Simply For Enjoyment

Today I decided to do my Tai Chi form with no “training” ideas in mind.  Meaning I wanted to do it simply for the purpose of moving meditation, feeling my energy (however and whenever that may occur) and just truly enjoying the form.

I forget to do this sometimes.  

I am always training with a focus.  With something on my mind that needs fixing or improvement.

I forget that sometimes it’s just nice to do the form….simply the way I know how and to the best of my ability….for the simple pleasure and enjoyment of doing Kung Fu.

My Day

I spent my entire day at a community garage sale. 

I mingled and joked with people I didn't know.  Connecting with the community.

I was outside for 8 hours straight.  Breathing fresh air and enjoying both the sun and the wind on my skin.

I gave away way more than I sold.  Making people I don't know smile because I just can't seem to charge someone money when I see their face light up when they've found a treasure.

It was a long day.  But it was a good day.

Right Across The Board

I spent some time working with Sifu Brinker last night.  We were focused on the kicking section of my form.  This section has definitely mushed together.  The momentum of my weapon was pulling me into my next move.  Meaning I was not finishing my technique…meaning my next technique was weak right from the start.  And so I wasn't really accomplishing anything in this sequence.  All of these things he touched on at the end of class.

And so moving forward, I’m going to really focus on the following in this sequence,

Solidify my stance.  I need to be grounded and firm if I want to maximize my striking power.  And although in this sequence my front leg has most of the weight (essentially this is a bow stance), it's my back leg that requires my attention.  That's the one that will ground me and keep me solid so that I’m not fighting my weapon.

One technique at a time.  This concept seems to be a theme for me right now.  I've been noticing all over the place that I am too eager to move on.  Always thinking about what's coming next.  The strike preceding needs to be strong and complete…I need to release that energy, even when I might feel it’s not happening fast enough.  If it don’t, the next technique doesn’t stand a chance.  Faster doesn’t mean better.

And although there is a particular section of my form that I’m working on, these things certainly apply across the board.

Time Is Ticking

Deadlines are huge motivators for me.  With the Tiger Challenge coming up, I have lots to do and many things on which to focus.  Although lack of direction was something I was struggling with a bit ago...it certainly isn't the case now.

• Obstacle Course - entered.
• Pool Noodle Fighting - entered.
• Hand Form - I have every intention of doing my Tai Chi short form...but I'm not sure how to approach this.  I don't know if the judges would appreciate me up there for 5+ minutes.  But selecting a minutes worth doesn't really cover much either!  I have an idea, but I'll need to chat with one of the instructors about it before I implement it in my training.
• Weapon Form - I'll be doing my Kwan Dao...but I sure hope I can smooth out some wrinkles before then.  
• Creative Musical Form - entered.  I think I know what I'm doing but not 100%.  This is one I need to make a decision on and get training.
• Team Form - With Todai Ward - dedicated practice has started.
• Board Breaking - entered.  But I don't really know what to do yet.
• Fight Choreography - With Todai Ward and Todai A. Csillag - dedicated practice has started.

And on top of my own events, I'm also trying to keep the kids motivated with training towards theirs.

So yeah.....definitely lots on the go!!

Not My Fave

Sparring is not my favourite.   There’s too much going on and I can’t keep it all straight.  It doesn’t make sense to me.  It’s not organized.  I will even find myself all tangled up with my hands and arms exactly where I don’t want them. Usually meaning my face is wide open.

But there was still an excellent takeaway from tonight.  After Sihing mentioned that the major difference he was seeing with the black belts was that they were much more patient…calmer moving…always waiting for an opportunity…I decided to try that approach.  Which worked out well because my next opponent was Sihing N. Csillag…who, to me, always seems so calm and collected.  So instead of immediately going on the offensive, I tried to stay calm and wait a bit.  I tried to focus more on observing rather than feeling like I needed to constantly be launching a strike.  I spent a little more time watching them…trying to notice the smallest movements that might give something away.  Essentially I was attempting to recognize a strike coming at me, in order to refine my blocking.  And I think I actually made a few! Because realistically, if I can’t block anything, I’m done.  But if I CAN block an attack, that at least gives me a fighting chance.  In theory anyways.

