Another busy week

Another busy week, arrived in Saskatoon this morning and went for a long walk along the south Saskatchewan river. What a beautiful walk, there trail system along the river is wonderful. We don't have a river in Stony but we do have a creek, what if I got it dug out a little and have all the water from dewatering the aquifers pumped into it. Maybe it will work? I'm here for the Federation of Canadain Municipalities conference (FCM), a few days of networking with other elected officials from Canada, attend the trade show, take in a few sessions and study tours and hear from our national leaders. Yup, that all packed into a few days. Training is going better, been jogging a little with the dog. It's giving him and me a workout. Trying to take advantage of the gym and swimming pool here and get in some training. Better try and get some sleep it's going to be a long few days.

A Night at the Mustard Seed

This past Tuesday evening, I had the opportunity to go downtown Edmonton to the Mustard Seed to help serve dinner.   For those that aren’t familiar with the Mustard Seed, it is an incredible ministry in an old church downtown that has different groups of people come in every night (except Sundays) to serve dinner to 200-300 people who have a hard time providing meals for themselves and in some cases, their families.  They have an incredible program for helping people who are in need with everything from home cooked meals, a food bank, household items, clothing and a warm place out of the cold.

What made this time different for me, was that our two boys came with me.  When the mention was made a month ago, our youngest (who is nine), was the first to sign up. He had seen how much Darcy and I enjoyed our evenings there and was excited to be a part of it.

As we were on our way into the city, it dawned on me that more questions would probably come up throughout the evening, and sometimes a little boys’ voice is not as quiet as one might hope.  So we agreed that any questions or comments during the evening would have to wait until we were back in the car. 

I watched as my kids went right at it with washing tables, get chairs ready and making juice.  After each task they would come back eager for the next instruction.  As I watched my kids in their hairnets, aprons and oversized gloves, I couldn’t help but feel proud that they were willing to step up and help a group of people they didn’t even know. 

When the doors opened for people to come in and grab a plate, Brandon was first in the line handing out cutlery, with a smile and “how are you? “  A little further down the line, Kayden and I were on cookie and pudding duty.  After the first few people were served I heard this little, not so quiet voice say “are these people ever nice.”  I couldn’t help but smile.  I watched as people came through the line and noticed that some, who had few words for the adults, always had a thank you for the kids helping.

The entire evening was again fantastic.  I really believe that it is important for our kids to see that not everyone is as fortunate and that there are things that we can do for others that truly can make a difference.  

As we were getting ready to leave, we were invited to stay for karaoke night.  They obviously had never heard me sing! 

Alana Regier

Out with the strap, in with the fuzzy bunny

Hitting the ground at terminal velocity is a very good reason to wear a parachute.  Consequences are the driving force behind all of human behavior.  If I don't work, I don't eat.  If I speed, I crash.  If I steal, I go to jail.  Remove consequences and the system falls apart.  So why does the Edmonton school system see it necessary to remove consequence?   

In a recent interview, the CBC addressed an Edmonton teacher that was allegedly suspended for going against the system and holding kids accountable for their missed assignments.

Being married to an educator, I hear firsthand what is going on in the classroom.  Students are permitted to attend as much, or as little of the classes as they feel suited.  If they miss a test day, they can rewrite at a later date of their choosing, and in some schools will be assigned a mark from another assignment if they choose not to write.

I almost seem a bit old fashioned.  I did have my birthday today, and perhaps it’s catching up with me.  This infuriates me to see something as critical as education reward behaviour that is even below mediocrity.

If only we could bottle Kung Fu values and sell them as energy drinks.  We would have less insubordination, more accountability, punctuality, and discipline.  As it sits right now, we are hucking the kids out the Cessna door, with nothing more than a knapsack and telling them the landing will be a breeze.

13 of 52

The last few weeks have been really busy, at work we are in the process of switching accounting packages, what should have been a fairly smooth process has had a number of bumps.

Dean and I have a dance event coming up the first weekend in June so we have been practicing like crazy ... realized due to the journalling of hours that I spent more time on dancing than I have on my Kung Fu in the last two weeks. Amazing though I still have kept up on my Kung Fu numbers, what took the hit was my weekly journal (missed 2 weeks) and my healthy diet, for example on Tuesday I had a dry old piece of cake for breakfast, no lunch, a bag of chips on the way home at 9:30 pm for supper all chased with alot of coffee! And now I sit here ... a Tim Hortons breakfast sandwich at 10AM and since then lots of coffee. I am HUNGRY!

All work and no play make me a dull boy

Summers here, well maybe not technically, but the weather is like summer. This is awesome except that I have been stuck inside at a computer for most of it. Summer being our busiest time at work means that I have been working far too many evenings and weekends and far too much kung fu. We just finished our biggest issue of the year so things should hopefully start slowing down, which is good because lately the only sun I get is through our sky light.

Craig Janzen
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Silent River Kung Fu

The past 2 weeks I have noticed various muscles that are sore. No rhyme or reason. An ankle, wrist, left side of neck,lower back,etc..seemingly rotating to different areas. Something new aches each morning.
This month has been particularly hard to get enough training time in so I can only blame the aching muscles from inactivity. Too much sitting, talking on phones ,emails, meetings ..blah blah blah.

Conclusion; I would rather have a sore, aching body from too much physical activity then too little.

Chaos just works

As your training continues on there is the constant need for tweeking. Well I grabbed the lines of connection and ripped them out of the system. Organized training is not working for me, segregated time frames with somewhat of a routine is messing me up more than it seems to be helping. By the time I get to my training I'm tired or something comes up and one of my faults is I have alot of trouble conforming to things or ideas that don't appeal to me or I feel they are forced upon whether by me or others. In this case its my direction so now its an inner, personal issue. Everyday is full for me and usually very busy, but that is where I am more mindful and more prone to add something such as the UBBT into the chaos and fair much better. For me I'm getting in more training and thinking about what I am doing more accurately and it is staying with me more as I throw Kung Fu into everything I do throughout my day. I take Mastery with me to work, in my garage, wherever and read it when I can. If I'm in the yard or garage I'll bust out some reps of something, go down stairs and throw some kicks before I come back up. At work, I threw some kicks out and did a few push ups and some form reps at lunch. Repairing some items or working on my bike, I'll stop and do something. There is never a argument or resistance when the family wants to go for a walk or a bike ride, thats time with my girls and nature and mindful km's that really count. I don't know maybe its not the way but I feel more on the ball and focused on the fly and under load with my training than trying to set aside a specfic time for a certain challenge. We'll see what happens.

Be Flexible

One of my to do’s this year is to increase my flexibility and strength, a pretty broad statement but relevant none the less. Last night after playing my weekly baseball game I realized 1. I’m not in my twenties anymore and 2. I need to increase my both …wait for it … flexibility and strength in my back. I have seriously lost my mobility over the past few years. This is where stretching and conditioning is a must for me to maintain and then improve my past ability. My three main areas of focus are in my shoulders, lower back and hamstrings. Back catching for two hours each week has reminded me that I have some work to do on this. I feel it in my forms from time to time and must get it back. Sooo a daily stretching routine is now part of my focus, unless I can get knee and back replacement in the near future, just saying…. Sifu Bryant

Update: 3 Months Later

Dennis had his lung specialist appointment today after being on his inhalers for 3 months. I originally blogged about the specialist saying we have to get rid of the cockatiels because Dennis's cause of his COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is organic. Yes and we felt that there is more to this because Dennis has had symptoms all of his life since birth so we took our own measures as well as Dennis being on the inhalers.

Over the past 3 months the following adjustments have been made:

• Cockatiels moved to an adjacent room and in a 5 foot screen tent with an air purifier.  The doors of this room are closed 99% of the time.
• House Hepa filter system is on 24 hours instead of shutting it off when the windows are open.
• Washing down and cleaning of the living area. We don't have either carpets or a furnace (no ducting) so this was an easy job. Plus no curtains.
• Removal of wheat from our diets. If wheat is in a sauce, no biggie, but macro wheat has been removed. As a sidenote, Dennis has noticed a difference of pain in his joints especially during barometric pressure changes. AKA: no pain.
• CoQ10 supplementation was continued.
• Dairy in the form of cheese was added (Dennis only).
• Addition of a Hepa air purifier in Dennis's office.

