty good and ready to go home, but when I got to my vehicle I had found that it had been broken into and anything of value (to a thief) was gone. I was shocked and disappointed that this could have happened. But what upset me the most was that the thief/s had taken my Kung Fu bag with all my equipment in it. I commented on this to the Police, why they would take my bag on not my sons that was right beside it, while they were looking for any evidence that forensics would need to be involved in (blood on the shattered glass, they found none). All they did was ask “Was it closed, was it heavy?” and I had my answer. Yes my bag was closed and my sons was open easy to see what was in it and take what was of value. Mine on the other hand was closed and felt heavy so they took it, and would go though it later the police told me.

I now have had a day to reflected on what had happened, and what had been stolen, and my only regret was that the thief/s had taken my 2nd degree Brown belt when they had taken my bag. And they wont care about all the the blood and sweat that went into getting that belt or that the belt had given to me by Sifu Brinker and the two black stripes on it was given to me by Sifu Rybak (most likely it will end up in some dumpster or back ally) 

I did learn a lot yesterday but the most important thing I did learn was, if you are going to leave a bag in your vehicle leave it open, if thieves are going to break into your vehicle they will most likely take what is of value to them and leave the rest if they can see that it is of no value, which may be worth more to you then anything that they had taken.

Greg Wiebe

Stony Plain, AB, Canada 

www.silentriverkungfu.com

Support

My journey has not been without the help and support of most of the people in my life. My immediate circle has been patient and understanding and willing to take up the slack while I am busy with kempo. My extended circle has supported me unconditionally and without my asking. I have one such amazing story to share.
I used to work with this guy named Richard (the psychologist in the program) and he would always ask me about my kung fu journey. He listened attentively over the years as I shared my triumphs and obstacles and seemed to enjoy most of my stories. He always had ideas on how to over come what I was struggling with and cheered when I shared my successes, I enjoyed our chats together. One day I mentioned to him that I had to read this book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and I needed to do so with enough attention to answer some questions about it after. I shared with Richard my frustration with my reading as I didn't always understand what the author was talking about and therefore felt stupid, creating more road blocks, etc. Richard suggested that we read it together, having reading assignments and then checking in with each other. This worked great until I put the book aside in frustration once again. His response to this was to buy me that audio version of the book to listen to in my vehicle. What a great idea! I listened to the book and got enough out of it that I could sit down with the book, finish reading it and answer the necessary questions. When I finally finished, I excitedly went to Richard and shared the ah-ha moment that occurred when I completed the assignment and understood the purpose of it. I don't think that anyone else could have been prouder of me. He may also have been relieved that we were finally done with the assignment after three years and ready to move on to something else.
Today I attended a celebration of Richard's life and discovered that I wasn't the only one that he supported and encouraged. I will miss you my friend and I will always cherish the impact that you had on me.

Centering

I am practicing staying centered. It isn't always easy when multiple things are being thrown your way.

I am struggling with this as I write. There are many things going on right now and I am hoping that the practice of blogging helps to center me.

I am sitting outside right now, and have taken a moment to close my eyes and just be. I felt the sun on my face, heard the breeze in the trees, and my mind was completely empty for that moment. It was wonderful.

Its important to center yourself while training as well. It is too easy to get focused on realism, and to forget about technique. It is important to try to recognize when that is happening, and to stop for minute and empty your cup.

Seize and Opportunity

Last night a group of us Sihings had an opportunity to practice throwing techniques with Sifu Prince and Sifu Harrington.  What a great opportunity!

The techniques we practiced were all related to throwing and flying where partnership is of great importance.  I found that as we got into it, the partnerships, team building, trust, and confidence grew within the group.  By the end of the practice we were not only focused on the individual techniques, but developing creative finishes to each technique.  I want to thank Sifu Prince for providing this opportunity and sifu and sihings for the great training experience.  Have a great training week!

Allan Gamble

Happy Dancing

There are a couple of things (so far) this week that I am doing the happy dance over. I have many things to be happy about but these two stand out the most.

I have been getting frustrated with my pushups since I moved into corrective action to fix a bad habit of raising my thumbs off the ground during full extension. During this time I fixed the thumb-raise habit, but started to feel tension/pain in my upper trapezius muscles (more enhanced after Mom was with me). Because of this pain regular pushups were not happening, something was wrong with my pushup picture and I was not a happy camper. On Monday our class was blessed with a Sifu-not-seen-before and that Sifu was Sifu Harrigan. It was a great class (as always) and after bow-out I had a eureka moment to ask Sifu Harrigan pushup advice. (Judging by his physique he's done a pushup or million in his life so far.) Sifu Harrigan watched my pushup form and within a heartbeat diagnosed the err of my ways and had suggestions for improvement. As a result I have a new pushup routine, still keeping the numbers. The result: no more upper trapezius pain, scapula and lat muscles in action (yes I feel those) and my core very much more engaged. Happy Dance # 1. Warrior Princess, here I come.