That’s About It

My mind is filled with some other things tonight.   And so my mental capacity to blog is fairly depleted.  Today will be a simple check in with what I did today to accomplish some of my goals.

My focus this morning was on pushups, sit-ups and my tai chi form.  I’m on par with everything else at the moment so I wanted to devote a little extra time to Tai Chi today.  I led the 6 Harmonies portion of the Young Dragons classes.  I really enjoyed developing a simple form with the students.  That part turned out better than I had hoped.  The “performance” part didn’t go quite as well.  Not that the kids didn’t do amazing!  They did. It was just that many of them chose not to participate.  But I can appreciate the anxiety that comes with standing up in front of an audience and hopefully I can help them gain some more confidence in the future. 

And that’s about it for today.

Finish The Move You’re On

When I notice things people are doing, or not doing, in the level 1 class (or in the kids classes for that matter), I always try to pay more attention to these same things in myself.  Today I noticed one of the students with a very loose hand for their jab.  Essentially open.  So I pointed out to them, for the purpose of this drill (and I recognize there can always be exceptions), that the jab should be an actual solid punch.  Hopefully you get them with it, but if not, you have the reverse following.

And so I wanted to pay attention to this in myself when we were running through the same drill.  And wouldn’t you know it, my fist was loose as well!  Not full on open, but not fully tight either.

This tells me that I’m not committing to that punch.  That I’m already thinking about the reverse.  And that I need to commit to that jab with the intent of landing it.

“Finish the move you’re on” - Sifu Dennis

This also tells me that sometimes it’s often easier to see the details by watching rather than doing.

Awesome

There is a spot in my Kwan Dao form that is really challenging me.  Okay...more than one...but this one in particular.  

It's a part where I do a big circular strike upwards with my Kwan Dao....immediately followed by a kick while I also simultaneously pull the Kwan Dao back into my body. This happens on both sides.  And I’m also switching to my left hand on the one side.  And I have to adjust my hands pretty quickly to get both the extension and avoid lodging the blade into the ground.  Now that I write this out…this is a pretty complicated sequence.  

As this sequence has morphed and evolved, I’ve also had to make adjustments to the kick. Things had become much more circular, and the linear front thrust just wasn't working.  I tried it with a roundhouse, which seems alot better, but that turned my body a bit more than I wanted.  And so now I've somewhat settled on what I'm calling an "open front thrust".   This kick sort of just happened while trying to work WITH my weapon, rather than against it.

This sequence is likely going to take all year to master.  It’s certainly not easy.  And it challenges me on pretty much every level.   And it’s gonna be awesome.   

The Time Is Now

It's so important to blog when the events are actually taking place.

I was recently struggling with both lack of direction and confidence.  And although I talked about it and worked through some things in 1-on-1s, I neglected to put it all in writing.  Not in full anyways.  Truth be told, I was feeling guilty for even struggling at all.  I mean, there are people around me with real legitimate challenges...and I was feeling a bit ridiculous and somewhat like a whiner.  I touched on it in passing, but didn't really dig deep.  And I convinced myself to leave it for another day.

Now, a few weeks later, I've worked through those issues and am back on track.  I went back, wanting to finish that blog, but it no longer feels relevant.  Nor does it feel as honest.  I'm on the other side now...and my perspective is completely different...so trying to explain how I felt just doesn't feel organic anymore.  And it feels like I missed my opportunity to really be true to what I was feeling and recording it in an honest way.  My take on it now is distorted...the memories of what I was feeling and the struggles I was facing have diminished.  And I'm simply no longer in that place to accurately reflect where I was and what I was doing.

And now I don't have a true record of that time.  Nor do I have a true record of what I might have learnt from it.