What Dennis experiences in times of lung demand is that his lungs fill, but do not empty. Very hard to get in another breath when the lungs are full. The amount of air Dennis should be able to exchange per large breath (for a person his size) is 3 litres. 3 months ago Dennis's lung exchange was 1.3 litres. Today his lung exchange was 2.0 litres. Needless to say, this is a great improvement and both the specialist and we are very happy with the results. Dennis will be on another 3-month round of the same inhalers and a checkup/testing at the end of that round. We don't know at this point if Dennis can be inhaler free but what we are doing is working so keep on keeping on.

Further amendments will be:

• Addition of home-juiced pineapple (with peel) for the greatest concentration of bromelain. Bromelain is a powerful digestive enzyme and anti-inflammatory.
• Addition of fresh juiced wheatgrass. Yes it smells like a lawn and tastes like peppery sweet grass (plug and chug baby!), but the benefits are enormous as it is both a detoxifier and a superfood.
• Addition of Evening Primrose oil for healing.
• Continuation of a wheat-free diet high in whole foods.

Both Dennis and I are hopeful that eventually he can be inhaler-free. As I said earlier, what we are doing is working so keep on, keeping on.
Sherri Donohue

back in the electronic world

Sorry to have been absent. Two nasty computer viruses and many weeks have passed. Fortunately I believe everything is fixed on my computer now. I wasn't able to blog here, but I did keep a written log so I could more easily catch up. May 7th. Pandamonium was awesome. It was great to see it all come together and I believe the day was a grerat success. No matter how much money was raised, what was accomplished and started with the first pandamonium is truly inspiring. For me personally it was a day of laughter, sweat and alot of thinking. I love how Silent River gets invloved in the community and the empathy that is taught. The kids I see in the school are on their way to becoming very well rounded and thoughtful human beings. May 14th. This week was just another blur as time seems to be passing at warp speed. Spring is here and being able to get outside more and more is awesome. Even if there is a ton of yardwork to do, I still love being outside in the fresh air. With my mother in law being in her final few weeks of chemo tharapy at the cross cancer I have had to pick up a bit more of the household workload and parenting, as Kyla(my wife) has been spending alot of time visiting her mom and encouraging her on her recovery. I think I am seeing a little glimpse of what Sifu Brinker calls organized chaos. I am keeping up my numbers with spurts of push-ups and sit-ups here and there, where I can fit them in. Getting a little less sleep, but thats okay as well. May 21st. Finally broke the 205 pound mark. I have been hovering between 205 and 207 for the last few months. I think the fact that I am running 3 or more days a week is really helping. I have hit approx. 1 1/2 kms without stopping now. I'm wheezing a bit at times which concerns me a bit. I have a physical coming up soon and will have to mention that then. Just making progress in my running is awesome after lasts years mess. My next goal in my kung fu is to achieve my green belt. I have two stripes to go. I like the approach Sifu Prince is taking with our class and I know with consistent practise I'll achieve my goal no problem. May 28th. This past week has really gone by fast. My crew is doing amazing at work and we are getting close to completion of the pod I'm in charge of. Light fixtures and receptacles are being installed and its nice to be able to start turning things on. It's still a little crazy at times, but that just seems to be the nature of this job site. I have been able to start working on my stick forms outside and I'm feeling more comfortable with my weapon. I know I have a long ways to go yet but that is to be expected. This past saturday was truly inspiring to see how well everyone worked together to install the new mats. It went very smoothly and everyone was having a good time while working hard. When I take part in events like that in the kwoon, it really connects me to it. I feel very at home there and find it easy to leave the tensions and demands of the world at the door when I enter. It helps me focus so much more on becoming a better martial artist.

kayaking

Gotta love how we are all talking about the outdoors and the things we are doing out there. Its awesome! This weekend, we got our kayaks out for a spin on Hasse lake--yes, its smelly, but the wildlife is amazing! We disturbed a flock of pelicans, got a list of birds to try and find in the bird book, the dog got dive bombed by a small gull-like bird...was great! And then getting drenched at the end as a wave breaks over my boat...but I would take all of this any day over being inside. I love kayaking--it really helps me feel the 6 harmonies--the physical side anyways. I can feel how much more powerful my stroke is when my shoulders and hips move together, that I push with my legs as I pull with my arms. I love the feel of the water, the quiet, the connection with the world around me, even the dog swimming beside me. He too would go kayaking anywhere, any place, any time. So I guess I do feel the rest of the harmonies as my spirit, intent and chi are also in harmony:)

The Knee Bone's Connected to the Hip Bone

Well I have bought the running shorts, the camel back water back pack and now a pair of trail running shoes, but what do I do about my knee?  I have signed up for a leg in the Grande Cache Death Race this August long weekend and am pretty  frustrated that my training has not been where I was hoping.  I have been battling some knee issues for the last few months, which doesn’t seem to be getting any better.  Ice has been my friend.  I was nervous at signing up originally but that soon turned into excitement, and now its frustration.  I have been in to see the doctor and put on the waiting list for an MRI…. the process begins. 

I have realized the hard way how important good supportive shoes are.  They not only need to be comfortable for your feet to feel good but they need to offer support that compliments the rest of your body’s alignment.  For years I heard about how crappy shoes would affect my feet and eventually my knees and hips and etc; how true this is.  The last 3 weeks I have been feeling sciatic pain in my lower back and hip.  I have been visiting my chiropractor this last week and hoping that she can make a difference.  I’m not sure how long my hips have been out of alignment (according to her records it’s been 2 years since my last visit, ouch!), I haven’t been walking with a bad limp yet, but it makes sense that this would contribute to my knee issues. It’s amazing how everything in the body is connected and works together. 

Where I feel issues the most right now seems to be in my forms.  Because we are moving in a deliberate way from stance to stance, at times I feel very off balance or just plain uncomfortable with pain.  It’s funny how some things don’t seem to bother me and others can have me grimacing in pain. Lau Gar is turning into a hard form for me these days, especially the opening bow with the twisting of my upper body.  So at this point I’m taking things day by day and doing what I can without aggravating things more.  I’m staying engaged with my numbers and kms and adding in portions of forms that I need to work on more.  It’s frustrating, but I’m grateful it isn’t to a point where I only feel comfortable lying in bed.  I just need to change my focus a little right now and trudge on.  It’s all good!

Alana Regier

Healthy meals 5

Hello once again another meal another month so I hope you enjoy
5 oz of chicken
WHAT YOU PUT ON BEFORE YOU COOK THE CHICKEN AND WHILE YOUR COOKING THE CHICKEN (Mix the ingredients)
Olivie oil              2 tbsp

Lime juice            1 1/2 tbsp

Grated lime zest   1 1/2 tsp
Cajun Seasoning   1 tsp


Now for the salsa To put on the chicken after it is cooked
Chopped mango         1 cup
Finely diced red onion 1/4 cup
Garlic clove minced     1
Finely diced jalapeno pepper   2 tbsp
olive oil                        2 tbsp
lime juice                      1 1/2 tbsp
chopped fresh cilantro or parsley     1 tbsp
grated lime zest               1 1/2  tsp
Mix all together

 Also if you want you can slice up a tomato on the side and have that with the meal.

Sihing Langner  

Mother Earth

I spent a good portion of my afternoon digging in my yard, getting rid of weeds, and planting a few vegetables. I loved it! It looks nice and fresh and there is something about it that brings peace to my soul.

Hotel Jesse

The past few weeks have been a hurricane of social activity. One of my friends works in Nicaragua on a rotation of two months away, two weeks back. When shes in town, she usually stays at her parents or my couch. On top of that another friend of mine who lives in Grand Prairie was visiting the last couple weekends with his sister. All of the people mentioned are good friends with myself and my roommate so we have a blast together.

When people are in town we try to make the most of it and do as much together as we can. These moments are a treat for me. I am making an effort to be more social. Even now I can feel the effects of decay on my social life that came from my time in school. For awhile I felt like I was losing friends because I stopped doing things. Say no enough and soon you might find yourself not being asked at all. Between my easygoing introverted attitude and a lack of effort I've found it hard to establish the same life I had a few years ago.
 

