Pushup!

I had an epiphany the other day. I have spent the last 6 months focused on September 01. D Day for a bunch of assignments due in order to be considered for the Black Belt grading.

I have done each one with as much gusto as I could possibly muster, and now September 01 is literally around the corner. I was pondering my pushup assignment, which will be completed without any problems. But then it hit me. I can't stop my pushups as of September 01. Not only have they become a habit of my day (I do some first thing when I roll out of bed), but I would lose all the benefits from them if I just quit. So, I will continue my 150 per day, and will continue to grow stronger.

Grading is October 25. I keep this date in front of me at all times, but I have realized that I must continue my hard training until then and beyond. I definitely don't have a problem with that, and have enjoyed the focus from this journey.

I worked exclusively on Kempo this past Saturday during open training. I have put it into a training plan to practice it 5 times a day. In particular, the replacement of a particular kick. I have been doing it one way for the last few years, and now need to change it. I know that by September 15, which is my goal for this kick, it should be second nature. But anyway, it was a good day. The more I focused on a specific thing, the more little things to fix came out. It was truly inspiring.

So, the countdown is as follows.

7 days until September 01.
47 days until October 25.

Back on track...I think

By Friday night, I was feeling pretty overwhelmed with my training and had some serious doubts as to my ability to grade this year. I was afraid that because I do still have a lot to work on, that I couldn't possibly be ready on time. Especially when looking at the numbers.

I got home after class, put my kids to bed, and distracted myself by doing some artwork. Nothing special, but it took my mind off things. I have been thinking about how much Kung Fu is a part of my life. I have been training for 5 a half years, both my girls are in it, and I know I would be lost if I couldn't train anymore.

So Saturday morning arrives, and the Lil Leopard class is the start of my day. I teach it with Sifu Robertson, and having the opportunity to teach them is an opportunity of a lifetime. It was a very challenging class, as they were very distracted and didn't have a lot of focus. But they were so fun. And they inspired me again, as to why I am in Kung Fu.

I have always taken my training very seriously, but teaching them allows me to see it from a completely opposite angle. It needs to be fun for them, while teaching them some basics. The constant movement and fun did wonders for my soul and my perspective on my training has a new light. I needed to take that step back and find the joy again.

I am so thankful for those kids. They help make Kung Fu (for me) very rewarding.

15 training days until September 01.
55 training days until October 25.
I am almost there.

Time is closing in

59 days left to train until Grading. This is conducive to training 5 days a week. Master Brinker has said, that we should be ready to grade for September 01. So training 5 days a week, that leaves only 19 days left to train until then. Yikes! This tells me to refine my training plan, and to also keep a close eye on my ribs. Meaning to be careful, not careless.

The values we learn

On Thursday this week, I was reminded of the values that Kung Fu helps instill in our children. I had a trying time with Maya who had a pretty rough day. She had a huge meltdown at daycare, and then had another one when I picked her up from there to go to Kung Fu. (And this was the same day that during a conversation with my best firend, we were discussing how much better she seems to be at handling her emotions lately.)

I managed to keep her meltdown from getting out of control and she was pretty calm by the time we got to the Kwoon. She had something to eat, and was listening to her favourite songs. So when she tried to climb back into the car when I dropped her off, I had had enough. I started to cry, and didn’t quite know how to handle her. Ultimately, I managed to get her to stand on the sidewalk while I parked my car, and while waitiing her out, she gave up and went in for her class.

Still being lost, I called the studio and spoke with Sifu Freitag, who after asking if I was okay, proceeded to reassure me that they would watch Maya and take care of things.

I have a guilty nature for whatever reason, and so felt just horrible to be dropping Maya off in that state of mind. I was sure that she was going to give them a hard time too, and what kind of a mother was I for dumping my child off for someone else to deal with?

On the way home to make a really quick supper for both girls, I took a step back, and reminded myself of what Kung Fu teaches our kids. I want Maya (and Haley) to learn respect, focus, and discipline. So I wasn’t dumping my child off, I was leaving her in a class, where the instructors are very capable of handlng this sort of thing, and ultimately teach them the very things I want them to learn. So I wasn’t a bad parent, although I still felt like one. I was a parent taking care of things - herself and her children.

My girls have learned so much and have benefitted so much from Kung Fu, as have I. It turns out, that Maya had a great class, and they didn’t have any problems with her. What a relief.

67 days left to train until grading.

The Countdown

On Friday, Master Brinker asked us how many training days we had left until our Black Belt grading. Guess what, none of us could answer it off hand.

I haven't been keeping track other than the looming date of October 25th. However, I decided to figure it out and here are the results from tomorrow, Monday July 21, 2008.

Days until grading - 97
Days without weekends - 72.

So, training 5 days a week only leaves me 72 days until the grading. Wow. That isn't much time. Now look at the September 01 deadline for pushups etc.

Days until September 01 - 42

So as it stands, I have 6000 more pushups/ situps to complete. That I can do easily, as long as I keep up with my schedule.

So there I have it, in black and white my deadlines. Only 72 days left. Here I go.

In passing

When I decided to blog, I committed to writing once a week. I haven't had much in the way of problems doing this, but today I found myself at a loss. I couldn't stay focused for more than two minutes, however now that I have started, my thoughts are coming.

Sihing Prince wrote about the Dancing Guy, whom I have seen many, many times on Campsite road. I find him entertaining as a rule, and I always smile. However today, I found myself wondering about him and what kind of a person he is? The girls and I went for a bike ride to the grocery store, and had the chance to pass him on the sidewalk. What scared me, is that I have always seen him from the safety of my locked car. Now I had to pass him in person, with my girls in tow. He could be absolutely harmless, but how could I know?

This got me thinking about an incident this past week too. I feel I shouldn't have much to fear where I work, as I am surrounded by RCMP members. However, as I pulled into my parking lot, I noticed a woman wandering around. I watched her head towards the gas station, and once I had gotten out of my car, she was heading in my general direction. I was really thankful that a member got out of her cruiser at the same time, and this woman approached her for money/ help instead of me. It really got me worried about all the staff in my building that probably wouldn't know what to do in a wiggly situation like that.

I have taken Kung Fu for many years, and I feel relatively confident that I could protect myself. But the biggest battle is avoiding those situations all together. I hope that somehow, through my training, and by leading by example, that more people will be aware of the possible dangers out there, that we don't usually give a second thought to.

As it turned out, Dancing Guy passed us without saying a word. I don't like that I made a potential judgement against him, but I would rather be safe than sorry.

Peace

What is more peaceful than a played out puppy?