So Good!

This is the first time in about 2 years I've been genuinely been able to say I feel GREAT! Absolutely nothing hurts! Woohoo! I'm so ready to do so many activities, however, I've been warned to take it easy for the next couple months while everything lines up and heals in my body correctly. Between diet and chiropractor I've been able to get myself so much better without continued use of prescribed medication. Sure, I'll still have bad days but who cares, I'll now have amazing ones too. I'm sure you guys are tired of hearing about this but it's been quite the struggle for me and I haven't had much else to talk about. I hope I haven't whined too much. Sorry if I did.

Now, I just have to work on getting back on a routine like I had the first year I started I Ho Chaun and attend classes regularly. It's tough to do that when everyone who started kung fu after you is a belt or two ahead and the belt levels behind you are in better shape than you are. There's always that feeling of frustration and intimidation and embarrassment, whether you like it or not. I've just got to keep in mind, I'm me, it's my kung fu and there's always going to be times I'll be sick or injured and be behind, but as long as I'm mentally strong enough to keep going, I'll still be ahead of the guy that quit or didn't try at all. Moving slowly is still moving.

Pandamonium was a lot of fun, I got a prime location in the shade and got to watch the dunk tank for most of the day. Seemed to be the biggest highlight. I didn't get to watch the Pandamonium game, but I'm sure the kids had fun. It's always a good day to meet people and catch up with other's that aren't in the same class as you.

I really like being on the I Ho Chaun team, even though the past while I haven't been the best participant. I'm pretty sure without it I would've given up a long time ago. You all keep me motivated and I appreciate those who took a moment to check on me.

Toodles!

Fat Armpits

I was taking my parents for dinner on Sunday and trying to find something nice to wear. Going through my wardrobe I was getting rather frustrated. Nothing fit! I walked up to Josh, looked him square in the eye and said, "I got fat armpits." He looked at me with that look that stated I've said something stupid. I know this look, I get it often. He looked at me and said, when you bought these clothes were you doing pushups? No... Well, you don't have fat armpits, you have upper body muscle you didn't have before and thats why everything is tight around your arms and shoulders... Awe yeah, I'm literally she-hulking out of my clothes...all 109lbs of me!

Last week was the first week I made it to all my classes I think in over a year. It was great, even greater getting to work with my old training partner Ms. Tomie. I was able to not get frustrated with myself and had so much fun. I hope I can keep it up.

Opposition

I've been receiving a lot of opposition the past couple years on how I'm deciding to live my life. I'm getting questioned about my diet, my lifestyle, the way I'm voting, how busy I am, etc. At first I was really uncomfortable about this. I felt it was nobody's business but mine. Now I'm starting to realize it's because I'm standing up for what I feel is right and doing things that aren't ordinary and people are noticing. Now, I'm happy to explain myself. Usually by the end of a conversation, if people don't necessarily feel the same way I do, they are able to at least see my point of view.

Waiting For Never

Illness and injury are something I've had to deal with for quite awhile now. I've been waiting to feel consistently better before going back to class, but realized recently, that'll never happen. There will be weeks I'll feel great, then weeks, not so much. The best I'll ever be able to do is manage symptoms by treating anxiety and monitoring my diet. It sucks having anxiety, it triggers my stomach issues much like my diet does. It tells my brain things are a much bigger deal than they are and it makes me want to quit things because I'm not good enough and get unneccessarily frustrated. It's a constant battle. I often think I have way too many issues to stay in kung fu, and maybe I do, but showing up to an I Ho Chaun class and feeling how positive the atmosphere is, reminds me how much I really like having that in my life. It's easier to hide under a blanket and not allow people to see you struggle. It's safe, but is that really living? My aunt recently passed away and I remember how she was when we were younger. She'd run around and play with us when we were kids. Then one day she lost control of her foot and drove into her garage door. It didn't take long before she was in a wheel chair losing control of her body and almost blind. MS did that to her very quickly, yet, no one remembers her ever complaining. She did the best she could with what she had. I will too. RIP Aunty Jeri.

See you at the kwoon.

High Hopes

I seem to be feeling much better and for the last couple weeks my knee has been cooperating. I don't want to get my hopes too high but I should be able to be back in classes full time. I'm going to have to take it easy though and know my boundaries so I don't overdo it. I'm pretty nervous. I'm so used to being at the back of the class but now, going back to my class I'm in the front so I seem to put pressure on myself to do more than I should be. I'm going to have to not put pressure on myself and just do what I can and be ok with it. It's better I take my time. I start at a gym with a pool in May and will be doing a lot of exercises in water to build back strength without putting stress on my joints. Sifu J. Lagner gave me the idea and my doctor thinks it's a great idea. So slow and steady I should be back in a regular routine.

Teaching

One of my theory questions is "teaching". I'm not sure what exactly how to answer this question but one of my recent experiences made me think about it. I spent some time this past few weeks teaching my 85 year old grandma how to use an iPad. For most of us it's a quick transition from one device to another and once someone shows us how to do something, after about 5 minutes we've got it. For her, this is brand new. I spent about an hour showing her what icons to touch, what icons were, what each thing meant, how to swipe, etc. etc. I spent an hour and 45 minutes teaching her how to enter an event into her calendar. For her, this was quite frustrating, the buttons were small and she couldn't remember what each thing did. I could empathize with this frustration. So I'd show her a few things, have her do it a few times while I was there for her to ask questions, then I'd walk away for a few minutes and let her do things on her own, then come back knowing she'd forget some of the things I showed her, go over them again, and repeat the above. At the end of the hour and forty five minutes she was entering our birthdays on her iPad. She hugged me, thanked me for being so patient and told me I should be a teacher.

I believe this is the same with kung fu. Some people already have a good fitness background when they start, so pushups, situps and running is easy for them. Some people have a different form of a martial arts background, some people have injuries, some people are more coordinated than others, etc, etc... when teaching, knowing a students abilities and knowing how far to push is important. Knowing when a student should be left alone to muddle through and knowing when to help is important too. We're all different, and learn in different ways and being able to adapt and empathize makes a good teacher. Not sure if this is the type of answer the question is looking for, but this is my answer, based on my experience.

Thanks!

Woke up this morning and saw that my car was more than buried in snow. I knew I had to get out and run a couple errands but was definitely not looking forward to shovelling. After breakfast I got ready and looked again outside to see what laid before me. My neighbour that I had helped just over a week ago was just finishing up shovelling me out and brushing off my car. Thanks Karma!

Still learning lots about foods and trying new things. Watermelon radishes are my new favourite vegetable. They're so good, they are a bit milder than regular radishes and about the size of an apple. I can just eat a whole one by itself. I also learned, I do NOT like spaghetti squash. EW! Next week I'm trying something called a white sunchoke. Never even heard of it before so we'll see how that goes.

I'm not on track with my training as I should be for various reasons but I know I'll catch up. I should hopefully be back able to participate in my classes again later this week.

See you at the kwoon!