My couch and I have enjoyed the company of late but having a revolving front door has a way of throwing a wrench into routine. My class attendance certainly waned and I'm hating myself a little for that. I need to figure out how to balance better and binge less...

Two Titles- Update 5.0 & Whilst is an Awesome Word

Sorry for the long delay between posts, I was gone for almost two weeks in the bush, and I forgot about it this weekend. But, I'm back!

Still have Hollywood the pigeon, she (I think) looks more like a bird now and less like some freaky sideshow. Doubled in size, double the appetite. Trying to fly, but not quite there. We hung out for a while yesterday in the yard, fresh air and sunlight was good for both of us.

I think I'm done the monks spade, I just need to try it out with my spade (which is significantly heavier) to see if its possible to finish it the way I'm planning. Made progress on it when I was gone and on Friday, but my shoulder is definitely not healing because of it. Progressing wisely is a phrase I need to remember.

Need to play catch-up on my push-ups and sit-ups. Looking forward to this Friday when I have no excuse not to do 1000 of each. Horrah.

Back at work. Bah. I am not one of those people who says they'd go nuts if they just stayed home everyday. I could keep myself busy in our yard for a good two years, in our house for probably three years. And I'm not even kidding about that. If I could find a way to make money whilst staying at home...

Definitely need to get back on track with the diet thing. I have to admit, I lived off of smokies & hot dogs whilst in the bush. I don't think it added to the waist, but I know it didn't subtract either. Also have to admit, had a couple cold bevies that didn't help either. Still managed to drink mostly water though, and less coffee than usual!

And aren't these baby geese cute! View from my momma & papa's house. Momma threw out her back, so get better mommy! I'll mow your lawn for ya!

Le Bucky List

Yesterday I received some sad news that a high school classmate of mine had passed away after a short battle with cancer. After hearing the news, I was truly saddened and thought that Spinner was taken way before her time. However after reflecting on Spinner and our meeting at our class reunion, maybe this was Spinner's time. Spinner was awesome with a heart of gold, and was a real fun, cool cat.

Flash back 24 hours at our monthly wine-tasting and food chowing club gathering as we were chatting around the fire in the firepit when one of the group mentioned what he has on his bucket list. That got me thinking that I truthfully don't have a bucket list. I have goals that I have set  with some of them being "haven't got the foggiest how I'm going to achieve them", but a bucket list I don't have. The next thought was whether I should have a bucket list or not and the answer came up as no because I really don't have anything that I am waiting to get or conquer. I believe the key here is waiting. I see something I want, I put my mind and energy towards that and I get it. Very simple. Sure it would be nice to be at a Jimmy Buffett concert, but if I don't get there in my lifetime, it's no biggie.

As I reflect on my life, I'm doing what I want to do and moving towards who I want to be and what I want to achieve. Maybe I don't understand the bucket list concept and maybe my goals are my bucket list. At any rate I 'm keeping on doing what I'm doing because it's working for me.

The only thing I have to say after a great Kung Fu class, a Sifu Regier-inspired walk down my road to pick up the cans and bottles, a kiln heating, and a lunch that was topped off with a (gluten-free) vanilla cupcake that was mountained with (dairy-free) dark chocolate ganache: I love my life. :)
Sherri Donohue

Appreciation

As I have noted previously I have been working out of Brooks area. This presents a few complications, first and foremost is the minimal amount of time that I see my wife and two boys. This in itself has lead me to the thought of relocating my family to Brooks. I took a good look at the Brooks area and real estate pricing and what was available and would suitable our needs. I spoke to many people about Brooks and what it might have offer my family, ie. schooling, extra curricular activities. Geographically, the climatic region is quite a bit different than Stony Plain, it is drier, windier, way less trees, there is actually a road called "One Tree Road".

This weekend I returned home for a couple days, due to being rained out, when I returned I came back to a large full of trees that were fully leaved out, beautiful green lawn, a yard and house that we are very fortunate to have; and a community that is so well taken care off, clean and a pride that I did not see in Brooks. I could not see myself moving from the Stony area for these reasons plus the good schooling that my boys are getting, our great friends and family.

I have come to appreciate what we have as a family a whole lot more through this past month while working in the south. To uproot my family would be devastating to my family and is just not something that I could live with. Coming to this realization this weekend has given me relief and will hopefully allow me to refocus and just let things happen!

Darcy Regier

Random Acts Of Kindness

I've really started to notice what an impact the little random acts of kindness that I'm doing daily are making on the people around me.  Before I began the process of writing down every act of kindness that I perform on a daily basis, I didn't understand the value of it; I mean, I hold the door open for someone every day... Why do I have to write it down.

I've just began to realize the change that writing down all of my acts of kindness has brought to my attitude towards these acts.  I notice the brightening of someones face when I smile at them, or say hi as their walking by me.  Or the thank yous that I get as I'm holding open the door for someone. 

It's funny that, when someone performs a random act of kindness for me when I'm having a bad day, it can brighten my mood in just a few seconds.  This project has helped me to realize what an impact we're making on others when we perform one of these acts.  It's a small act of peace that can instantly change someones mood, even when you don't expect it.

"Peace isn’t a permanent state. It exists in moments. Fleeting. Gone before we knew it was there. We can experience it at any time, in a stranger’s act of kindness, a task that requires complete focus or simply the comfort of an old routine.

Everyday we all experience these moments of peace. The trick is to know when they’re happening so that we can embrace them, live in them"  ~ Greys Anatomy

Starting again

Went for my first jog this evening, 2.3km in 13mins. Not bad? I didn't want to over do it. You can tell that I'm out of shape, muscles don't feel it now (tomorrow they will be complaining) but my lungs are a little stressed. Looking forward to increasing my speed and cardio over the next couple of months. Hit a few golf baglls this week. The inactivity over the past few months has also effected my swing. I thought I do a little bit of practice since I have signed up for a couple of golf fundraisers. Don't want to embarrass myself when I'm with other elected officials. I'm starting to plan a raffle for the school, if everything goes well, we will raise awareness of the charities we support and generate some money to support them. Let's hoe everything works out.

Don't be fooled by the picture. I posed for this one. I didn't actually do pushups on my holiday. I know I should have, but it was 40 degrees in the desert and not a lot of fun doing pushups in that kind of weather. We did however do a few hikes and that was quite a feat in itself. Everywhere we went we carried water. A lot of water. Even when we weren't thirsty, we had to drink to stop from getting dehydrated. Anyway, back to the pushups. I didn't do any, nor did I do any situps or anything else to do with my requirements. These past 4 days of being home I haven't done much either. I did manage to do bit, but not a lot. I was starting to feel like I was getting tired of doing all these requirements. Sifu Brinker was right. When you stop, even for a short while, it is so hard to get back into it. I had to really push myself to get to my classes tonight too. But I did, and I was real glad I did. I left classes tonight feeling like I had been given a kick in the pants. A nice one. Kind of like a boost of energy and renewed get-up-and-go. They were both great classes. I especially liked being able to work with my weapon outside. As far as that goes too, I was feeling like I didn't know where to go with my rope dart. Master Brinker had told me I needed to add some kind of stances with my moves. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how. I tried to vision it, but couldn't. So I just didn't try. Then tonight, I had to work at it in class. I was so surprised how easy it was to figure it out. I just needed to get out there and work with the dart. To physically throw it around and see what I could do. I also got some pointers about how to make my moves look smoother, and faster. Working on getting fast, smoother, and adding some stances has made a big difference to my form. With continued practice, I think I can make it look pretty good. I am excited about that! So a lessen learned. Don't take a break. Even when it is really hard, just try to always move forward. Never backwards, and never stagnant. While on holidays, we stopped in Santa Monica on our last day. We visited the Pier and then wandered down 3rd street, which was closed off to traffic and had lots of shops and street performers. On our way to 3rd street, we stopped at a street light. It was at this stop that I saw the most coolest thing. Two young guys, looking all fit and studdly like. They stopped at the corner with us, and while one of the guys got out his camera to take a picture, the other guy got down on the sidewalk, and started to do pushups. My friend and I got this huge smile on our faces and turned to look at each other. We both thought the very same thing. UBBT?? I was dying to ask them and find out why they were doing pushups, but lacked the courage to ask. So all holidays over and it's time to get serious again. Real serious and catch up for lost time.

