Ready, set, go?

The year of the Monkey is 8 days away.  Where did the time go? 

Am I ready?   I have prepared by creating my tracking tools, starting to blog weekly, working on identifying and increasing Acts of Kindness, working on my personal goals, modifying schedules to increase time availability. I solidified my hand and weapon forms and I am so excited about being a part of the Monkey team.  I am ready!

Wait a minute, I am sooo NOT ready!  I have not rolled out of bed to start doing my push ups and sit ups.  I think about getting on the treadmill.  I have a new form to learn before I start my 1000 reps.  I am hoping everyone will forget that I challenged myself to do standing rolls before my next grading, because grading starts tomorrow and I have not succeeded at this challenge (have I failed before I even started?).   I ponder the posts from the Sheep Team and occurrences that delayed progress.  This makes me wonder how do I jump into my push-up commitments without re-injuring my shoulder and thus affecting my performance on the dragon team? How do I make the fitness portion become habit? How do I make the choices that will lead me down the right path?  Do I know my ability and my limits? Questions with no clear answers.

Being a part of the Dragon dance, I start the Monkey year with an advantage from new I Ho Chuan members as I have been exposed to the program and what people can accomplish individually but especially within the team.  I have gotten over the nerves of stepping into the kwoon (where do I bow in, where do I stand, what should I be doing, am I in the way?).  I have seen how the Sheep members have been inspirational and supportive to their teammates. I also start the Monkey year with a disadvantage of a net new member as my optimism has been tempered with realism.  I have seen the struggles of the Sheep team and individuals within and know that this will occur in the Monkey year but when. I know that this will be the most challenging year I have encountered, as it will be for many teammates, as it has been for many before us.

I am 8 days away and the nervousness creeps up again.  This is a leap of faith, placing trust in a team to help when I struggle, to trust that the program will work.  But I know that I can be there to support others and for that I am ready! Have I already set myself up for failure, absolutely not!  The path to the year of the Monkey has taken it first curve, but lets see where it will lead to.  Ready, set, lets go!

Routines

As I prepare for the year of the Monkey, one of the things I know I have to change is my routines.  How do I make better use of my time during the day so I can fit more into it?  I really didn’t think that I could get more into my day but I figured I better try if I wanted to fit more Kung Fu into it as well.  So during the last few weeks our family has been trying to get into a routine of meal planning.  We are also writing down school, Kung Fu, soccer, skiing, swimming, and work schedules in advance and making sure we are prepared (our calendar sure looks like a Tetris puzzle).  As with any good intentions, the first few weeks went well and I found more time to do new things.  Then this week we had a few unexpected bumps (a late night work meeting one evening, friends over to visit another evening, and family over for supper) and before we knew it our routine started to slide.  All of a sudden my stress level increased because tasks were not getting done and I didn’t know where to even begin, so I did nothing. 

Today I was thinking of the last I Ho Chuan meeting and how it is not only the journey that we do but what we are doing right now that counts.  So with a deep breath, I tried to forget about what I didn’t do (and that is not an easy thing to do hence the reason I say tried) and started doing what needed to be done.  Funny thing was that I got caught up and I feel that I am back on track (for the start of this week at least).  I know that this does not even come close to the challenges that I will face this year ahead, but if I can catch myself soon enough after I have stumbled and continue on maybe I can make these changes in routine become a habit and then I can introduce a few more. 

Impact of Acts of Kindness

I noticed this week that there was a lot of media attention around “Acts of Kindness (AOK)” gone wrong. A women who bought a lunch for a man at McDonald's who she thought was only in there to stay warm, only to see his lunch arriving just as she dropped off one off. She was embarrassed and walked out. Someone paying for a hotel room for a homeless couple and then getting a big bill for damage.

There is something about doing an AOK anonymously. We might do that to remain anonymous, we might do it because we are shy, but sometimes it can also protect us from any embarrassment of an AOK gone wrong. Sometimes I find myself in the position of wanting to do an AOK but afraid that it will be misconstrued so then I miss out on an opportunity that will never be there again.

This summer, Simon had come to work with me and we stopped to get some snacks for the team meeting. While standing in line, an elderly lady ahead of us had a few groceries that you knew was her meal for the day. He leaned down and whispered in my ear “can we pay for her groceries Mom?” I explained to the teller that we would like to add her groceries to ours, and the teller got a big grin. It took some explaining to the elderly lady, but then she started to cry and was so thankful. She gave Simon such a big smile and he shyly smiled back. I was so very proud of him at that moment.
You will never know how an AOK will affect you until you try it. It continues to surprise me how an AOK affects me, but I cannot be doing an AOK for me. It’s a fine line wanting to do something nice for someone and doing it to make you feel good. Sometimes I have to stop and think “am I doing this for the right reason”.