She's ROCKING IT

A while back I was really struggling with some conflict I was having as a parent.  I am so happy and proud to say that things have really turned around.

Without getting into too much detail or breaking her trust...

Through hard work and dedication...by putting in a little bit of effort every day...by staying consistent...by utilizing the tools both given to her and designed by her...by making and following a plan...she has done a complete 360 with her attitude, motivation, choices and success.  

If I am ever doubting the efficacy of daily consistent effort...if I ever doubt the simple tools I have at my disposal...don't.  My 10 year old has proven their value.

Falling Apart

What is happening???  I injured my back on Tuesday by breathing.  Then I tweaked my ankle doing a little "skip" before Tai Chi.  And then I pulled something in my hip while working on Da Mu Hsing during the Level 1 Adult class.

I can complain all I want, but this is probably my own fault because I'm pretty sure I know the underlying issue.  I haven't stayed true to my stretching.  If I took a wild guess, I don't think I've done any dedicated stretching practice for over a year.  I could probably look back in my blogs to really pinpoint when I stopped....but I don’t want to out of embarrassment.  I’ll guess at a year and we’ll go with that. 

This really isn’t good.  I remember feeling like a million bucks when I was doing my stretching every night.  I remember noticing how it extended to benefits all across the board. 

Why does it have to take my body slowly falling apart to remember what it did for me?

Why is it that we stop doing things that are working?

I Breathed Too Deeply??

I hurt my back pretty bad yesterday.  How, you ask?  I took a really deep breathe. 🙄

Obviously it wasn't actually the breathe that caused the damage.  I'm sure that something had occurred previously and the big deep breathe was the straw.  But I am realizing more and more that my body is not quite as resilient as it once was.  I'm still strong and capable.  I'm healthy.  But as we age, it takes less and less to take us out.  Having said that, with prompt attention, I am able to heal fairly quickly.  And after an emergency visit to my chiropractor this morning, I am already feeling much better.

If I could do it all again, I think I'd marry a chiropractor.  Or a vet.

No offense Dan.

I AM Dependable

I am feeling very frustrated today.  Today brings yet another missed appointment by the plumber.  

I understand that emergencies can happen.  But what bothers me the most is the complete disregard for anyone that may have been counting on you.  That may have had to make special arrangements to accommodate you.  It's the lack of communication.  No phone call...no message.  Nothing.  Like I didn't matter.

Perhaps I'm just in a mood, but it feels like this occurs more and more all the time.  

I take my commitments very seriously.  If I say I'm going to be somewhere, I am there.  If I schedule something with someone, I show up.  If I say I'm going to do something I do it.  And if I'm faced with some sort of emergency, the people that are counting on me...the people I've made a commitment to...are the first to know and I'm open and honest about it.

I'm not saying I never screw up.  I have, and I do.  But I certainly don't make it a habit.  And I certainly don't sluff it off like it didn't matter.

I AM Dependable

Triple Sigh

So confession.  I am one of the people giving away my side heel.  I tend to turn my knee in and I almost “preblade” my foot.  Which actually ends up messing with my heel as the striking point on my foot.  Sigh.

I was discussing this very thing with Sihing Csillag at Saturday open training.  And I worked on it that day, and again Sunday….where I realized that I do the same thing for my roundhouse.  Double sigh.

I believe this is something that began when I started trying to speed things up and really connect my crane and kick into one motion.  Essentially, I’m anticipating the kick and am already changing my body, my foot position and my intent before I should be. I got faster, but not without a sacrifice.

On a positive, this has prompted an idea for a kicking drill.  I’m going to try and make a recording of me saying “crane” followed by “insert kick here”.  The kick will change each time, the “crane” will not.  I can start this recording at different spots each time, so I don’t eventually learn the sequence.  Hopefully this will help me stay true to the crane.  And help with reaction time as well.  I have a feeling I’m going to have to break my kick apart a little bit, in order to rebuild it again properly.  And just when I was starting to think it was actually improving.  Triple sigh.