Live from room Two Zero Five

Here I sit at the complimentary free breakfast.  I over pour the milk and it slops over the ozone killing Styrofoam bowl.  The bran flakes are busted up into dust, and with the addition of milk it turns into a form of brown sludge.  I gnaw away at a stale bagel and top it off with a lukewarm yogurt.  The smell of chlorine is in the air, and fills my lungs from the room where countless bodies have basted in the hot tub.  The light fixtures on the roof show evidence of a few fly’s that went to meet their maker. The water tastes like it’s been filtered through a gym sock.  Life in a hotel.

Bleak; maybe, but now incorporate an attitude that revolves around what is important to me.  My faith, my family, and Kung Fu.

I get out of bed on stable legs and feel strong.  I pull back the blinds of the hotel and the early sun greets me with warmth in my face.  I see the creation outside.  Birds in the air and green lush grass from the previous rain.  I drop down and pound out some push-ups.  Although not tasty the morning breakfast was healthy and my body feels energized.  I move forward stepping into a bow stance and lightly flick the light on with my foot.  Sweet! Good control, I guess I won’t have to replace the switch fixture like last time.  I check my phone and I get a morning text from Stephanie and kids with a picture of the boys hunkered down and reading.  I thank God for them and the gift of the day.  It’s off to work I go.

What more is there to say about attitude and perspective? 

Vince Krebs.

Spring Planting

I've been pondering on a quote that I read last week that said "it isn't important what you harvest tomorrow, it's the seeds that you plant today." Of course, being from a mixed grain farm, in order to harvest one has to plant. But there is more to the concept of just planting seeds. Quotes often refer to "if you want an apple tree, an apple seed must be planted. An oak seed will not yield an apple tree." The statement is very true and again, there is more to the philosophy than that. Let me explain from my farming point of view.

One wheat kernel will not yield a grainery full of wheat. More than one seed must be planted and too thick results in puny plants.
The condition of the soil is very important as most plants (except weeds) don't grow in gravel, blueberries do fine in acidic soils, and pretty much nothing grows in pure sand.
Rice thrives in a marsh environment and cacti thrive in drought, most other plants need moisture.
Timing: winter wheat is planted in the fall, the majority of crops are planted in the spring, and nothing is planted in the winter for various obvious reasons.
Some plants, like the bamboo, require a lot of nurturing and other plants like the Evans cherry are happiest when they are ignored.
Some plants require protection and some protect themselves quite nicely (large cacti pretty much rule the world).

Of course this whole seed planting theory reflects on the actions I take in regards to Kung Fu, my glass art, my relationships, my health, and basically my existence on this planet. When the actions are right in the right conditions, the harvest will be great, but variance from the aforementioned, will yield different results. Some pleasant surprises, and some not so much (complete hail-out) and the only way I will know is if I try, learn from my experiences, and carry my learning forward.

I have split my forms into sections and practicing those sections. Works for my mind at this time. As for my glass art, I have this intense "craving" to make a double-walled glass that can be used for an espresso cup or small glass where the liquid temperature will not be affected by the temperature of the hand. Plus it will look pretty cool. Of course if this works, it can be made into a neat wine glass. What I have to laugh at myself about where I got the inspiration for this glass from. It was the piece that I had the most resistance in making: the bowl of a pipe. Go figure. Lesson learned: go with the flow as the application is yet to be revealed. I see that "someone" has a sense of humor.
Sherri Donohue

Mountain time

It was definitely a good weekend--got my mountain fix. Yes, I still cannot figure out what the heck I'm still doing here in the flatlands! but the family and I went on a day trip to Jasper, hiked around a bit, checked out Maligne canyon, ate out....it was awesome to get out of routine and into the hills. Even the dog had fun chasing squirrels and swimming. I know some traditions say that mountains funnel chi, or life force. Maybe thats why I feel so drawn to them, and recharged when I go.

GCC

Tomorrow is the start of another challenge, its called the Global Corporate Challenge....10,000 steps per day. The challenge is an individual/ team effort, which is challenged by many globally for a 16 week duration. I need another challenge, like I need another hole in my head, but I'm hoping that this challenge will help me stay engaged with my kung fu and my death race training.

Being away from my kung fu family and its surroundings definitely has a downward affect on my personal challenges and engagement; 15 to 18 hour work days don't help my situation any. I hope that with this new challenge, I will feel the comradery and team support right in my face like I do when I'm in the kwoon.

My life will continue to run this crazy course and if I fight it I will just lose. On the other hand, I will not beat myself up but go with the flow and continue to challenge myself in ways that fit to what my life is and has become. A very wise soul once told me, maybe even twice, "kung fu is not supposed to stress you out, if it does then you are not letting it serve you, you must bring kung fu into your life not your life into kung fu".

Happy trails!

Darcy Regier

Mental Wellness

I was going to post about something else until I read Sihing Langners post.
It made me think of the turmoil that some people hide within themselves. What leads them to a point of despair and how did we lose them along the way?

I think about mental wellness everyday, I am pretty sure I see victims of an unwanted issue when I pass the wandering souls in the downtown core. Some of them are regulars down there,
I say "good morning " to three of them just as I would my co-workers. One fellow has a routine and I usually pass him every morning.
He was someones child at one time,...I wonder what his story is.

What happens to our fellow human beings, I believe depression and instability can develop over time and people find themselves spiralling slowly downwards. It can effect families, it effects society and its sad.
I have no answers, I cant answer Sihing Langners question of "what to do".
Except, try to help but most importantly care.

What to do

Hello, on Sunday May 20 I went to my grandma's to help her move out, because she was separating from her boyfriend of 30 years. Also because he was a heavy drunk. When my father and I arrived at the house we found out that my grandma's boyfriend almost committed suicide. My uncle notice the gun when he was trying to hide it, and he eventually confiscated the gun. I had no idea how to react to this, but my father knew what to do, first he checked if the gun was loaded (it was) then he called the cops, because at the time we did not know really what he was going to do with it we only assumed. The cops arrived and lots of questioning went on and then the cops found 2 more guns and confiscated them. My grandma was devastated her face was one of horror and "can this really be happening". In the end though i saw someone who I thought I knew get carried out of the house in hand cuffs. He was not charged with anything because he had the gun on the floor, but even then he does not want the guns the cops confiscated. Also, he was allowed to return to his home that day, but my grandma no longer lives there right now, she is now living with  one of my uncles. In this whole situation I did not know what to do. As much as I do love him i could no longer look him in the face and in two days he will move and be gone forever. 

Sihing Langner

Appreciation for My Community

Last week I had a pretty miserable week, with what started as allergies and I think turned into something else.  I have a whole new appreciation for being able to breathe out of my nose.  When that doesn’t work, the in through the nose out through the mouth goes out the door.  Although the start of the week was crappy, the weekend was great.  The kids and I headed down to the southern part of the province to spend the weekend with Darcy.

 Throughout the weekend, we spent some time walking and wandering through the town.  I was absolutely amazed at how little care and attention was given to the community.  There was garbage everywhere and few garbage cans, neglected grass, weeds all over and out of control and a general run down appearance of a lot of the residences and buildings around town.  It was so hard to walk by and not want to pick the weeds or ask someone if we could borrow a lawn mower.  As we were walking one evening, there was a young kid walking in front of us.  As he walked and came upon a can or a piece of garbage, rather than bend down and pick it up, he just kicked it around as he continued to walk. There was no awareness or care of what he was doing.  From the looks of things around him, he was just following the example of many other people.  It was so hard to just watch and not say anything. 

When we go for walks, we always take bags with us; one for recyclables, another for garbage.  If we forget a bag, there never seems to be a problem finding one hanging in a tree along the way.  Our kids have been taught by example and are right along with us.  This is our community and it is our responsibility to help take care of it.

This weekend I realized what a beautiful town and community we live in.  Care is taken all over Stony Plain, from the gorgeous hanging pots around town, the mowed and well maintained lawns and parks to the recycling facilities that are at the residents’ finger tips.  We definitely live in a community to be proud of.  It is important that we each do our part to keep it that way and to teach our kids and lead by example to others around us. 