The other happy dance is a result of going horseback riding, one of my UBBT goals. However there is background information as to why this happy dance is so special. I LOVE horses, always have. Horse-crazy kid and had a horse growing up. One day (in my early teens) while I was leading my horse, her and I became tangled and I ended up under her but still having an iron grip on her halter. 3 of her feet and both of mine were tightly hog-tied together. She was trying to get loose (can't blame her) and truthfully not trying to hurt me, but still was stepping on me. The dog was barking and Mom was yelling for Dad. Then my shoe came off, the hog-tie was undone, and we all were standing there looking at each other. I didn't think much of this besides the bruises on my legs, but Mom (outside of Dad's earshot) became unglued and ripped 10 strips off of me because of what could have happened. In that moment I felt my blood pool at my toenails and a blanket of fear set in. The result: I became scared of riding, uneasy around my horse, and had Mom's voice of "what if", "aren't you scared', etc ringing in my ears since.

Even though I lost my confidence that day, I didn't lose my love of horses nor my desire to ride. I wanted to ride but fear took over. Even though I had riding lessons from a few different instructors, the fear still had an overcasting grip. I let go wanting to have a horse (or even riding) being content to just be around them, look at them, and make them in glass. However fate wasn't letting me off the hook that easily as my morning Kung Fu class is littered with horse people and one of them suggested I come to her place and ride her kid's horse and then we could have tea afterwards. Okay, I can deal with that and agreed. That was last year.

This year I put in my UBBT goals to go horseback riding and mentioned to Jacqueline about us getting together like we mentioned last year. We both agreed and it wasn't happening due to schedules, holidays, rain, and whatnot until this week when we nailed down a date and time: today. So this morning I, with my riding helmet, went to Jacqueline's to be with the horses. Jacqueline knows my history and said that how I proceed is up to me. Whew! In the meantime, I also came to terms with the fact that the fear I have been carrying around wasn't mine, it was Mom's so time to let that one take its rightful place and not on my back. Jacqueline's horses are great, quiet and friendly. I led Meadow around and around the corral just being with her. I mentioned to Jacqueline that should I learn to ride again it would be bareback to learn to really ride the horse. In that moment I decided that I want to hop on and I did. There I was on Meadow, bareback, and feeling like it was home. I sat there for a while and gave Jacqueline the okay to start walking Meadow. Even though I was riding while Jacqueline was leading, it didn't matter as I was riding and riding bareback and again, it felt like home. Insert Happy Dance #2.

I must also mention that at Jacqueline's bluebirds perched on the fence railings only a few feet away from me. I was enchanted as I don't see bluebirds very often and when I do I savor the moments. Because I believe in animal totems and meanings, I believed this to be a sign so when I got home I looked up the significance of bluebirds: modesty, unassuming confidence and happiness. Need I say more? Okay just one more.. Warrior Princess, here I come ...... on horseback.

Sherri Donohue
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta

Good week

Not much going on this week, more of the same. I had a really great training weekend, fitness class was really high energy and sunday a few of the sihings got together for our last run through of the fitness test. A huge thanks to the sifus who took hours out of their weekends to be there for us, I know time is valuable so it was much appreciated. Going to class Monday and Wednesday's are making it really hard to do much for homework so I am still trying to learn how to balance those days a little better. It's been a good week over all.

Andrea Prince

Contemplation

As I sat in the emergency room with my daughters tonight, I got to thinking. Well I did after a snarky conversation with the triage nurse. I asked a seemingly innocent question, to which I felt my answer was both snarky and not really an answer at all. But after I sat down, I started to realize just how many people come in, and just how many might go through there in a single day. That is when I realized that I asked a question that is probably asked a lot, and she is busy, so her short snarky answer was not on purpose but simply a response to the situation. I can’t blame her for that.