I’m also going to give this a try with the kids classes.  I’m told it’s been done and has been very successful.  Hopefully I can save them from developing the same bad habit later on in their Kung fu careers.  And they can help me get mine back on track.  Win win!

Top Ten - Getting Back On Track

Once again I feel like I’m back on track with my training.  Or perhaps I should say more specifically, I’m back on track with my positive perspective and mental focus.  A few things have turned this around for me…and I think it’s important to list these here.  In future, it may be as simple as coming back to this blog and implementing these things myself, rather than waiting for them to miraculously come to me on their own.

So here’s my Top Ten list of things that seem to stimulate me back into a positive mindset.  I didn’t initially intend for this to have 10, it just ended up that way. Lol.  And some of them might seem so obvious, but things just never are when negativity has set in.  Either way, here they are.

1.  Do something to motivate and encourage someone else.

2.  Do something completely silly.

3.  Do something creative outside of Kung Fu.

4.  Talk things out with my mentors.

5.  If my first reaction to an opportunity is “no”, say “yes” instead.

6.  Read.  Anything.

7.  Drink good tea.

8.  Go outside.

9.  Engage someone on the team (either a team mate or coach) into something specific with my training.

10. Keep my commitments.

Some Silliness

I shook things up yesterday and decided to see if I could be fast enough and accurate enough with my kicks to kick a moving target.  Said target was me throwing a ball into the air.   It went terribly.   My technique completely fell apart.  As did my intent.  I ended up in a panic to just kick the ball by whatever means necessary.

BUT there WAS the odd time that everything came together.  I was able to ignore the panic.  I remained calm and waited for the ball to fall rather than reaching for it, scared I would miss my chance.  Everything was perfectly timed and in sync.  I attempted this with my front thrust, side heel and roundhouse.  Both legs.  I probably kicked about 70 total and maybe about 4 came together just right.  But 4 is better than 0.  And the point wasn’t to be awesome at it.  The point was to do something different…even if it was kinda silly.

What Do I Do And How Do I Do It?

Some of the lesson from last night really hit home.  

I couldn't think of what my favourite form was.  And everything Sifu Brinker said following was bang on. I don't have a favourite because I am currently in maintenance mode.  Doing the same things day to day.  Just keeping up.  Nothing really changing.  At least not to my liking.

And so what do I do?  

Well, I can follow his advice for one.  I'm going to do something different.  Poke some things with a stick.

And so how do I do that?

Well...I'm not sure right at this moment.  I have some ideas, but nothing concrete.  

But I intend to have a plan by tomorrows open training.

Hello My Name Is...

I think my Kwan Dao form is really starting to come together.  I still have lots of work to do with extending the weapon and maximizing my reach.  Also my footwork needs alot of practice.  I need to be strong and grounded as I move or my weapon pulls me.

But I'm gaining confidence and having some fun.

On a somewhat related note, Todai Ward asked me yesterday if I had named my weapon.  And I haven't!  And I think I'd like to.  I haven't come up with anything yet, but now I'm curious as to whether others have names their weapons and if so, what are some of the names???

I AM [always] Learning

Wednesdays are typically really good learning days.  Tai Chi, Adult Level 1 and then my own class.  Three huge opportunities for learning.  Plus the 3 mini sections in between these classes when I have access to instructors and other students.  Tonight was no exception.  

There were all kinds of learning moments that went through my mind tonight.  It felt like at every turn I was thinking, “oh…I have to write that down later.”   Unfortunately, here I am finally making some notes, and many of these learning moments have already fleeted away.  Hopefully these will come back to me more easily the next time.  But either way, a few have stuck, which I will record here for reference in order to perhaps expand on them later.  For tonight, they are are just thoughts.

In Tai Chi I learned that if we know how to move our body, and if we know how to move our energy, our end technique can realistically be whatever we need it to be in that exact moment. This thought sort of relates to how a black belt can change their intent a 100 times in a very short period of time.  I hope I can expand on this later.  If not, it’s a seed for now.

