So kwoon renovations/maintenance are coming up in August.
I have very fond memories of past reno-weeks. I remember when we first got the kwoon and being there for those very first renos. Since then the kwoon has grown and changed so much.
I like going because you get to hang out with really positive inspiring people. The work itself I don't really enjoy...but the feelings that come from the work are second to none. There is nothing like walking by a wall and remembering how you spent hours scrubbing the wall there and painting. It makes the place feel like home. The more memories you can build at the kwoon, the more at home you feel there.
It also gives you a chance to fix all the dents in the walls and dings in the ceiling that comes from training hard all year. There is nothing like patching a hole that you made. It makes you a little more conscious of the consequences of how you train.
And working together really brings about feelings of family. If you come out to events like the kwoon renos, you get a chance to bond with your training mates on another level. You also get to meet people you normally don't get to see because of all the different class times. There is nothing like hard physical labour to bond people. It's these kind of things that build our Kung-Fu family.
That's why I'm glad we don't just hire a group of strangers to come do the work for us. Our kwoon is built of our own blood, sweat and love. Not everyone who trains in the martial arts has the privilege of saying that.
So I encourage everyone to be there this time around. I had to miss out last year because of my treatments, but this year I'm all in!
Plus, you get pizza!
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Mastery
I'm currently trying to finish writing up my Master's Thesis in Geology. It's been hard getting back into the school thing. I lack the discipline now so I have to force myself to work. It's not that I don't enjoy it, it's just that it's easier to do other things - things that require less thinking. I've been trying to take what Master Brinker said to heart about mastery being a war of attrition. You have to work at things a little every day if you want to make progress.
I used to wait until I had a good block of time (a couple of hours), not too early in the morning and not too late, when the sun was shining just right and I felt the itch to write.
Needless to say, my progress was slow. And now that I have Julia, an uninterrupted block of time doesn't really come up.
Now the only way I get any work done is in little snippets here, a thought there. But the key, I've found in the last few months, is to force yourself to do something everyday, even if it's just reading over what you have so far.
Don't get me wrong, it is a struggle, especially when the only time to get it done is just before bed when I'm exhausted. But I think that's what Master Brinker meant. It's not about accomplishing something all at once...it's about slowly chipping away at your goals until they get accomplished.
Here's to slow but inevitable progress!
I used to wait until I had a good block of time (a couple of hours), not too early in the morning and not too late, when the sun was shining just right and I felt the itch to write.
Needless to say, my progress was slow. And now that I have Julia, an uninterrupted block of time doesn't really come up.
Now the only way I get any work done is in little snippets here, a thought there. But the key, I've found in the last few months, is to force yourself to do something everyday, even if it's just reading over what you have so far.
Don't get me wrong, it is a struggle, especially when the only time to get it done is just before bed when I'm exhausted. But I think that's what Master Brinker meant. It's not about accomplishing something all at once...it's about slowly chipping away at your goals until they get accomplished.
Here's to slow but inevitable progress!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Back in black
So I'm back in the groove of life where I left off a year ago (with the addition of lil' Julia). It's funny how easy it is to fall back into things. The first time back to church or work or out with a friend you haven't seen for a long time can be scary. Are they gonna ask me awkward questions? Are they going to treat me differently? But it's important not to let fear stop you from doing the things you want to do.
I think the key is in how you approach it. If you approach your return as a positive and don't look it as something to be afraid of, then everyone else will see it the same way. If you act scared or uncomfortable then it rubs off on others.
I found coming back to class a little difficult too. It wasn't so much that I felt out of practice (though I was), I was more scared about my appearance, mostly because of my hair. It's funny how little things like that can seem such a big deal. But after wearing a hat around everyone for months, it was almost like being naked the first time I went back to class without it.
But after the first class, actually after the first 5 minutes, I didn't care anymore. Stepping onto the mats, I felt like I was home and nothing had changed. When you train in a place for so long, it triggers a certain mental state in you when you go back there. For me it is one of positivity, happiness and fond memories of sweat. I can understand what Master Brinker means when he says our kwoon is like a temple. If you approach it with the right mindset every time you step on the mats, then when you need that mindset later on, all you have to do is step on the mats.
I think the key is in how you approach it. If you approach your return as a positive and don't look it as something to be afraid of, then everyone else will see it the same way. If you act scared or uncomfortable then it rubs off on others.
I found coming back to class a little difficult too. It wasn't so much that I felt out of practice (though I was), I was more scared about my appearance, mostly because of my hair. It's funny how little things like that can seem such a big deal. But after wearing a hat around everyone for months, it was almost like being naked the first time I went back to class without it.
But after the first class, actually after the first 5 minutes, I didn't care anymore. Stepping onto the mats, I felt like I was home and nothing had changed. When you train in a place for so long, it triggers a certain mental state in you when you go back there. For me it is one of positivity, happiness and fond memories of sweat. I can understand what Master Brinker means when he says our kwoon is like a temple. If you approach it with the right mindset every time you step on the mats, then when you need that mindset later on, all you have to do is step on the mats.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Recovery
So my treatments are finally all over. I finished my radiation treatments a couple of months ago. I had underestimated the difficulty of radiation. I had thought that you just go for a while and maybe you'll get a sun burn. No such luck. You have to go everyday (except weekends and holidays) for a month (for me) and they zap you while you lye under this huge machine. It doesn't take very long, but it's annoying having to go in to the hospital every day. Thankfully my mom and mother-in-law were able to babysit. The treatments didn't bother me until after they were all over. About a week after everything finished, my skin started turning black and splitting open. Eventually it turned to hard scales and fell off, leaving tender baby skin underneath. It took about a month to get back to "normal". Unfortunately though, the radiation damages your lung, muscles and should joint too, but you don't see it. I should have been more diligent about doing my physiotherapy stretches because now my shoulder and chest muscles are tight and sore...it's been hard to stretch them out now but I'm making progress. I'm trying to get back to normal in regards to my Kung-Fu, but it's been difficult. In addition to the injuries, my right arm has begun to swell if I do to much with it so I have to be careful (lymphadema). On the good side, this is good motivation to start practicing things with my left hand. That is something I've never focused on. I also plan on becoming an excellent kicker!
On a sadder note, our cat Ginger was run over a while back. She was pretty awesome. She used to come with me for walks in the park and was quite a character! She was absolutely fearless and lived every moment to the fullest. She was constantly in the moment. We'll miss you Gingy!
On a sadder note, our cat Ginger was run over a while back. She was pretty awesome. She used to come with me for walks in the park and was quite a character! She was absolutely fearless and lived every moment to the fullest. She was constantly in the moment. We'll miss you Gingy!
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