That led to me thinking about how we encounter these types of situations all the time. When we are cut off by someone in traffic, or how someone might push you aside when you hold the door open for them. There is a chance that they are not trying to be rude, but could just possibly be dealing with an emergency of sorts. We don’t know. So I am going to try to exercise this more, by taking a moment to let the annoyance pass, and then forgive them for their wrong because I don’t know what the reason for the rudeness is.

meditation

I've been reading a book on trancendence meditation lately; what drew me to the book was that is written by a psychiatrist and researcher--cant get much more scientific than that! And I admit, I'm a skeptic about meditation, among other things. In the book he talks both about personal experience (his own and many other testimonies) and also what research has shown about this particular form of meditation. I was quite amazed to see the good it can do for heart disease and other problems, and also for mental illnesses as well as everyday stress. Its not a cure-all of course--but the good it does(without the medication side effects!) does make me think more about perhaps trying this. The good it has done people's mental health was very interesting too, knowing the attention our kwoon has given these issues, trying to make people more aware.
Lots of the things I've been learning this year (and have always been interested in) is about prevention. I don't WANT to end up like alot of the patients I see, and it has always motivated me to look for ways to avoid health troubles. And ways to help my kids choose better than we did, and be able to show them why they should choose these habits. Stress is one we all wish we had a better handle on, one I wish I could protect them from. Perhaps this would be good for all of us. Sitting still has always been a novelty....

A day of reflection

Last year on this day, I thought about turning 45 and how my year was going to look. It was going to be the year that I received my black belt. Today, I reflect on my 45th year and how much I have learned about becoming a black belt. It is way bigger than I imagined it to be, it encompassed mind, body and spirit and no stone can be left unturned. I have grown more this year than I thought was possible. I have examined myself, figured out what to change and what to modify and what to improve upon. I don't know what this new year is going to bring but I am ready for all the challenges that come my way. Tomorrow I begin my 46th year and I am ready.
I am also thinking about our world today and what it takes to have a peaceful one. I know what it takes to keep peace in my family, in my work world and with my friends, can we take those concepts that we use to create a peaceful existence out into the world? I think we can. It starts with acts of kindness, being kind to our community and encouraging our community to go to other communities and spread the kindness. Imagine the impact if we can convince everyone that we come in contact with to spread peace and kindness!
Until next week, work hard and have fun.

Stability

The word stability takes on many meanings, it's kind of like balance! In my life, stability is out the window without balance and if I tossed in contentment, then soon comes the realization that change is required.

We all have our own life story, challenges, priorities, schedules......, which can all be altered to a certain degree. For myself, the altering and prioritizing has not made a lot of difference. What it boils down to for me, is time, and even if there were 30 hours in a day, my next issue becomes rest.

The importance of rest for both the mind and body has become very apparent to me. Therefore, to reach contentment within my life, there has to be an alteration as to where I designate my time.

As I sat down for breakfast after running in the Rotary Run this morning, Mrs. Poultney began to speak about suicide and suicide prevention, and more particularly about her 17 year old son who committed suicide in 2004. She spoke of her passion to heal a hurting world and spoke of all who were listening, as survivors of "suicide". This statement really hit home with me because of its hidden truth, not because I'm at a mental state of self destruction....yet, but because of the stresses of this world, its fast pace, its instability and uncertainties. Mental illness impacts all of us and with stress being the number one killer of man kind, the correlation is obvious; I believe prevention is possible but requires awareness and action prior to the onset of some sort of irreversible state. I don't want to just be aware of the potential of being affected by severe mental illness, I want to do what my mind is telling me to do, right now.

Crap.....I just lost a huge portion of my write up! I guess I should have started in Word...

I wrote on how I recognized my limitations and life deficiencies, through challenges that I have put myself through. Challenges have a two fold benefit, first off, they allow you to push yourself beyond your limits and also allow you to recognize your limitations and of course open up windows on how to alter your process. Both are important, without my recognition and awareness of my limitations and life deficiencies, I wouldn't have become aware of the changes which I need to make.

Spreading myself too thin has been a mental struggle and has lead to interruptions in thought processing, focus and coherence, disrupted sleep patterns and unnecessary stress and aggravation. Seeing the onset of these self destructing signs has opened my eyes.

I can't seem to come up with a closing statement, other than it has been an awkward topic, knowing the changes that I'm going to make.


Darcy Regier, Silent River Kung Fu, UBBT, Stony Plain, Alberta.

Lost! If Found Please Return

In August my routine had been turned upside down and sideways, since then I have been fighting to get back the motivation and drive that I had towards my training and conditioning. It is becoming a battle that I fear I may not win. I seem to be just going through the motions now and my spirit is not in it. I have wondered off my path.  I am hoping that by writing this down and admitting it to myself that it will give me the push I need to win this battle and find the path that will allow me to continue on in my journey. Without the spirit the body can only go so far.

