Peace to you...

I am looking forward to my training over the holidays. While on one hand I have been feeling overwhelmed with everything, I am learning a new form. It is one I started to learn a couple of years ago, but dropped it when I focused on training for my blackbelt. I didn’t feel it was fair to put energy into something new when I wanted to perfect all the rest of my curriculum.

I started learning the form on Saturday, and I really like it. The stances are a bit different from what I am used to and I have muscles that I forgot about. Or maybe it's because my stances haven't been deep enough before. Who knows, but I like it. It has a lot of flow to it, and it just feels good. Hopefully I can make it look as good as it feels.

On another note, I have been thinking about the past year, and the trials, tribulations and successes that I have endured. I couldn’t have gotten to where I am today without the support of my family, friends, and Kung Fu family. We are lucky to have the community that we do, and the way we have come together is humbling.

I know that we can and will make a change in our world. But it starts within.

Peace to you and yours, always.

Charlie Brown

I love putting up and decorating my Christmas tree. In fact, if I could do it for a living all year round I would.

Believe it or not, I had a job for about 4 years, seasonal of course, putting up commercial trees. It was the best job I ever had. It was dirty, and I was always scratched up, but the satisfaction has yet to be beat. It was only for about 5 months a year, but it was great. We put up trees in WEM, Canada Place, Manulife Place, the International Airport, to name a few.

But I am now a tree snob. I have “my” tree, and my girls have their own tree to decorate as they please. I finally put up our trees this weekend. It was unfortunately a long process, but I am content now that it is done. I get so much out of placing each branch, and placing each light, and then the seeing the final product. Anyone who sees my tree would probably see it as impersonal and think it belonged in a store. But it makes me happy and I could spend some serious down time just staring at it.

It has been a challenge with my girls though. Maya wants to help me, and it is really difficult to let her. But I do anyway, and this year felt really good. She is like me in that she likes things precise, and because she knew it was important to me, she took care in putting the decorations on.

I also found a great way to go to work in the morning. I drive past Central Park in Spruce Grove, and because it is still dark, I get to see all the trees lit up. It is beautiful and makes me smile. The lights aren’t perfect, but the sheer magnificence of them all is amazing. For me anyway. I know it is a lot of electriicity, but well...

I know this post doesn’t have any relevance to Kung Fu, except for the fact that it was a break in my routine. I am struggling with my life’s balance, and for a while, I can stare at my tree (s), and relax.