It’s good to be home, just wish it was with my whole family :(

Alana Regier

Lessons Learned

Unfortunately, I was unable to blog on Sunday, due to being out of town for work (I essentially got paid to hike and camp, while learning and practicing numerous skill sets. It was awesome!). However, the things I learned and developed through my work related excursion are invaluable and will assist me for a life time. With the exercise, I was observing the roles and methodologies of my superiors as they conducted their leadership duties. It was interesting to note and discuss different styles of leading, and how these different styles are effective given the type of situation. I noticed that leaders who respected  their subordinates and lead from "the side" (that is, not belittling their subordinates and valuing their input and opinions, while providing correction and some control at key times) sustained a high degree of morale and thus performance from their subordinates. Leaders who constantly belittled and barked at their subordinates created an atmosphere of tension and frustration, which seemed to lead to decreased morale and performance. However, in a large group with multiple hierarchies, both methods of leadership seem to be required to maintain a dynamic and effective cohesion within the group (if that makes sense).

I also developed my patience and discipline. Laying in the prone for about 2-3 hours at night not moving, with mosquitoes and light rain definitely helps develop that.

Also, my back feels great! It seems counter-intuitive, considering I was walking long distances with a moderately hefty pack on my back and carrying other gear. However...it feels not bad! *knock on wood*. With that, I am definitely going to focus on core strength and mobility work, and being more careful and ensuring I do not re injure it. So, I'll still post the rehab related blog posts (with the first hopefully being later this week).

Cheers!

Sifu Joe Harrigan

May long polar dipping

May long polar dipping

I don't really have much this week. Although I did get some more kms under my belt this weekend on our first camping trip of the season and some outdoor push ups, so that was good. I also shocked the system well with a full run into the lake that was like jumping into a ice cube tray. I couldn't possibly chicken out on my eight year old since she ran right in like it was nothing, then said, " Your turn"
What can you do, except go for it.

Good week

It's been a week since I was officially sworn in as mayor, what a feeling it was last Monday. A big sense of accomplishment and pride with a little be of trepidation. Taking a quote from uncle Ben from the movie Spiderman, "with great power comes great responsibility". As mayor, I don't have any more power then I did as a councillor, I'm only one vote in seven. What I do have is more influence on the direction of the Town. We will still discuss and debate everything in Council and then vote on the best course of action. I'm looking forward to settling into my new leadership role in our community. I have been given the go ahead to resume all activities (YES!) but I have to stop when my eyes gets red or if I fell pain. Time to amp up my Kung fu training and get back on track. On Saturday I went to open training and have now settled on my 5 techniques, (well 4 for sure and still working the kinks out of the 5), if anyone wants to allow me to practice on them, it would be greatly appreciated. Today, after work, we went to the lake to get things opened up and ready for use. The cabin wintered well but the boat shed was used by some cats as a washroom. (yuk) I raked thought the sand to clean most of it out. Next year, I'm going to seal te shed with some boards. Looking forward to warmer weather and spending a few out there with the family.

Recharge

I have to admit this weekend couldn’t come any sooner. I was running pretty low on energy this past week and really needed that extra day to recharge and refocus. Now don’t get me wrong I didn’t just sit around and flip channels all day, I was busy doing a lot on my list. One thing I’m famous for is making lists, I am constantly making a To Do list for the day, week and beyond. This has always helped keep my thoughts together and stay well organized. This weekend I knocked a lot off of my To Do’s as well as spend a good deal of time working on my weapons forms. Over the past week I really had a few aha moments where there was little effort in manipulating my spear and feeling its flow. If I hadn’t pushed to work on it while I had fifteen minutes here or ten minutes there it would have been a lost opportunity. We all lose opportunities; I’m now just trying to maximize my opportunities more often now. It was a great weekend all in all, just wish I had used sunscreen yesterday, Judi is calling me lobster….stupid lobster….. Sifu Bryant

Leadership

What is a good leader? How do you get to be a better leader? Why do people follow one person's example and not another person's?

I don't know the answer to these questions, I just more questions. I know what I am passionate about and I know that when I share that passion, I can inspire others to try harder, be more creative and not give up. I know that I can convince people to try new things and have hope, when I share my passion. Most of my experience in leadership has been face to face, allowing me to use my facial expressions, body language and tone of voice to enhance my words. I like being able to see the reaction that I am having, looking for that frowning face that tells me that I need to explain more or that ah-ha look that tells me that I can move on. What I am not experienced in is trying to inspire and lead people using electronic devices. I can't tell if my message is being heard, understood or accepted, I have to move forward as if I have the full attention of my intended audience. Perhaps if I make a video and share it electronically, I can reach more of my audience?

This will be very short as I am siting outside a McDonalds in Twentynine Palms, CA. using a friends computer and the free wifi McDonalds so graciously offers. Although I have not done any pushups or sit-ups, I have walked a ton. My kung fu still remains close to the forefront of my mind.

Update

Nothing big to blog about this week. I've had a pretty good week as far as numbers go.

I'm really getting excited about my tai chi. My flow is coming along really nicely. Ive come to really love doing my tai chi as often as I can. It really calms me down and relaxes me.

on leaving

In just less then two months I move to Vancouver and I have been having some trepidations about the whole deal. I don't have a place to live yet only a couple places I have seen on the internet but nothing concrete. Also I have no job lined up yet. When I say trepidations I really mean that I was stressing big time about this especially because every time I look at the calendar another week has gone by without me noticing. I have been thinking about this lately and have realized that moving right now will be the best thing for me. It is going to force me out of the my comfort zone and push myself to well be better. Currently I feel unchallenged and unmotivated by job but I frequently make excuses to not leave and get a better job. It is kind of a hard realization, made even worse when factoring in that I am working on mastery with my kung fu,  but am just floating along and maintaining being average in my career. I had become complacent and content, knowing I had security and freedom to do just as much as a I needed to get by. Like I said I am being forced out of my comfort zone and am grateful for the opportunities that it is going to present.

Craig Janzen
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Silent River Kung Fu

Happiness

I stumbled upon this video last week and thought it tied into what we set out to do for Pandamonium. The video really puts a different spin on what we perceive as happiness and what we all can learn from one single simple act of kindness. Again it never has to be big or expensive but purposeful in its intent to create positive change. How To Buy Happiness Sifu Bryant

The remainder of this month has been and will be consumed by a work project I am managing and the wind up of Raymonds lacrosse. I have been getting up early in the morning to train but it isnt enough time to cover  everything I need to do.
I am looking forward to June, I want to take back some of my time and focus in  on grappling and my Sais, maybe  some sleep too.

A dogs life

This mothers day, since I got to choose the activity, my family and I wandered down to Devon to eat ice cream(incentive), goof around in the river (as opposed to bathing the dog) and hit the green houses (my personal choice, everybody elses nemesis,lol). We had a great time, our dog LOVES to swim, so we kept him going throwing rocks and getting him thoroughly worn out. It definitely worked--he played so hard that he was a hurting unit later--still hasnt been able to wag his tail properly 2 days later! So we've been tailoring his exercise, cutting back a bit on the running, looking into supplements for his hips...and it hit me. Why can I be so proactive and see clearly what my dog needs when he injures himself, and so stubborn about my own? Why is it so hard to take care of myself sometimes--feel like I'm being lazy, etc etc instead of just pulling back and taking care of myself as needed?
Not sure what the answer there is but I'll have to be meditating on that.....

Shiny Procrastination

Over the past few days I have been tuning in online to a tapping summit with the topics of emotion, pain, abundance, body image, sport performance , perfectionism and procrastination.  I always listen to all presenters because I always learn something and usually the one that I think "yeah whatever"  has the most value because it swacked me upside the head. Lots of gems in this summit and the topic that has nailed me right now is procrastination especially how I procrastinate.