I have not started recording AOK’s since the Monkey year has not yet started but that is going to change. I should not need a start date to journal AOKs or I am going to forget the little things that happen every day, and I know its going to take some time for it to become a routine, but you need to start somewhere.

Would you think that going to invite our driveway families to the Silent River Banquet could turn into an event that would affect me? I didn’t, until at one house when I knocked on the door and was immediately invited in. I could have stayed on the doorstep and did a quick invite and left, I am ashamed to admit that it even crossed my mind. Then I hesitated and remembered I am representing Silent River so I stepped through the door. I ended up having a wonderful conversation, I was shown pictures of all her grandchildren which she proudly displayed on her wall, she spoke of the health decline of her husband and how much he has changed, she showed me a picture of him when he was a handsome 21 year old, and then hugged me (honest Mr. Repay, I did not initiate that one first). She was so thankful for the invite since they do not get to go out much anymore. I was proud to represent Silent River Kung Fu and the Adopt a Driveway Program and I know I will stop in again. Here was a chance to build that personal relationship that Sifu Brinker is always asking us to do. Putting myself out there is a risk that I need to take even if it could end up leaving me a little embarrassed because you never know how the smallest gesture may affect someone’s day, even my own.





x

The First Step

May 2013 - Well, completed the first step.  Signed up for Kung Fu classes.  What have I gotten myself into?   I am excited and scared at the same time.  I am sure everyone can understand the excited part, but why scared?  Let me count the reasons.  To simply state it:  Old and out of shape.  Starting something like this in my 40's is probably pretty crazy but here is some of the background.

My husband and I have 3 kids that have been doing Kung Fu for a number of years and they really enjoy it.  We like seeing them get involved with community events, learning to think of others, and the obvious, getting exercise.  After spending MANY years running them around and us sitting on the side lines, it was time for us to do something and this seemed like fun.

Why would I be scared?  Reviewing the curriculum AFTER I signed both my husband and I up (I wasn't doing this alone) I then focused on the criteria.  It was probably self preservation that I did not look at this before I signed up and paid for the first month.  The fitness stripe consists of sit-ups, push-ups, squat thrusts, and kicks.  WAIT ONE MINUTE!  I haven't done a squat thrust (otherwise known as burpees) in almost 30 years.  Oh boy. Why would I think it would be easier for adults then the kids.  Foolish girl.

Good thing that I don't like to loose.  I should get through first class at least.  First class is in 5 days.  Should I start working out now just to get started?  Probably but most likely won't happen. 

Better wish me luck.

A New Journey - Pushing your comfort zones!

I attended an I Ho Chuan meeting yesterday and blogging is one of the requirements.  While trying to get this started, I stumbled upon the first blog that I ever created the day I signed up for Kung Fu in 2013.  I laughed as I read it, I was so excited and so scared.  I did not look at the requirements before I signed up and that made me more nervous.  My ending comment was "What have I gotten myself into?"

Almost three years later, I have now started another journey in Kung Fu and that is with the I Ho Chuan Monkey team.  This time I reviewed the requirements beforehand and even gained some understanding while assisting the dragon team.  The funny thing is that I still feel excited, scared and nervous while thinking "What have I gotten myself into?".

Many people in your life will influence you.  Your parents may give you new responsibilities, your friends may push you to try new things (and the quality of your friends is shown by these choices, but that is for another blog), or your teacher/boss may push you to do a presentation that you may not be comfortable with.  They are helping you to do things that are outside your comfort zone.

The one thing I have learned in Kung Fu is that I make choices that influence ME and my comfort zones.  My instructors have always been there to guide and teach me, but it has always been up to me to execute.  A prime example is my shoulder rolls.  I could progress through a few more belt colors doing shoulder rolls from a kneeling position.   I can do them on a mat just fine, but remove the cushy mat and my brain starts to add doubt  I could get hurt, I don't have the right technique, blah, blah, blah. so I move back to a kneeling position.  What is this gaining me? NOTHING!  I am taking the easy way out.  So, my goal is to do them from a standing position before my next belt grading and I develop a plan to be successful.

"What have I gotten myself into?" A new, challenging, and exciting  journey that will most certainly push me outside of comfort zones but looking back over the road I have traveled so far, its not quite as scary as I originally envisioned.