Through my Kwan Dao, I’m starting to really recognize how important it is for techniques to flow.  To make a sentence, rather than just. A. Bunch. Of words.  The Kwan Dao isn’t easy to maneuver.  And so if there is any break at all in the flow, it’s very noticeable.  Not only that, but it takes a huge amount of energy to redirect it back to where I need it to be.

With my partner I learned that we need to trust ourselves, and each other, a little bit more.  At this stage in the game we can be a little more assertive, a little more aggressive.  We have a basic amount of control and knowledge and I think we’re capable of pushing just a little bit more so that we can take many of these techniques to the next level.

And I learned that you can breathe through your feet.

I Am Proactive

Wow.  My alarm just went off.  The one that I programmed in the off chance that I forgot to blog that day.  Once I blog, I simply shut it off, and carry on with my day.  Today is the first time that I was literally in bed, starting to drift off, when it buzzed.

I knew that there would eventually come a day where it would slip my mind.  That my day would get away from me somehow.  There’s no way that I would go an entire year, and not drop the ball at some point.  Which is why I set the alarm.  

I AM proactive.

When The Heck Did That Happen?

As my previous blog described, I spent the majority of my Easter weekend with my pottery.  Although I have no “friends” on Facebook, I do utilize it for certain groups.  One of them being a pottery group for beginners where you can ask questions and get help. Over the weekend I took the time to engage with the group.  I suddenly realized that my engagement comprised of answering questions and giving advice rather than my typical questions wondering what the heck I’m doing and how to fix this or that.  And I was honestly surprised.  When did I become one of the people that could answer the questions, rather than asking them?

It just made me really think and appreciate how far I’ve come.  And not just in pottery.

On a side note.  I think I have nailed down my logo.  I took a lot of the feedback that you all gave me…so thank you!…made some changes and I think I’ve settled on the one below.  I like how this one emphasizes my name more than the graphic.  The wheel itself will become my “signature” for the bottom of my pieces. I think I really love it.  🙂

A Happy Spirit

I’ve been struggling a bit with my Kung Fu.  Not knowing where to go or where to focus.  Also with confidence.   But I’ll dig into that a bit more another time.  

I received some advice that sometimes, when this happens, the best thing to do is to shift our focus to something else entirely.  Something that will stimulate some creativity.  Some excitement.  

To me, this advice wasn’t intended to mean I should STOP doing my Kung Fu…or STOP fulfilling my commitments…so I’ve still made sure to maintain my numbers.  But it’s been more with a maintenance mode mindset, rather than beast mode.  And as soon as that training was done, whether it went good or bad or neither, I shifted my energy and focus to something that would really generate some positivity and success.  And hopefully some sense of accomplishment. 

And so all weekend I have been working on my pottery.  I already did one glaze fire, and am busily glazing more in hopes to have another firing tomorrow.  And I’ve had so many things turn out really great so I’ve been getting a lot of “wins”. 

Although these successes aren’t directly kung fu related, they are still feeding my spirit in a really positive way.  And a happy spirit can only mean good things.  

It’s actually sort of funny now that I think about it.  When I’m struggling with my pottery, I turn my focus more to Kung Fu.  So it kind of makes sense that I turn to pottery when the opposite is true.  They really are nice complements to each other. 

The Most Needed

Although not proud of it, I found myself trying to think of reasons to cancel my 1-on-1 this morning.  Thankfully they remained only thoughts.

I made a commitment to myself long ago that I would never cancel a 1-on-1 for egocentric reasons.  I also promised I would book regularly, in advance, regardless of whether I had a topic of discussion or not.  So far I've kept those promises.

When I'm on...all cylinders firing...my 1-on-1s are more like check-ins.  Positive, light hearted talks where I can clarify some things...double check certain techniques...get some feedback on whatever I've been working on.  Sometimes we make some really big "discoveries".  Sometimes not.  Either way, all really great discussions.  These are confirmations that I am on the right path.

