Trust Issues

We had a good turnout for practice tonight. Thanks to everyone who came out! We are making progress and it's nice to see. We still have a lot of work ahead of us but if people stay committed we will pull through.
One issue I've noticed at practices lately is the lack of trust. Not so much amongst the dragon dancers, but more-so in regards to taking direction from Sifu Rybak and myself. Everyone wants the dance to be spectacular, and everyone has good points about how to make it that way, but you can only really follow one vision at a time. Following the choreography of another takes trust. You have to trust that they have the experience to know what looks good, what doesn't and a sense of timing. You also have to trust the process. Rarely do things in a dance stay the same. If you've ever been involved in a Chinese New Year dance, you know things usually change all the time, even the night before. One of the most important things lion dancing has taught me is to be adaptable. You need to be adaptable as things change and progress. That's how things improve. Being adaptable is one of the key qualities of a black belt.
A lack of trust is dangerous because it can lead to an increase in ego. Before adding a comment during practice, consider if it is truly necessary at that moment. Most likely, if it's an issue with the dance, it's already been noticed but hasn't been brought up because the focus is on getting the basic sequence down for now. I'm not saying don't bring things up, but I am saying that maybe a better way would be to bring the comments up at the end of practice instead of during, or just bring them to Sifu Rybak or myself and we'll pass them on when appropriate.

But, I think it was a good practice and I'm proud of our progress so far. I think Canada day will work out. Everyone is working super hard and it's showing in how well everyone is coming together.

Basic numbers: tai chi reps: 4, broadsword: 4, pushups: 204, sit-ups: 202, kicks: 208.

Acts of kindness: let someone ahead of me in traffic, let a car pull out in front of me in the parking lot, bought my brother breakfast and took Julia with me to the dog park.

Today I consumed: 2 pieces of peanut butter raison toast, a cheese burger (not fast food!), a porkchop with mashed potatoes, gravy with wild mushrooms, carrots and asparagus (thank you mother-in-law!) and a bit of left over pasta. I drank a cup of coffee, an ice-cap, 6 glasses of water and a beer.