There are different types of procrastination and I (right now) was flagged with two (like one wasn't enough). The first was I'll call "time frame" procrastination. This is where I delay (or don't start) something because I have made up that it will take hours and hours, days, weeks, and forever to do so why start? Hello forms! I have made up that it will take literally HOURS to do my forms and I'll be EXHAUSTED after so I'll put those off until I have enough time and energy.  Yeah well, that's really working out for me, not! This one I have to designate a time and amount for me to complete. I have (let's say) 5 minutes, I will do a form of some sort and then carry on with my life. Rinse and repeat. Worth a shot.

The other type of procrastination is tricky. It's called "shiny procrastination" where I get distracted to do this, that, and the other thing before I get down to business. Here's the tricky part: I'm actually productive, but not in the area I need to be. When I get "shiny", I'll make a smoothie, make cupcakes, tackle the ginormous dust bunny population, make a salad, rearrange the files on my computer because it make so much more sense the new way, and "oh hey my phone chimed, let's see who loves me." Yep, I'm productive all right, just not in the area I need to be. This type of procrastination  is a bear for me as I get easily distracted. I have implemented a designated start time to do something and then do it.  Focus is another thing I need to do as well. As for diet, keep my fat high enough so that I don't have the attention span of a ping-pong ball in a dryer. Translation: low sugar, lots of protein and good fats.

I'm not anticipating an overnight "cure-all" but awareness is a key to implement change. The big thing is to accept myself even though I have time frame delay and shiny procrastination. Self-bludgeoning solves nothing. So here's to awareness and steps to keeping on.... hey a recipe with chocolate in it: must try!!! (just kidding)
Sherri Donohue

Here and now

Well it's 12:50am and I can't settle myself down to sleep. A little to excited from tonight's activities. I was officially sworn in at tonight's Council meeting as the Mayor of Stony Plain. Excited and nervous at the same time. It was nice to have my family there to share the experience with, I was also surprised to see of the community there because they wanted to watch me get sworn in. I took over the meeting after I was sworn in and settled down after a few minutes. Looking forward to the challenge, I know this is going to be an amazing journey in my life. I'm just thankful for everything that has happened to me. With the many paths that are in front of me, every step I have taken has taken me to this point in my life. Sometimes I wonder where would I be if I hadn't come to Canada......if I didn't talk to Dara in grade one.......if I.......I don't know where I would be, I only know what I know and humbled to be here and now. Better try to sleep, I have kung fu at 6am, then another busy day.

Hello once again I had a wonderful day with my mother we went  for supper at original joes and we also went to go see the movie The Avengers and it was a really good movie. I never thought that the Hulk could be so funny. Spending the day with loved ones should not have to wait for a special day maybe we should do more special things with our loved ones rather than waiting for a certain day.This blog I have nothing remarkable to say, but to just say I had a good time with my mother and i hope you all did the same.

Sihing Langner

Birthday of reflection

Monday, 14 May 2012

Birthdays. To some a birthday is a celebration of ones existance, to age another year and to be that much wiser and reflect on what you have accomplished in your life. To others its a day to be miserable because you are aging. For me its the greatest day of the year. I love birthdays, to celebrate you with many people you hold dear. A time to look back and remember the good and the bad and how far you have come and take inventory of what you have done and what you are going to do the next year to improve your life and what kind of preventive maintanance will be required to live a long and healthy life.
Yesturday was a really special day for me. It was my birthday and mothers day all in the same package. I had a really deep connection with my family that woke up a long over due sensation that I can't really explain, but it hit home hard. It started with waking up to my little one yelling "Happy Birthday Dad!", and my wonderful wife standing behind her saying something along the same. I looked out the window and witnessed a bright warm sunny day. Shortly after my oldest called me with a Birthday wish with similiar gusto. I felt very grateful to have that kind of warmth and to be loved so much.
My wife and I took the little one to swimming lessons, then grabbed some food and went to the park for a picinic. After fueling up the girls took me to buy a new bike and I rode it home. As I was riding home I took in the warmth and the different smells of spring and everything around us that we all seem too busy at times to apreciate. I also thought wow, these are really cool kms to be logging, I should try to put this kind of awareness into all my distance requirements. Easy to say, but i'll try too anyway.
Once the girls came home we just kinda hung out and then went on a really long bike ride and grabbed some steaks for supper and came home. Before supper I did a few reps of Da Muh Singh and cranked out some push ups and a few kicks. After supper I just spent time with my daughter, she wanted to watch a movie so I said sure, what was a little much is that she picked the sound of music! Oh well, as a father, sometimes you got to bite the bullet. But the sound of music! Oh well it was such a great birthday that I will remember for a long time and it was the greatest gift that I will cherish forever, my family.

Dog Meets Porcupine

Sunday morning, the house was quiet (late night for the kids) and I was having my coffee with Darcy over the phone.  After our morning chat I strapped on my shoes, grabbed the leash and headed out to get the dog for a walk.  What I wasn’t expecting was for her to meet me with a nose and mouth full of quills.  We have a litter of kittens, 9 to be exact, who were born in her house.  She has been very protective of them and won’t let unwelcome guests near; I guess that included the porcupine.

 It so happened that Sunday was a big day for us, as three members in our family were getting baptized.  The last place I had planned to be was sitting on the veterinarian clinics floor with our dog, waiting for her to wake up.   I couldn’t help but feel disappointed at missing the morning, however, I also realized that sometimes we are needed in other places, whether it be away from home working, with loved ones who are sick or sitting with a dopey dog wondering how am I going to lift her in the vehicle?  Life has a way of throwing monkey wrenches in to best made plans and intentions.

Our life is kind of a fly by the seat of your pants one. A phone call can come any day and any time, and off to work Darc heads.   In our family we are quite familiar with members being in different parts of the province at any given time. It sucks, but it is sometimes necessary, as the bills won’t pay themselves.  I am very grateful to Darcy for doing what he does, as I know it’s not easy for him to leave his family and home and is difficult to get in the training he wants with the schedule he has.   I honestly don’t think I could do it.  I think what we continue to learn in our family, is how important it is to take advantage of the time that we are together.  This can be hard sometimes because there is always that LIST of things that need to be done.  I think we are slowly learning that sometimes projects can wait another day.  Let’s go for a bike ride instead, or let’s pretend we didn’t look at the clock and see it was pass bedtime and go toss a baseball around instead.

We might not always be exactly where we want, but there are times when there isn’t a lot of choice.  The best we can do is be grateful for what we have and enjoy the times we are given.

Alana Regier

A Pigeon in a Pear Tree

So I don't know how I get myself into these situations, but it seems that I'll be taking a baby pigeon with me to our annual May long camping trip. Despite my best efforts, I didn't find a home for it yet, although I do have a home lined up for when he's able to feed himself. But, chances are I'll be attached to him and won't want to give him up. He'd fit right in- three stubborn, bratty dogs, two talkative cats and a pigeon (in a pear tree). This counts as one in my acts of kindness tally for sure.

I think most people in the office think I'm completely insane for trying to save this bird, this "rat with wings" as he's being referred to. I'm feeding it every few hours, taking it home at night and I just spent a hundred bucks for a cage, heat lamp, baby bird formula, doggie bowl used as a nest & bird bath spray (all the nests they had were too small). Maybe I am, but I don't care what it is, be it an overpopulated scavenging bird or the last endangered dodo bird, if it needs help I'll do my best. If I can afford the car I drive then I can afford to try and save a life.

The Feeling of Being Reconnected

Brooks, Alberta has become my new home, and I have to say it is going very well or at least as well as it can go without Alana, Brandon and Kayden. I have settled into my new position quite nicely, so it feels anyway. With that stress and burden off my shoulders, I have felt more connected with my life and personal goals again.

In the office, a fellow worker asked me if I'd like to be a part of the Global Corporate Challenge (GCC). So after hitting their website and reading the brochure that she forwarded me, I jumped in with both feet. The challenge is individual in a team set-up - the challenge is to clock in 10,000 steps per day, which officially starts May 24th. Nothing like a challenge to meet a challenge!

Today being Mothers day, ended up being a break from the field as my contractor and his staff took the day off to spend with their families. Since I'm a fair distance from my family I took this opportunity to get caught up on a few things. Besides all the tidying up in my trailer and getting paperwork ready for Monday, I threw my runners on and headed out for a 12km mindset.

