Pink Shirt Day

The longer I teach the kids classes, and the more my kids grow up, the more passionate I become about bullying. I'm no expert, but it is something that I continue to educate myself about, and I try to keep a dialogue going with my students. It is something serious, and no one should have to deal with it. However, it's a reality. There's an old phrase "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me." My parents told me that, and while I know what they were trying to do, names do hurt. And nowadays, there are so many more places (public) that bullying can take place. And it isn't limited to kids either. I could go on and on, but I am not.

This Wednesday February 27, 2013 is Pink Shirt Day. It started a number of years ago in Nova Scotia, where a grade nine boy was being bullied for wearing a pink shirt. So in response, his peers stood up to the bully by showing up in pink shirts also. I am attaching a link the the Pink Shirt Day website, and I encourage you to check it out. There is also a bullying website that is hosted by the Alberta Government as well that has some good information.

This Wednesday, I am going to talk to my Advanced Black Dragons, and have invited anyone from the other classes that wishes to sit in. I plan on starting our talk around 6 pm. It isn't formal, but it is something to help keep us connected. Silent River Kung Fu is a safe place, and I hope that together, we can make a difference.

http://www.pinkshirtday.ca

There's a blog in here somewhere

Well, I have been thinking of this blog for most of the day. Not in an every second kind of way, but it's been in the back of my mind. And really, the main thought has been, what do I write about today? I have so many things going on in my head right now, it's hard to know where to start, or where to go. Last night was amazing - I am proud to be a part of this fantastic school and surrounded by so many incredible people. I am especially proud of the kids - they all looked, well, amazing! I have been reflecting on my training, and where it is going. And now that the banquet is behind us for another 8 months or so, I can now focus on some of my other projects that have been put on hold. Just a matter of finding a starting point...

A brand new year

This year, I made each of the Lil Leopards an origami snake to bring in the new year. I left it to the last minute, and while I am not proud of that, I did manage to make enough. I would have liked to have spent more time mastering the process - and while yes, it's a paper snake, the folding is still something that takes practice.

Folding origami is something that I find meditative. A lot of the time, I will fold cranes to unwind and while I doubt I have folded 1000 over the last couple of years, I know I have folded a lot. However, I am still not as good at them as I would like. Which maybe is good, as I know I will be folding many more over the years.

This brings to mind the 100 times theory. I am not going to explain it though. If you are curious, find an instructor or fellow student and find out. It really, truly applies to everything we do in life.