Week 49

Week 49.  After 49 weeks of coming up with something to say, I'm not sure there is much left.  There is only so much profound knowledge one can come up with... notice I didn't say there is only so much profanity one can come up with... because that is different, and I have not yet found a limit there.  Believe me I've tested it.

Moving on

Forest Gump's mamma says "life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gona get".

An interesting and somewhat fatalistic approach, but there is a ring of truth to it.  You can work hard, eat right, exercise and get smooshed by a bus.  But Man!  Your heart and lungs will be the talk of the morgue!

We are always talking about mastery.  Which basically translates as work hard, do your best and don't settle.  A good approach, but it is still just hedging your bets.  There are always X factors that are beyond our sphere of influence.  By working hard, doing your best, and not settling you are laying the foundation for success.  This definitely increases the chances for success.  But it can't over ride the X factors.

It can, however, help us deal with those X factors when they do come up.  Sometimes stuff happens.  It's what we do about it that can be as defining as what we do to prevent it.  I have witnessed a sense of entitlement, for lack of a better word.  People who "do everything right" and still have a heart attack.  Of course they are  shocked from it happening, but in many cases they go to the "not fair" well.  Hate to break the bubble but life isn't fair.  Doing everything right doesn't guarantee us anything and life doesn't owe us anything.

That is the down side of reality, we have to be grown ups.  Mastery helps us to cope I believe.  Because there has to be a degree of self realization.  To paraphrase - Correction is essential to power and mastery.  You must be able to correct without invalidating one's self. -

Self realization, self correction, self accountability.  These things are essential for success.  These are the things that truly empower a person to practice mastery.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it?  Fine, but how do you find out if it's broke or not?  Self realization.  How do you maintain it?  Self correction.  How do you deal with it in the end? Self accountability.  Not the most fun things, but they make a difference.

Week 48

So I've been dealing with a very toxic, volatile situation for a long time now.  I just deleted my rant about it as apposed to posting it.  The short version is if the parasites formally renting the house I now own think they are not moving on April 30, they are mistaken.

Enough said about that.

And I have nothing else to say, except I dislike being in a mental state where I cannot see past a situation to something positive.  Sadly due to things I'm not going to go into now, I am somewhat hardwired to obsess which kicks in my fight instinct.  My flight instinct was destroyed a long time ago.  Running solves nothing.  So I am in a constant battle to keep my brain in check at the best of times.  This isn't the best of times, and I have no issues admitting to it. 

Find something positive.  Chinese new year should be fun.  This weekend good food, good company and a show.  Also congrats to Elizabeth Walker who attended the Ging Wu banquet last weekend and won the 50/50 draw!  You lucky stinker!

ciao

Week 47

At least it's Saturday tonight and I'm not putting out another late posting.  What to write, what to write.  Well it's been a long and trying week.  This and that, gearing up for Chinese new year from an admin perspective is always a great deal of work.

It always seems to take so long to recover from Christmas mentally, physically, financially.  Now don't get me wrong, I don't over spend on presents or anything, but there are costs associated with traveling and feeding additional people as no doubt all of us know.

Couple that with all the big bills that come due at the beginning of the year, insurance, income tax, and so on.  All of these things add pressure to an already high octane time of year.  So how does one cope.

Well I snuggle with my dog.  And focus on doing a the best job I can. And reminding myself that everyone is going through the same things.  Try to take a step back and remember that there is a lot of stress out there and everyone is packing their own baggage.  I try to have a little more patience even if I am not feeling it.  Seems to work, or maybe I'm only fooling myself, but so far so good.

Week 46

Sometimes it feels like all I do is blog.  Then I do the math and realize it's probably because I blogged late last week and am trying to catch up again.  But you would think that would only make for so much catching up. 

Case in point, I started this blog post on Monday and here we are on Wednesday trying to finish my thoughts, so I can wait another 2 days to forget to post something for this week.  Gah!  My brain feels like an over baked potato.  If only there were broccoli and asparagus to go with it.

But I digress.  I was doing the math and this blog is # 46.  The one due Friday will be (obviously)  #47. So if we have 52 weeks a year, and promise to do 52 blogs for IHC, and I'm only coming up on #47 then I clearly pooched the math.  The joys of the standard calendar vs the lunar calendar.  Dur.  But as Angelo "Snaps" Provolone once said "a promise is a promise".  He promptly rolled his eyes and left the room, but he still said it.

For those unfamiliar with the above reference, watch Oscar.  By far the best Stallone movie ever made.  It's not even close.  All start cast, witty writing, and enough twists in the subplot to keep you guessing.  If it doesn't make you happy, I'll watch it with you and you can crack up watching me laugh my head off.

Week 45

Yes this is late, and yes it's because I forgot.  Sorry
So I'm trying to come up with a blog post and all I can think to write is that my brain is an over baked potato.

So year in review.  That was tasked to us to write about.  My year has been about asking Why 5 times.  The theory is in any situation if you ask why you do something 5 times and can't come up with 5 good unique answers, it's time for change.  I think that has been a strong guiding for me.

Why do I do it?  Why does it work? Why doesn't it work? Why would stop developing it's direction? Why wouldn't I pursue a new direction and see how that works?  Slightly a different take on the underlying principle, but has had a very good impact on my training with these 5 whys.