Greg Wiebe

Stony Plain, AB, Canada

www.silentriverkungfu.com

So Far So Good to Awesome

I have implemented my daily schedule and my daily training schedule and so far it's been very good. Having the days "themed" is great because when I wake up I think what is up for the day and I get excited about it because I know what I am doing that day versus wondering what shall I do today. I have found that since I implemented hot yoga classes 2-3 times a week, I'm more noodlefied that I anticipated, however I will adapt. The executive decision has been made that the 90 minute hot yoga class on Fridays will be opposite the weeks of I Ho Chuan.

Implementing my daily training is a progressional transformation progress and I must say that having the bulk and light days for my pushups and situps is very much working for me. Bulk days are on Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday. Last week I made sure that my goals were met for pushups and situps and this week I added in the forms and will probably keep status quo for next week. The week after I will be adding in another requirement and so forth. The reason for the progressional transformation is to not only to divert overwhelm,but also give a sense of accomplishment along the way.

Designated torch days pull me forward as well. In this hot weather I have been making icicles not because they cool me down, it's because they are quick to make and meditative in the process. Plus I have to build up a stock of them so now is a good time as any to do so.

Now for the awesome part. I have added a "want list" to my daily journaling and it's helped me to be more free in asking for what I want. Here's the kicker: most of it isn't material, it's either way of being, what I want learn, or what I want to accomplish. I am, however, careful not to make my "want list" into a to-do list. What I have discovered is that through my journaling I am getting to discover who I really am, what my gifts are, and are starting to embrace them. I am turning to my inner self for answers and guidance, not making decisions based on others thoughts and opinions of me or otherwise. It's truly amazing to see what is revealed through my pen when I ask what I need to know for today. I am learning to recognize, trust, sharpen and follow my intuition even more than I have in the past. Some times it's scary but at least it's me making and following the decision. In other words: total accountability.

Sherri Donohue
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta

Or an Astronaut...

I am still in process of deciding what I want to be when I grow up. The problem is, now that I'm older I can't just say "I want to be a fire truck!" without first thinking it through, what education do I need to become a fire truck, where would I work as a fire truck, do I need to move as a fire truck, oh, wait, I'm human, not a truck.

I can list several disciplines that I'm interested in, but the problem is, am I willing to do what is required to follow through? If I need to move across the country, am I willing to? If I need to take night courses, sell my car, quad, holiday trailer to pay for tuition, will I? Am I willing to take 2 steps back before I can take one forward?

Despite being made of organic materials, I think being a fire truck would have been simpler and easier.

Khona Rybak

training and studying

This week is back to real life, school and kung fu. The renos look amazing, Sihings Lindstrom and Weibe did a great job spearheading the projects and I know that there was at least on night they were there until after 2 am tiling... that's commitment!

I definitely feel like school is taking away from my training right now, the homework load is pretty heavy, there is an unreal amount of memorization. I do get a good calf workout everyday taking ten flights of stairs in the parkade, I'm trying to decrease the time it takes me every day. This Sunday the Sihings are going to do our last run through of the fitness test before grading so that's a good thing. It's crazy to think about how little time is left until the big day.

So the days are really full again and I'm on a tighter schedule, but I feel good and strong about my kung fu and it will be great stress relief when I take a break from the books.

Have a good week everyone!

Andrea Prince

A UBBT goal

One of my goals this year in UBBT was to read 20 books; didnt sound too bad, and I have always loved to read so I figured it would be a good thing to get back into. Then, in talking to others doing the same, I felt like I wasnt challenging myself enough--after all, I can burn off a book in a day if its really good--so I decided to only count books that a) I hadnt read before, and b) were books that were different then my usual. ( Not just novels, in other words.) This has been a really awesome goal--I have learned so much this year,been challenged, moved and stretched just from this one goal. I've had books recommended by fellow students, ones I've seen mentioned in the UBBT site, listed on other blogs....its been amazing! The mind stretching that has happened has been really cool--including 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' that is required reading for Sihing. I didnt get it done before the cutoff date, but it along with most of the books I've been reading, is NOT a quick read. I took my time with it and thoroughly enjoyed the brain stretch it gave me:) Anyone thinking of doing UBBT next year, I encourage you to give this goal a try...you might be surprised what you discover.

