A wierd new year

This year feels weird to me i am going from lots of school and homework to none. I guess i am one of those people who like school, because when i am at school i know i am trying to better myself and trying to get a career that i want, but now that i am done upgrading i miss it. Now i go to a job where i do mindless work or so i believe. My job is easy enough i go to store to store and fill up the shelves with pop and condense the pallets. But as in any job their is always people who find it hard, and are lazy,  and making a bigger mess for me to clean up. This job i have really puts me in a down mood, just because it is a job full of people who have settled for this for the rest of their life and want to make other peoples life worse. I do not care if someone want's to or has to work at a job like mine. I have a friend who has already decided that this will be his first and last job, but it works for him. At my job i tend to go to stores where the managers of the store are not happy with what is happening and they are mad at me as if it was my fault, when it is the first time i work the store. I know why i get sent to these store, because i am the one who does all the hard work and makes them happy again. I hate my job, but  at least i know i will not be their for the rest of my life. If anything the silver lining about all of this, is it drives me harder wanting to escape this type of world; making me push myself to become a better person, knowing i never want my life to ever be dull and you know what as i am writing this blog right now i just realize why i am at a job like this, it is because it make me strive for something better. To tell you the truth it is hard to find the benefit of a bad situation, but blogging about it right now just made me realize it. Their is a technique i would like to perfect, finding that small little tiny silver line that does surround most bad things. Funny i learned a lesson blogging never saw that one coming. Well see ya and have a good day.



Sihing Langner

Bubble Wrap A Good Idea

 Yesterday afternoon I spent with my kids and their youth group sledding at Connors Hill in Edmonton.  It’s funny how a hill may not look like much until you are flying down it on a piece of plastic shaped like a saucer.  After a couple of runs, I started talking to a lady who told me about the 3 ambulances that whisked victims off the hill and onto the hospital the weekend before.  It got me thinking that every run down the hill I made, I increased my chances of ending the day with an injury (not a good thought right now).   So with that, I chose to sit on the sidelines for the rest of the day; not as much fun but definitely safer.

 As we have all been putting in extra time and pushing our bodies a little harder, it only makes sense that we might feel some extra aches and pains along the way. I seem to be spending extra time stretching, icing and heating different areas as required.  I’m seeing the importance yet again of taking care of injuries and doing what I can to prevent them.   I’ve had people around me joking about being wrapped in bubble wrap for the next month, and I have to say I’m starting to think it may not be that bad of an idea. 

 

Alana Regier

 

reflecting on my year

I have really been taking a long hard look at this year in the I Ho Chuan. My successes and especially my failures. I totally agree with Sifu Brinker that you can learn so much more from your failures, then you can from your successes. 90% of my successes have been of a physical nature this year. I will achieve my pushup goal next week and my situps were done over christmas. I wont stop doing them, they are part of me now. I have had to adjust my pushups with more tricep dips due to my elbow injury, but I am still getting in reps. I have almost doubled my kms goal for the year. Between work and all the jogging I have done this year, that has been a breeze. My flexibility has improved, but I have a long ways to go yet. I expected it would take time and pushing to far, to fast would be a mistake. I got my reading of 12 books done plus a few extra ones. Where I haven't done as well is the mental side. When I'm running or walking the dog I get my walking meditation in no problem. But I haven't gotten into a proper and consistent routine at home. This is something I will have to work harder on this coming year. The other thing that I noticed this year is that I let my knee injury and elbow injury distract me from my training. I became unfocused and scatter brained. Add in the christmas season and I found myself slipping badly. I have missed a number of classes lately due to meetings for my daughters upcoming trip to Quebec and other family issues. Being a husband/father/martial artist has been extremely demanding of late. I have had increased demands on my time, but no more hours in the day. I have learned the hard way that getting less then 6 hours of sleep a nite for a week straight is not good for my health or mental fitness. I have had to give in various areas at various times to accomplish and meet all my commitments. I am not going to be on the I Ho Chuan team this coming year of the snake and I'm a little depressed about that. I will miss the team immensely. But I also am realistic that I would miss a number of the team commitments and I don't want to let the team down in any way. I will still continue on as if I'm on the team. Doing my requirements and blogging(hopefully more succesfully then this past year). I have gotten so much from these past two years. I am not going to return to the person I was before, that would be truely crazy. I learn so much about myself becoming a martial artist. Things I dont want to admit and others I am proud of. But by becoming more aware of who and what I am, I am growing a little bit everyday. I have managed to push myself past limits that I didn't even know I could reach. Who knew this old fart that was an overweight couch potatoe could become someone who wants to live, breath and yes even ooze kung fu. My passion for kung fu is still growing and I consider that a blessing. It means to me that I have found something I can do for a lifetime and enjoy the entire time. Oh I expect valleys, but I look forward to the view from those hills so much.

Slipping on to the Finish Line

I feel like things are wheeling on by lately.  The push ups and situps and biking have slipped further down the priority list, while I spend every minute I have working on Tai Chi, lion dance, rope dart choreography and rope dart demo, as well as going over a lot of other regular curriculum, and trying to get the kids demo where they need to be.  Because my rope dart and Loa Gar are part of my demos, working on them helps keep me engaged with my requirements.   As I knew it would, this month is going by fast, as it is so full of lots going on, and Feb 16th will be here before I know it.   I feel a bit panicked but I just keep telling myself,  "one thing at a time".

Hard Work

  A couple weeks ago I was invited to head out back country skiing for the first time in many years.  So I dusted off the Telemark skiis and headed to the mountains.  A couple of good friends were the only company, and this was chicken soup for the soul.  No T-bars, no high speed quad chairs.  Skiing in this fashion is a great deal about solitude, but it is also about cherishing the few turns you complete in a day.  Something that comes as the result of hard work is always more gratifying.

This got me thinking.  Would I be involved in Kung Fu if it did not come as a result of hard work?  And if the sense of accomplishment is the driving force, then why is it an effort to commit to the work?  Something about the fact that if it were easy, everyone would do it, and if everyone did it, the accomplishment would no longer be special then would it?

Time?

Time sure flys by when you're busy. Just finished reading my agenda package for tomorrow and my Council strategic retreat package for Tuesday and Wednesday.

One thing that I have learned through I Ho Chaun is that you will just have to do it whenever you can. We're all busy but if you throw in a few push ups here and there by the end of the day you would've done a hundred or so. 

An easy way to do this is to start your morning with 50 push up and sit ups. When you get home from work, push out another 50 and before you go to bed, another 50.  You haven't changed anything and only spent a couple of minutes but you've managed to do 150 p/u and s/u in a day.  Lets take a look at the math 365 x 150 = 54,750.  This is not even counting the ones done in class.  Easily covering the 50,000 required. 

I Ho Chaun, little changes that moves you closer to mastery not only in Kung fu but life. 

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