I fee that by adopting the Ask Why 5 Times, I've been able to get a deeper understanding of my system which in turn has made me a better and more articulate instructor as well as a better and more creative martial artist.  It has made me grow as a person.

So even though our ICH year is ending soon, I think this exercise of Asking Why 5 Times is something that qualifies as a life change.  Something to include as part of my sphere of normal.  Hey Why Not?

Week 44

A Fly landed at the edge of a puddle to drink and wash his face and hands.  He could feel the cold coming off the water, and when he touched it, it did not give way.  It moved beneath his touch and rippled but he could not press through the surface.  The Fly thought this was strange, so he tried again to touch the water, pushing harder.  Again the water recoiled and shimmered, not giving way, but this time he heard a protest as faint as the spring breeze.  "Please don't do that, it hurts me."

Confused, the Fly looked deep into the puddle to see who has spoken.  There were no others, only his reflection.  "Who are you?" asked the Fly. "I'm a Snowman" was the response.  The Fly looked all around.  He had never heard of a Snowman before.  He strained and strained to see this new creature, but all he found was the water.  "Where are you?" asked the Fly.  "I'm right here in front of you, you keep pushing on me trying to take some of me away."

Shocked and shamed that he had caused harm he tried again to locate the Snowman.  "Are you in the puddle? Do you live in the water?" asked the Fly.  "I am the water" said the Snowman.  The Fly tilted his head to the side, "I don't understand. If you are water, then you are not a Snowman."  The puddle shimmered and waved.  "I am a Snowman, the Sun has changed me."  The Fly thought he understood, having gone through many changes himself.  "Were you always a Snowman before the Sun changed you?" asked the Fly.  "I have had many changes in my life.  I started as an egg, then became a larva, and when I was old enough I became a Fly.  The sun gave me warmth, the world gave me food an water and time gave me growth."

The Fly was very proud that he understood.  The Snowman was less impressed. "You are only a Fly, a small thing.  I was the Ocean. The Sun warmed me and I flew up to him.  I found others like me and became a Cloud.  When the Sun turned away we got cold and became Snow.  We floated back to the Earth and became her blanket.  Then the children came along and bound us together into a Snowman.  I am a grand thing, you are not."

The Fly was hurt by this Snowman's words.  "Perhaps I am small, but I help the world.  Through out my life I clean the world.  I consume that which cannot be consumed and return it to the Earth. When I fly, my wings clean the air and my fur helps pollinate the grass, flowers and trees when I move among them. I have value, just as you do."

"Hardly," rippled the Snowman, "you do not bring joy.  You do not provide a home. When I was the Ocean, I was a home for the creatures.  When I was a Cloud I would change my shape and the people would admire me and guess what I was.  When I was Snow, I was pristine and beautiful.  And when I was a Snowman, they laughed and played with me.  They gave me a name and I was valued.  You are just a Fly.  You are ugly and you annoy people.  You do not bring them joy."

The Fly was silent a moment.  The Snowman, having established his importance spread out in the sunlight, pleased with himself.  When the fly spoke again, his voice was quiet and strong. "I am a Fly, and I have value regardless if you see it or not.  I may not have beauty, but I also do not have cruelty.  I help others and do my work without malice or vanity.  I do not speak to others to make them feel as though they are less than what they are, that they have no value.  And when you told me you were hurt, I tried to understand you so that it would not happen again.  Perhaps you were all of those things once.  Ocean, Cloud, Snowman.  Perhaps you did bring joy to others.  But now you are a puddle, one that is without joy or kindness.  You are a jaded puddle who judges others worth by their similarity to you and not for their own abilities.  You are a dark puddle and one I do not wish to be near." 

The Fly took to the sky and did not look back.  The Snowman stared after him, furious that such a lowly creature would speak to him that way.  He turned his face back to the Sun, waiting for the warm rays to bring him back up to the sky and begin again the cycle.  But something was wrong.  He felt heavy.  Slowly he realized he was sinking into the dirt beneath the grass.  He called out, but there was no one to hear.  Bit by bit he was absorbed into the ground with no one there to be joyed by his existence. The Snowman realized too late the value of the companionship and compassion offered by the Fly. 

The Fly flew around the meadow.  He landed beside a puddle clear and cold, far away from the other one.  The Suns rays dancing on it's surface, sparkling and bright.  The fly looked deep into the water. "Are you a Snowman?" asked the Fly.

Week 43

My Uncle Ray died on the 23.  The cancer spread into his bones and he knew it was a matter of time until he joined his wife Vicky who passed this fall.  His funeral is this weekend, which I'm not going to be able to attend.  Much as that upsets me, sometimes the reality of the situation is what it is.  Besides relationships are what are important, and I had a good one with Ray.  I'll miss him.  Funerals are for the living.  I have no doubts that despite my inability to attend, he knows its not from lack of respect or affection.  I saw him at Vicky's funeral, so at least I had the chance to say good bye.

So New Years Eve.  My plans begin and end with hot tea, movies and dog snuggles on the couch.  Might  not be exciting, but I happen to like hot tea, movies and snuggling with my dog on the couch.  Besides, between overhauling the house for the endless flow of people over Christmas and trying to practice for the demo and so forth, I think I've earned a little time being a lazy lump.  Might not get me to Mastery, but it will keep me sane.

In other news, my epic cough is back.  so not happy about that, but not back to work until the 7th, so I'm hoping to get over the lions share of the lung infection.

Anyway that's it.  Be safe if you are going out.