This Week

Hello all, training is going well.  This week I will continue with daily conditioning, forms, and individual techniques.  I will specifically focus on cirriculum review and code of ethics memorization.  That is all for this week's blog, less blog and more work.  Have a great week!

Allan Gamble

My week.

It wouldn't be sunday morning if I wasn't staring at a blank screen trying to choose what to write about. Here is what is going on in my world:
- my bullying project is starting to take some shape, I have done lot's of research this year but I wasn't exactly sure how to put it out there until recently. I am strongly considering making a video.
- I am sick again, so all the regular feelings of frustration and helplessness that go with that are here. I have been working on improving my health for a long time and the progress is slow, I know the only way to deal with it is with patience but this week my patience seemed to have left me.
- at work I have a student from Ireland, it is pretty cool to meet someone from one of the top three places that I always wanted to go. She is as excited to be here as I am to have her, so I am sure that we will enjoy our time together.
-training.... what training? I have not done much physical stuff this week, I have been working on staying mentally strong. It has been challenging as I usually work out really hard and long when I don't feel strong in my head and that works for me. Without the physical, I am relying on self talk and encouragement, reviewing my successes and not allowing myself to feel discouraged.
- Katie started grade 8 this week, it always strikes me at this time of year how fast she is growing and how amazing she is. It was a long hard walk from the school to my truck on Wed. morning, I really miss her when she is at school.
That is how my week went, I am hoping to get busy this week (but still taking it easy) so I can soothe my troubled mind. I am also looking forward to returning to classes and surrounding myself with the good people at kung fu.
Until next week, work hard and have fun.

Acts Of kindness

Tracking Acts of Kindness has been hard for me as I have mentioned in past blog posts. This week I wanted to mention that this is still a problem for me. I do recognize the acts I do for others but I still struggle with counting them.

I do want to mention that for the past week I have been drive around with a slow leak in my passenger side rear tire and four people have come up to me and let me know that I have a low tire, and two others have left notes on my windshield to let me know to.

It is nice to recognize and receive an act of kindness.

Greg Wiebe

Stony Plain, AB, Canada

www.silentriverkungfu.com

From Tour of Duty to Mind Stablization

The summer holidays are almost over for the kids and as a family we haven’t really had any sort of vacation. A few days ago, we finally managed to head out on a quadding/ camping trip. I’m writing this entry from our trailer; within my peripheral is a beautiful view of the mountains and soothing my soul is the sound of the trickling creek. This trip was a much needed get away.....with different reasons for each of us.

This year has been another of the same for me. Not until recently did I realize the stress being created from the inconsistency and uncertainty of the work provided from my career. Being aware of the subtle impact on my spiritual being is key, even more important, is knowing what it takes to relieve and stabilize my mental being. For certain reasons, a lot of the stress being brought on through my career is unavoidable.

There was a point in my life where a regular sleep pattern, didn’t seem necessary. As an individual, I have taken the responsibility for my being and the recognition of my deficiencies. I’ve become fully aware of the necessity of adequate R and R. A sufficient amount of daily sleep for my mind and body is about eight hours, however after working triple time for an extended duration makes it impossible to get the required rest to rejuvenate my depleting levels. I don’t believe there is a vitamin or supplement which can recapture this lost essential need.

Even after three days of being within the mountains, the fresh air, minimal responsibility, daily exercise, good regular eating and a healthy social environment, rejuvenation of my mind and body is still not evident.

Quadding within the mountains has always given me a major adrenaline rush along with a total mind release, and never after 15 years of quadding any sort of physical set backs. Coming into this vacation, I literally felt beat, my mind function was noticeably well below normal as well as my typical endurance level.

The first day we arrived at our vacation destination, we set up and got ready for quadding for the following day. The second day, we tore off and quadded for nine hours, it felt great.........at least until the next morning. My throttle hand, wrist and forearm took on a feeling that was totally foreign to my body, it is believed to be tendonitis. My arm only feels to be half functional, the simplest tasks, like blowing my nose have become a challenge.

I’m quite sure that the onset of tendonitis in my forearm is due to the extreme depletion of my immune system, it was brought to a point of zero healing ability.

I have always worked myself to a point of physical depletion and personally still do not think that is at all a bad thing. But what I need to focus on is sufficient mind and body healing, starting with adequate rest! I personally think that lots of people underplay the importance of natural rest, and resort to vitamins, supplements and energy enhancing drinks and foods to replace the natural building and healing that only a well rested mind and body can achieve.

Darcy Regier, Silent River Kung Fu, UBBT, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.