This run was one of my first for the season; besides not really be prepared to run, like not have a water bottle, not have my designated running gear (running socks and my "running shoes", the run went very well. My legs and lungs felt strong, but my mind was saying stop. A reset had to take place today, as I ran, I listened to my body and mind, and just said to myself "your feeling great just a little thirsty...only 4 more kilometers, just keep on lifting your feet. It was great, after a couple more flat land runs it will be time to start hitting some hills.

This leads me to reminding all that read this, the Rotary Run in Stony Plain is coming up quickly. The race is in September, so register on line now and get prepared for a race which supports a cause which I feel quite strongly about; a cause which we should all feel strongly about because it affects each and everyone of us to varying degrees.

In spirit I will be training with each and everyone of you. The hardest part is so easy, its just a matter of lacing up the shoes and jump'n out the door. Rock on!

Darcy Regier

An Idea

Saturday I attended the I Ho Chuan meeting...but I apologize to my team members for slipping out early (my shift started at 1:30...once 1:20 rolled around I figured it was best if I left ASAP).

With that, I need to blog on a consistent basis (now decided to be every Sunday, or Monday if I am out of town). My previous blogging habits were consistent with a shotgun blast, with a blog being posted on Thursday...then the following Tuesday...then the following Friday or Saturday and et cetera. Now, I also had an idea for blogging for the next several weeks. I recently re-injured my lower back while grappling at the pandamonium (partially due to rolling with an overzealous grappling partner). With that, this injury is a fantastic goldmine of opportunity in several areas. First, it will force me to develop myself in different areas while allowing my lower back to heal. Not only can I train the bench press and upper body more, but my mental and spiritual side can also be developed. Second, it will force me to research therapeutic and rehabilitation methodologies, and force me to design a rehabilitation/training program for myself. The primary goals will be to allow the back to heal, and to strengthen the core (both abdominal muscles and lower back and spinal muscles), so that the chance of reinjury will be lower. Third, this injury is allowing me to develop my patience, and to use reason and to progress wisely with my training. Instead of jumping back into training right away, it is forcing me to take my time, and to progress wisely.

So, I think the next several blogs will be me detailing the program and training I develop for myself, along with my thoughts for each week. I think it'll be an interesting topic, and also hold me accountable to researching and developing a decent training routine (that incorporates some back rehab and pre-hab), instead of letting it fall by the wayside.

Cheers!

Sifu Joe Harrigan

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!
 I have had a very good kung fu week. I am enjoying the morning classes and was happy that I got to attend black belt class and I Ho Chuan. I was not able to attend for a couple of weeks and that really helped appreciate how much I enjoy and learn from those classes. I think that if I could attend every week, then I may get complacent and not stay in the moment. When it is not always available, opportunities are easier to appreciate. In fact, I think everything is easier to appreciate if you consider not having it. I recently lost a friend to cancer and that loss has helped me appreciate everyone and everything in my life. Suddenly, the little things that were bugging me no longer mattered, the big things were what mattered. I have a family that I love, I have friends that I can share with and I have my kung fu (and my kung fu family), what more does a girl really need.
I am glad that I had an opportunity to count my blessings. I will miss my friend and do everything in my power to honor the path that he helped me see. :)

Run For The Cure

I've finally finished my latest project...

My friend and I are taking part in the CIBC Run For The Cure this September.  I've been working for awhile on this logo to put on our t-shirts.  Not to flatter myself, but I think I did a really good job...

This is a very important cause to both of us, as we have both had family that has been affected by Breast Cancer.  Her mom, Nora, just had her last surgery on Wednesday, and she's in good shape.  I've set a goal for myself to raise at least $200.00 by the run date.  

On the other hand, I finished my sai form yesterday during the I Ho Chaun class.  I'm extremely proud of myself, as this is the first time I have essentially finished a form that I've started creating.  I've tried in the past, only to give it up because I'm so frustrated.  I'm so excited to be able to work towards getting it ready for demo purposes.  

Plan of Attack

Well the last couple weeks, I have been non existent in the Kwoon, a Hail Mary at the Pandemonium is all that I could fit.  The next few weeks I will be out of town for work, but I am taking Sifu Kichko's advise and have formulated a plan.

1. Don't forget my Kung Fu mindset.  It helps keeps things in perspective and more relaxed.
2. Keep up with the things that are in my power and that have been molded into my routine.  (Push-ups and Sit-ups etc.)
3. Stay connected with the team through blogs and posts.
4.  Maintain my physical health by making smart decisions regarding meals, adequate sleep when possible etc.
5.  Keep what it is really important to me front and foremost.

For the mean time, there is going to be less pondering about life, and more attention to paperwork.  Too bad.

Still trudgin' along

Well, as busy as my week has been, I have been able to keep up with my requirements. I have actually been able to keep ahead as I prepare for some time off. Instead of getting up early to go to the gym or the kung fu school to work out, I have been staying at home for my workouts. The time I save in traveling and changing into work clothes, give me an extra bit of time for more situps and pushups. I need to be up and about for a bit before I trudge on into my workouts, so I use the first while that I am up to do a few things around the house. When I feel I am limbered up enough, I fly into my workouts. It has really worked well for me. It is a very wise use of some extra time. My schedule has changed recently and this will give me a bit more time to hang out with the team on Thurs evenings. I am looking forward to this and getting in some good sparring. I am still considering attending the sparring class, but just need to push myself a little bit more. That class still scares me. :) While I am away on holidays, I am going to challenge myself to see how many different places on my holiday, I can do kung fu in. Of course I will have to take many pictures, and see what is the craziest place to do kung fu. Soooooooo excited!!

On Poptarts & Dentists

I woke up this morning with a memory of a dream, none of which made sense. The one detail I remember most was teaching the kids how to break boards, only instead of using boards they were breaking poptarts.

Kung fu sneaks into every part of your life, while dreaming or while awake. And its helpful in so many ways, from catching something you drop before it breaks to having the patience & discipline to wait quietly in the dentists' office. Sometimes this can backfire, like when Sifu Beckett instinctively caught falling knife blades while driving, or this morning when I had a strange craving for poptarts with blue & purple icing. But normally, its all good stuff.

It's upsetting when I see a student leave the school. They are walking out on all this good stuff, opportunities that are not going to present themselves elsewhere or with the same frequency. When you see a student leave after years of training is even worse, because they should be aware of what they are leaving. To me, when you become aware, walking out is not an option.

I was talking to my mom in the dentists office yesterday about this. She gets upset when I mention a new injury or ache. You have to admit, what we do is hard on the body. I'm starting to have issues with my knees, and my mom is scared I'm going to be crippled soon. The way I see it, I'm happy that it took this long to develop. And no, I will not be crippled. I just have aches and injuries on occasion. But no matter what, she agrees that the benefits far outweigh any chance of injury. Far outweighs.

Rhythm of the Art

First of all I want say that Pandemonium was an excellent experience from the parking lot festivities to the Kwoon events. A big thank you and congratulations to all involved. I must say that after spending 3 hours with my nose in a popcorn machine popping caramel corn, I don't to see caramel corn for a looooong time, at least until next year.

What has recently come up for me is that I was fighting a subconscious block about training. Nope didn't want to train. Pushups and situps were OK, but anything else was  nope. Even with Pandemonium I was looking at the events with a bah! humbug! attitude. Because of the heel-digging resistance I had, this wasn't laziness, this was something that was rooted in my subconscious. Luckily I have the knowledge and tools to clear that block and once I did, I was ready to train and so I did at Pandemonium and felt fantastic for it.

The one thing that I am becoming more aware of is that the numbers aren't necessarily for me to accomplish, but to keep me on the path of moving forward at a consistent pace. I've lived at both extremes of the spectrum with first burnout, then relax in zen-land and  now I'm seeking to find the middle ground where the wavelength oscillates around the center line vs tipping the extremes.  The challenge for me right now is to move forward from zen-land knowing that burnout is a thing of the past because I now have tools, methods, and strategies in place to do a check-stop before it's too late. The key is to have both aspects of "work" and of zen-land as a regular part of my day/week/month/life. In other words, the key is to strive towards and maintain a center-line rhythm and that in itself is an art.
Sherri Donohue

It's Not Like Riding A Bike

Apparently swimming is not like riding a bike!  After over 20 years, you can’t just jump in to swim lanes and expect it to all come back to you.

