A Short One :-(

Unfortunately, my tendonitis has flared it’s ugly head again, so I have to limit my typing for the time being. That’s difficult, as my job requires a lot of data entry, and I am working on some written assignments.

It’s a little frustrating, as this past week and a half has been wrought with aches and pains, which has impacted my training. Not to complain though, as I am forced to address other areas which need my attention. I was hoping to be able to work on my double broadsword form for the Tiger Challenge, but at this time, my wrists cannot take it. Oh well. That gives me an opportunity to do some required reading, and to direct my energy into teaching. I have a list of other aches, but as with the tendonitis, they are a part of me.

The Book of Awesome

I was given this book as a gift, and I give a silent high five to the person who wrote it, and a heartfelt hug to the person who gave it to me.

I was struggling with what to write about today, and when I picked up this book for a smile, I knew I had to quote something from it. It's called "The Book of Awesome" by Neil Pasricha. I love it.

"Getting Grass Stains

First of all, getting grass satins mean that you were running around at high speeds without proper equipment. Maybe you slid last minute to avoid a frozen tag or made an awkward somersault dive at a line drive Wiffle Ball. Either way, the grass stain symbolizes your large devil-may-care investment in having balls out fun, and that's something worth respecting.

See boring people, like myself, rarely get grass stains running around because we're always doing it in Umbros and shin pads from 7:30 to 8:25 p.m. on Mondays down at the indoor gym.

Now, when you're just running around full throttle in cords and a sweater until you trip on a rock and fall down a hill, my friend, that is something. Walk home with pants full of grass stains, some spicy kneeburn, and mud-caked shoes, and you've just had yourself a great day.

AWESOME!"

I almost forgot to blog today...oops. I don’t have much to say today, except that the last little while I have been trying extra hard to live in the moment. To revel in the warm sunshine, and to ignore the snow that is still on the ground. To enjoy the alone time I am given while sitting in a futile traffic jam. Maybe this is less living in the moment and more of staying in a positive frame of mind. Somehow, I think they both go together.

Where I am at

It was Spring Break for the kids last week, so there weren’t any children’s classes. I decided to stay home for the four days that we normally have kids class, and spent time with my kids instead. It was a needed break.

I thought it might impact my training, as I am not the best when it comes down to working out at home. But I got some forms in, and my mind actually feels a little fresher.

We performed our first demo of the year yesterday at the local trade show, and it turned out really great. We had many belt levels perform, a lion dance and kids do their thing as well. I love demos, as they continually give me something to work towards, and I feel that by taking part, I can impact my mental training, my physical training and those training around me. I think passion is infectious, and by taking our martial arts into the world (not excluding our community work), we are infecting those around us with it.

It felt good to be out there. And congrats to all those that performed yesterday. You guys did fantastic!

Change

I am reading the Lil Leopards the book “The Lorax” by Dr. Suess. I feel it’s an important tool that I have to start teaching them environmental self defense. It’s a lyrical book, with lots of colours, and I hope that these young children of tomorrow will learn from it.

This ties in with my Lorax Project, which will coincide with Earth Day on April 22nd. Although it should be Earth day everyday. This project first appeared with our school in 2008, and the students at Silent River Kung Fu all submitted a letter or picture to Mother Earth. You can find it on my blog and the link is posted below. This year, this project will be a video blog, and I hope the message will be just as clear.

Our earth is very unsettled right now, and it’s time to make some serious changes.

3 Laps and an 80 pound push

One of my goals for this year was to run the PARE test. It’s the Physical Abilities Requirement Evaluation, that all RCMP applicants and most member’s need to complete. My test is on Wednesday April 13th, and so this past Wednesday I went down to the gym to give it a try. My purpose was to see what it was like, and perhaps adjust my workouts accordingly.

I ran 3 of the 6 laps, and holy smokes batman! It is harder than it looks. It’s like an obstacle course for grownups, and has a easy look to it. But it’s not that simple. I know I can do it though, but that’s the easy part. The hard part is that you immediately go to the push/ pull machine. There are 6 180 degree rotations you must do while pushing/ pulling the appropriate weight. I was given the applicants weight of 80 pounds. I mentioned in a previous post that 80 pounds is 2/3 of my body weight.

Again, holy smokes batman! Pulling wasn’t too difficult, as a good horse stance is all I really needed. Walking that way was a little more challenging, but not as challenging as the push. I could get the weight up, but walking/ cross stepping while doing it is almost impossible for me. I don’t have the upper body strength that I thought I did. Hm.

Anyway, while I was really sore in my shoulders the next day, I am really looking forward to April 13th. Wish me luck!

Let's get this over with....

Today has been a difficult day to blog. Most of the time, this is pretty easy for me, but today I can’t seem to organize my thoughts.

I am definitely all over the map here, but my training is mostly on track. I have spent some extra time with different forms this past week, and next week I am going to observe (and maybe try a lap or two) of a physical fitness test for the RCMP. One of my goals this year is to run it and I am looking forward to accomplishing it in April. Basically, it’s an obstacle course for grown-ups, and I have to run it in a certain amount of time. And part of it involves lifting and carrying 80 lbs of dead weight. Considering that’s 2/3 of my weight, it’ll be interesting. And I guess this is where my leg strength will come into play. Lift with legs, not back...

Anyway, that’s all folks!