Something cool I found

Found this link on a blog site from one of the students at the school where Brandi & Mel are studying and it has a huge message.

THIS VIDEO WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

No matter what it is you're doing as a living, this video makes sense to your life.

Do you even desire?

www.doyoueven.com

In the zone

I have been thinking about my performance at the tiger challenge.  I know the form Mu Long Kwoon, I practiced like crazy so I was at that place where I could run through the form without thinking about it.  Sure I’m nervous but I’ve been doing kungfu and dance performances in an effort to overcome that and it is better.   Now after messing up I am again dreading the next time I have to perform ... so I’ve gone back, not forward, after this experience. 

I didn’t give myself enough room, the form is big and although I started and was in the zone so to speak I quickly ran out of space and almost into the judges.  That wierded me out and I popped mentally out of that no thinking just doing frame of mind into an ‘oh my god now what’ moment.  For me when I ‘plink’ out of the zone like that I’m not aware of where I am in the sequence of the form.   Maybe that makes me weird but its how it works for me.  Parts of many of the longer forms have repeat movements and sequences so it can be scary when you lose your focus on the doing, just going with the flow, and realize you have no idea where in the sequence you are.   What maybe I should have done at that point is some move that would have allowed me a moment to regroup mentally and get back into that doing frame of mind.  What I did do however, is just grab a similar section of the form and go from there.  I never did get back into the ‘zone’ so feeling panicked, awkward and embarrassed that I just messed up and that it is probably reflected in the movement of the form I just sort of stumbled to the end. 

Its not realistic to expect the surroundings/conditions/preplanning to be perfect everytime.  Especially when performing at a lot of different locations like we do in the I Ho Chuan.  So how does a person prepare and stay in that zone even when things go awry?  How do you get that doing frame of mind to stand against outside distractions/influences?  Do I have poor focus?  Should a person prepare an emergency response / Hail Mary sequence to save the day?  Should I stay out of the doing not thinking zone when performing?  If that’s even possible? Am I just weird?  Insights would be appreciated.

Heads Up

So finally the situation with my right foot is improving.  It’s totally frustrating trying to get an answer from doctors.  I mean my foot hurts right ... so I go to see the doctor and they take xrays ... nothing broken.   Good news yes, however after that they are of no help whatsoever.  No heal spurs, no breaks beyond that they have nothing but theories, it might be planters facitis (?) go buy orthotics for your shoes, see a podiatrist (?) still no conclusive answer.    I feel like I’m in an episode of ‘House’  (for those that don’t watch TV this is an old doctor drama where they almost kill the patient experimenting with different treatments).   So I’m discussing this with the girls while they are home and my niece Jena who is a physiotherapist says to me “I think its probably your back aunty”.  She starts explaining that nerve pressure/irritation/damage in your lower back can actually cause heel pain.  Really ... because the pain is in my heel, so I call my sister who is a massage therapist in BC and she agrees with Jena.   I have never heard of that before ... so somewhat sceptical I make an appointment at the clinic where Jena works (it can’t hurt) and viola after two treatments I can walk without limping.  Apparently I irritated a nerve in my lower back which is causing pain down the back of my leg and into my heel.  I have some stretches to do for awhile yet in the future and instructions about no rough stuff like being thrown until we have the situation firmly under control, but just being able to walk with no pain is like heaven after these past six weeks.  So a heads up ... in today’s world of health care it is necessary to find your own solutions for anything that can’t be viewed in an x-ray or tested for in a lab. 

After Xmas

It has been a great holdiay ... the girls are home and we have been visiting or visited by friends and relatives alot.  Brandi has gone thru the Tae Hau form with me and I now have the better understanding of the moves that I am making in this form.   When I learned the beginning of it in China the teacher did not speak great English (none) so I was learning moves and not really understanding what I was doing ... it feels much better to know that a particular move is a strike or block  etc.   Makes it easier to remember and get the flow going so I expect it will feel and look alot better shortly.    Did 500 situps and 250 kicks on New Years, pants are still too tight (appears it will take alot more than 500 to burn that off).  Hope everyone had as great a holiday as we did and best in the new year.

Week before Xmas

So this will be short

The girls are home Yeah! They are going to go over the tai he form with me because I am planning on doing it at the Tiger Challenge this year and it needs some perfecting.

Really enjoying participating in the Dragon Dance group its alot of fun and is starting to look impressive. The area we are doing it in is pretty small so everybody being in the right place at the right time is going to be critical.