On occasion, I get to that 1-on-1 either not having a plan for discussion, or feeling a bit embarrassed because I realize that I haven't really done much.  But more often than not, these are the 1-on-1 ones that end up being the most helpful.  The discussion develops organically, and as long as I remain true and honest, we tend to go a little deeper.  These are the ones where I leave with much needed clarity and with a true feeling of improvement.  They are confirmations that, although things might be unclear, I most certainly have the ability to get back on the right path. And these are the 1-on-1s that I need the most.

We have many tools that we can utilize for accountability.  But out of any of them, it is my 1-on-1's that regularly and steadfastly, hold me accountable and force me to look deeper at what I'm doing...or what I'm not doing.

This blog is just another reminder to always book my 1-on-1's and always keep my 1-on-1's.

Walk The Walk

I had a much better training day today than I have had for a while and I managed to hit everything on my “list”. 

I was able to stretch out with my Kwan Dao.  I’m still really trying to extend, but that’s still a struggle.

I did some focus work on my Tai Chi short form.  

I got some time in with sparring.

Worked on my side heel.  

Did some drumming.  My thunder drumming is still atrocious.  Not sure what to do about this.  I’m trying to be more aggressive, but my left hand is still a total dullard.

And I did a few reps of my left side roundhouse.  This was on my list of “left side” struggles.  So I figured I should not just talk the talk in my blogging…but actually take something from it and walk the walk. It wasn’t pretty, and I didn’t fix anything today, but it was something. 

I AM Giving

Two years ago, on March 31, Dan lost a co-worker and friend to a workplace accident.  It has been a tough go for the family, as well as the crew who worked along side him.  Last year they held a car show, in his honor, that was organized and put on by the guys that knew him, and which was supported by the company.  It has grown into a family event that they intend to put on every year.  Bouncy castles, large equipment rides, BBQ, door prizes, etc, etc.  And any proceeds that are collected are donated to various charities in Ryan's name.  This years is set to take place June 24.

Being that Ryan was very important to Dan, I wanted to do something to help.  But without interfering or stepping on toes.  And so I decided to attempt to make some bracelets and pendants, like I did for the Kwan Yin Healing project we organized for Sihing Kohut.  They had developed a logo of sorts for Ryan, based on a tattoo he had, and had made stickers and magnets to give away at the car show.  I reproduced that logo into a stamp, and imprinted that into the pieces.  And I think they turned out really well.  Dan took them to his work and gave them out to whomever wanted one.  He also made sure that one made it to Ryan's wife.  I was overwhelmed to discover that she has not taken it off since she got it, and she has requested more for other family and friends.  I'm told the list continues to get longer and longer.  Of course they are offering to pay.  But that wasn't the point of doing this in the first place, and I have no intention for this gesture to become about financial gain.  So I have another batch going into the kiln this weekend, and will continue to make more for whomever wants one.

It feels good to be able to give people something they can use to connect with someone they’ve lost, and to each other.  And I feel humbled to know that I have the ability to do so.

A Pendulum

My body has been feeling really tired and sore lately, so as I was doing my Tai Chi this morning, I just let myself really relax.  I know we are supposed to relax in Tai Chi already, but I feel like I haven't been.  And whatever I did, felt really good.  I felt settled into my "highchair".  Everything seemed to stay nice and centered over my hips as I moved.  And it just felt "easy" and "right".

So what the heck have I been doing before this?  Why does this feel so extremely different?  Why do I suddenly think that I may have been reaching...overextending?  Has my body been TOO engaged?  Too intense?  Or maybe this attempt was just too relaxed...too flow'y.   Maybe it felt so easy because I just simply wasn't engaged at all?

Maybe I've just gone from one extreme to the other.  

Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey

I was working on a specific section of the Tai Chi short form this morning called "grasping the birds tail, press and push".  In the long form this is always done in a right lead.  In the short form it includes both sides.  I seem to really struggle doing it in a left lead.  I'm not sure if this is because I've just gotten used to the right lead version, or if being in a left lead is the "left hand" equivalent.  

In fact, I seem to really struggle with one side or another in any technique.  

The following are a few that I really have to stick my tongue out and think about when I do them.

Drop kick from a left lead.

Backwards shoulder roll over my right shoulder.

Front shoulder roll over my left shoulder.

Roundhouse kick with my left leg.

7 Knife Hands with left hand.

Probably a good list of things to put some focus on.

Ughs and Blahs

Ugh.  I'm just gonna say it.  

I've lost a sense of purpose in my training.  It's just been feeling so muddled.  Like I'm just dabbling here and there and everywhere.  No real direction.  No real goal.  What am I even doing?

I'm training.  But not deliberately.  I train for the sake of training.  I'm not sure how much I'm really getting out of it.  More than if I didn't train at all, I know that.  So I keep going.

Where am I?  What am I doing?....simple questions that I can't seem to answer.  And the old answers don't seem to apply for some reason.  They don't seem authentic.

Blah.

"Don't want to train?...train" popped into my head just now.  So I stopped and did 10 pushups. I felt like 10 pushups would be better than more complaining.  I had to laugh because it actually did make me feel a little bit better...albeit short lived.  Maybe 10 more...but I can only do so many...lol.

Happy Birthday Avery

April 1st marked Avery’s 12th birthday.  That would be equal to 77 in human years.   

Avery and I have always shared a special bond.  She came into my life after a miscarriage and helped me through a very hard time.  To be honest, she probably knows me better than any living being.  If I’m ever frustrated, sad, angry or anxious…she can always seem to sense that and will find me wherever I might be in the house.  And her presence always brings me back to myself.

She’s been dealing with some health issues over the last couple years and there have been some really scary moments.  But after some diet changes and surgery, she seems to be back to her old self.  With consideration given to her age of course.  But we’re seeing her eating, gaining weight, running around with Tank and just generally happy.

She continues to be a huge part of my journey with the work I’ve been doing with my chi and chi healing.   I’ve utilized her many times to practice both feeling her energy and aligning her chi.  She always lets me work on her without complaint and she’s provided me with a lot of valuable feedback to assist me as I learn. I like to think that I may have brought her some comfort as well, especially on her not so great days.  But even if not, it has certainly made our bond even stronger than it was before.

IHC Number Update - April 1, 2023

 

2023 Year of the Rabbit

Year of the Rabbit - January 22, 2023 to February 9, 2023 (384 days)

Base Requirements

Hand Form - Tai Chi Short Form  179/1000

Weapon Form - Kwan Dao  186/1000 *I think I've got a full form now.  But it will be interesting to see how it evolves.

Push-ups  9459/50,000

Sit-ups  9413/50,000

Sparring  181/1000

Kilometers 324/1609

Acts of Kindness  291/1000

Blogging/Online Presence - yup

Unexcused Absences - yup

Mastery by Stewart Emery - I don't know if I read it once this month. 😣

Mend a Relationship - going really well

Lion Dancing - not yet

Tiger Challenge - not yet

Public Performances - not yet

Core Curriculum - hope so

SRKF Projects and Initiatives - Children's Class Weekly Recaps, Spring Break Mad Minute Challenge

Personal Requirements

Monthly Movie/Game Family Night  2/12 *I'm really enjoying movie nights.

Lion Dance Drumming - Going good!  Still suck at thunder-drumming.  My left hand has no idea what it's supposed to do.

Chi Development - progress has slowed, but still working at it.

Establish online presence for pottery - currently working on revising my logo

Daily blogging  70/384 *6 of these are "I Am" blogs

Weekly Kick Assessment - I've started to take more videos just whenever I happen to work on a kick.  Hopefully at some point I'll start seeing some differences.