Weeks End

I have to say that I am so glad that this week is over.  It has been a hectic and very exhausting week from start to finish.  There were projects going on at work that I had to oversee, which required me to put in some overtime, having to be up at 4 am every day.  Top that up with training a lot at the kung fu school, going there right after work,  staying till usually 9:30 pm. I figured out today that I have put in 30 hours at the kung fu school this week alone.  That seems pretty excessive, but I simply felt it was necessary.  I had to practice, I had to teach and I had to prepare for the dragon dance demo, and the banquet demo.  It sounds like I may be pushing myself too hard, but I can handle it, as long as it is only temporary.  I know my limits.  Next week I will be training pretty hard as well, but Saturday won't be quite as long a day as it was today, and I have 2 days this week where I can be home early.

I was also pretty stressed out about the tournament all week long, and it increased as the tournament got closer.  I have only be involved in one of our school tournaments before, and that was years ago.  I am happy to say that the tournament ended up being a huge success for me today.  I didn't win any medals in the one and only category I competed in, but I gained a lot of experience and confidence with judging, seeing just how the children's categories went, and I learned what it takes to run a tournament.   One of the things I witnessed today is how successful an event can be when everyone helps.  Todays tiger challenge was a huge success.  There was a wonderful,  happy and positive atmosphere all day long and so many people helped out.

I have come a long ways from a year ago, when I would train for maybe an hour a week, attend the odd class, teach once in a while, and not get very involved in school activities.  That's pretty sad.  Is it any wonder I wasn't going forward with my training?  You get out what you put in.  I have put in a lot this year, and I have gotten lots from it.  I don't look forward to Feb 16th as being the end, but rather the beginning of a new way of continuing to do things.