Christmas is busy here at the office and at home. Really getting everyone a gift certificate is so much easier! Not as much fun though

MIA

So I have not blogged for the last 7 weeks ... and I am supposed to explain this!  Not sure how to do this without sounding like a whinny baby offering endless excuses.   Its not that anything disastorous has happended it more like ALOT of things have been going on. 

Since June of this year its been very busy at work ... the number of workers doubled and the projects got bigger and more complicated.   So as a result I have been getting farther and farther behind on my other responsibilities at work (ask the last time I went out on a site inspection ... its been months).  Its not just Kung Fu journalling that has taken a hit, its happening all over my life.   Haven't been helping as much with my Mom.  Its a litany of small things that I have not been keeping up with.

I like to be organzied and plan and schedule things unfortuantely lately everything has been getting done last minute, just under the wire so to speak.  I do not like living like that ... its hugely stressfull and my theory is that with good planning you prevent that from happening.  Its just that I have been juggling too many balls ... so many in fact that I don't notice that I dropped one until it comes to bite me at a later date when the status of the situation is now urgent.  I.E. in November and December ... the safety audit;  the bonding paperwork, healthy eating,  my daily eating journal,  blogging. 

My life being so chaotic I guess conciously or unconciously I made choices about things that were going to get done and things that were going to be sacrificed.  Kung Fu is something that is for me and that I do just because I like doing it.  Alot of the other things in my life people are relying on me and it appears that I give those priority over something that I do just for me.  

Did I make the right decision (conciously or unconciously) ... still don't know, but I was aware that I was not performing as well as I would like.   Did I let the I Ho Chuan team down by my lack or participation? Absolutely!

Had a discussion with my husband a month ago and we agreed that we need to make some changes in the management of our lives.   My husband Dean comes first before anything else, and Dean loves the ballroom dancing and I love dancing with Dean so its something that will remain in our lives.   We both enjoy running our business, even if sometimes it makes you crazy, its never boring.   I feel something missing without  Kung Fu in my life so that remains.  (You will notice Kung Fu came in third, I believe that is the correct order for me)  The responsibility of caring for my Mom and my aunt is not something you get to slough off so it stays. 

However altnerate arrangements can be made for renovations, healthy eating, working out, housekeeping, yardwork etc. which take up all kinds of time.  

We have already started with this;

• A Bowflex at the office.
• We had a fellow come out a give us a price for some renovations that will happen in the spring. 
• Found a service in St. Albert that provides organic, partially prepared meals.  

Still need a housekeeper and someone interested in some partime yard work.  Still need to convince my Mom to move from Sylvan Lake to an assisted living facility in Edmonton or area (that will be the tough one, I have been trying for the last two years).   In additiion I asked my husband/business partner to not make any drastic changes at work for the year of the Snake so that Jackie (my right hand girl) and I can have a breather on the business management side of things.    Hopefully life will smooth out as we put these things in place.    

24 of 52

So the financial quarter is done and all the bonuses for the Supervisors and Workers are paid out.   The end of a quarter is brutal busy and its a struggle to get anything else done during the workday.  Usually I manage to sneak in forms repetition,  or some extra numbers for pushups and situps during the day at work ... not for the last two weeks.  In addition the elbow injury/strain is getting worse and not better.  Friday after the I Ho Chuan and BlackBelt class my right elbow hurt so much I couldn't pick up a cup of coffee never mind spin a spear (which I did very badly at class, I apologize to anyone standing next to me while I was trying to do the single or double articulation ... you were at risk of being struck).  Going to see my physio this week!

Reviewed my requirements and realized I have made a lot of progress on some of my personal requirements like the reducing plastics ... I have learned alot, discovered alternatives, and made alot of changes in my buying decisions.  You can't always be driven by the price tag on item ... you need to calculate the 'real costs' .... the economic, environmental and social impact that those cheap plastic lawn chairs have on not just you but the world.  Canada provides a lot of the raw materials, with some basic refining to the point of a plastic resin which we then send to many places in Canada and around the world and they pump out all kinds of plastic products, which in turn get shipped all over the world and back to Canada.  Note:  that there is a new type of plastic which is BHP free for food storage ... seriously look into this as I have discovered 90% of the plastic left in my life is in the kitchen.

I am grateful for the space to grow my own garden
I am gateful for the 4 beautiful pumkins that grew and will soon be pie filling
I am grateful for skype ... the girls and I talk every week on wednesday
I am grateful for the wonderful people that I love and make my life worth living
I am grateful for 4 seasons ... so I can have beautiful autum days