 This last Friday a fellow classmate invited me swimming.  It seemed like a great idea to hit the pool for some good old lanes.  Wrong!   As a child I grew up swimming.  It was the one activity that was not an option in our family, you had to learn it; it was a matter of safety.  I use to love swimming and did quite well at it.  What I did not realize was that without practice you forget or get rusty.  Who would have ever thought it possible to forget how to breathe?  I still enjoy water and feel comfortable in it, however, when it came to front crawl all of a sudden I found myself struggling to breathe correctly.  I floundered in the water gasping for that next breath and quickly switching to my side or back crawl.  By the end of Friday night my neck was very stiff.  I was so tense while trying to keep my head up for that precious oxygen that every muscle in my neck still hurts today.  This has been a reminder to me that if you do not commit the time and effort to things, it will be hard to maintain and impossible to get better at.

 So as of today, I have given myself a new challenge, relearn to swim.   With all that is on my list, I will probably only get in 1 day a week, but that is my plan.  I am hoping by learning to breathe again in the pool, it will also benefit my breathing in the rest of my training, from when doing kicks to sparring.  This can only be a good thing.  Thanks Mrs. Rice!

Alana Regier      

Last week, this week and every week.....when and where am I going?

Sometimes it just seems to be the same old, day after day.....What I've been focusing on in my journey, is to stay in tune with what is really taking taking place behind the scenes. I don't think its ever the same old....I can say that, and I have, but that would just be what's at surface. I live the life of uncertainty, kinda like a farmer or professional gambler. The funny thing is - I'm not a gambling person, however I continue to let this be a huge part of my life. The reason this continues to works for me, is because of my mental adjustment and of course my family support and understanding. Without these two key components my journey would be an absolute mess.

There are times where it would be nice to be able to schedule my life beyond a 24 hour span. I have adjusted to this life and for the most part what has made this as successful as it has is the realization of my journey and certain aspects of. A journey is supposed to end at a destination, not? This is where I feel out of the loop! Destination, hmmm...!

I believe I have lived for the past 45 years without a destination! Is this normal? I mean, I go and I go and I go, but, that's just it! I'm wondering...........! I believe I'm leading my journey or is my journey leading me, if I don't seem to have a destination here on earth am I controlling my journey or is my journey controlling me. I think this mental struggle may be due to the unique balance or imbalance (depending on how you view it) that I've been contending with for numerous years.

At times I feel like I'm living under some sort of dictatorship, and the strangest part is that I feel it is being lead by myself. I tend to over exhaust myelf and lose focus on what's most important. The strange thing for me is I get a feeling or accomplishment when I'm exhausted; is this just over compensation to sooth my mental being? It all seems to lead back to imbalance.......!

Darcy Regier

Another journey branches out

Well the election is all over and I did get elected as the Mayor of Stony Plain. It was a great relief on Tuesday night after the results started coming in. After the results of the third poll was posted, it was clear that I was going to win. I was excited and honored to be given the opportunity to lead our community into the future. We had a little get together with some friends and volunteers and Dara did an awesome job setting up the room and making all the food and desserts. She spent a lot of time getting everything ready. Regardless, if I won or not we where going to have a celebration. The voter turn out was low and that was no surprise, municipal elections tend to have low turn out and by-elections are even lower. With just over 20% of the eliglbe voters voting on Tuesday, they made a definitive choice in choosing me to be the Mayor. I'm still in awe that I was elected. Now the work really starts, I feel another sense of pressure on me now. The pressure of leading a community. I will need a lot of support from my Council, Town Staff, my family and friends. I need to lean on them if I'm going to succeed and make the Town better. My training is slow, looking forward to my appointment with my surgeon on the 15th. Hoping to get the green light to amp it up a little. I find it hard to get mentally engaged with training without being physically invested. It was good to get out during Pandamoniun and it was during grappling and sparring (bonus). Would have loved to really get involved but had to hold myself back. I'm so blessed to be involved with a school that does more than training it's students how to kick and punch. The "spirit" of Kung fu is thriving at Silent River. I wish other organizations get this invested in their communities, their municipalities, their provinces, THEIR WORLD. The world would be a better place for everyone in it.

and another about pandamonium

I almost hate to blog about the pandamonium since we all are, but it was awesome! It was cool to hang out, have fun, and be around people that expect more from us:) My family enjoyed themselves,  my stepdaughter got to play the game, my oldest got shangheid into face painting with Mr Tymchuk (highlight of her day) and my youngest daughter got to hang out with friends while checking out the pets.
I really enjoyed getting to try lion dancing, grappling and sparring--its nice not to have to worry about the time, to be able to play abit with the techniques and see how they work for me. And the dragon dance.....love it, but man! Cant wait to get back to the level we were at before:)
It was way easier to get donations this time too--everyone at work kicked in--last fall I only got 3 people at work, this time, 11! And some gave more than $10, so that was totally awesome! They loved the idea of a family festival, and that they could come if they liked and  check it out.
Awesome day all around, thank you to everyone who made it happen!

12 0f 52

Pandamonium was awesome!   Lots of participation, lots of numbers for those of us in I Ho Chuan, and lots of fun.   I got there at 5 am and had an opportunity to practice my nunchuk form many many times with Mr. Krebs, my tai chi broadsword with Sifu Langner and many reps of Kempo 1,2 &3, spear and stick 1, 2, & 3.  Sihing Robinson kept us motivated by yelling car everytime someone drove past or parked and then pulling off some fancy flying and spinning kicks on the heavy bags.  That man has more juice than the energerizer bunny, he just keeps going and going! 

My hubby arrived just before 8 AM and we set up the tent and the tables outside for the barbeque which was up and running on time for the pancake breakfast at 9 AM.  Sifu Masterson and her volunteers had the whole outdoor thing running beautifully and even the weather cooperated.  

By Tai Chi class at 10 AM my knees were aching badly and I was loosing steam but the class was incredible ... definitely more chaotic than usual so it made it hard to focus ... but hey that’s good practice as well.   A number of us who know the whole tai chi long form ran through the whole thing several times and the energy in the room was smokin!

It was the most fun I have had in a long time.  I prefer to train with other people ... alone it seems to me that something is missing.  Since my girls have been gone to China (we used to train together) practicing my kung fu became alot more solitary and somewhat two dimensional as a result.   So for me this event was a great experience .  I will see you all there next year!

Bring the Rain

The weather was not on our side Saturday.
I was more so annoyed by it, since Fridays forecast boasted a sunny day with warm temperatures.
However, not even mother nature could dampen the spirits of Panadamonium!
I was impressed by the energy level inside the hall and outside. no shortage of help and happiness.
My hats off to the tent crew for enduring the wind/rain at their backs during the morning pancakes, Sifu Shipalesky and Mr. Chervenka looked more like bank robbers with their hoodies tied up over their heads, then pancake makers!
Thankfully it cleared up in time for a fantastic Dragon/Lion dance ,loads of kid fun and polished off by some hardcore kung fu into the late hours.

What a great group of people to be associated with, ..so Mother Nature Bring it!
Bring the Rain, you are no match for the Silent River Kung Fu crew!

PS: just a note of thanks to Sifu Wetter and Mr. Brady Young whose company donations will help greatly with the food costs.

JC Masterson, Silent River Kung Fu, Alberta, Canada

Pandamodium

Wow what a crazy day that was. I started my day at 6:30 a.m and began work at 7:30 a.m. You see I work for Coca Cola and i am a merchandiser, which means I go to store to store filling up shelves and pulling big heavy pallets of pop all day long. So I was pretty beat after my shift which was 3:15 p.m Then I went home and took a shower and and went to start pandamodium around 3:45 p.m so not much time for rest but either way that is the way I made my day. The two best moment for me at pandamodium was learning how to lion dance and doing suicides with Sifu Leets( sorry if i spelled the name wrong) Of course I loved everything, but those were the highlight of my day for me. Also, when the clock stroke 12 can't forget that. It was nice knowing that I was doing something good for a charity, and seeing all the other people there that participated. It was such a good night and now i am just plain sore all over, but couldn't be happier.

Sihing Langner