Today, as I prepared supper, I decided to call my parents to see if they wanted to join us. As a last minute call, I was really expecting them to have other plans but to my surprise they sounded excited and accepted the offer. A few hours later they pulled up and sat down to a family meal with us. I truly appreciated the effort that they made to drive the hour just to come for supper and after a few hours they headed home. It was during the time that my mom and I were working together to make supper that made me appreciate the tiny moments that we get to spend together. The tiny moments that are occurring with my children as they grow up and become more independent. The tiny moments where we laughed as we told stories about when I was a kid. It was so very great to have those tiny moments.
Not only did I reflect on these moments, I reflected on the opportunity to make these moments occur. All it took was one call. One call, even though there was a large chance that they couldn't come. If I had not called, this would not have happened. It reiterated to me, that if I never take the chance, I will miss out on opportunities that may create these tiny moments. I'm glad I took the time and made the call. It was a great way to end the weekend!
See you on the mats!
Sunday, 30 September 2018
Sunday, 23 September 2018
The Merry-Go-Round
Do you remember riding the merry-go-round at the park when you were young? Starting to run around the outside and then the big jump onto the platform, hanging onto the bar. The merry-go-round gathering speed, soon going so fast that you are hanging on for dear life, not able to let go and afraid to jump off. Everything around you becomes a blur. Something that started off fun but now you wonder why you got on in the first place. Do you remember those days?
I have been thinking of this analogy many times as the last few months of work have been very busy and the last few weeks even busier. I know that this will be continuing for the next few years and there is really no end in site. I feel that I am holding on for dear life onto that merry-go-round while my days are blurring around me. Afraid to take the leap off of it. Knowing that it is a risk to jump off.
Eleven years ago, a couple of big medical events occurred that allowed me to stop that merry-go-round and look around. Maybe that is why I am aware of being on that merry-go-round and that I want more. Can I stop it? Probably not, but eventually I will make the leap off trying to gauge the safest place to jump. So what am I doing now? This week was a blur with so many things out of my control, so I had to take control of the things that I could. It took me a few days to get things back to some order and even as I drove into yoga classes on Saturday, I was still on the edge. Now after a wonderful class of yoga that helped to ground me and then a great workout with Mr. Sollinger at open training, I am standing up on that merry-go-round, letting the wind whip through my hair and enjoying it. Sometimes you just need a little help finding your balance so you're able to enjoy that ride again.
See you on the mats!
I have been thinking of this analogy many times as the last few months of work have been very busy and the last few weeks even busier. I know that this will be continuing for the next few years and there is really no end in site. I feel that I am holding on for dear life onto that merry-go-round while my days are blurring around me. Afraid to take the leap off of it. Knowing that it is a risk to jump off.
Eleven years ago, a couple of big medical events occurred that allowed me to stop that merry-go-round and look around. Maybe that is why I am aware of being on that merry-go-round and that I want more. Can I stop it? Probably not, but eventually I will make the leap off trying to gauge the safest place to jump. So what am I doing now? This week was a blur with so many things out of my control, so I had to take control of the things that I could. It took me a few days to get things back to some order and even as I drove into yoga classes on Saturday, I was still on the edge. Now after a wonderful class of yoga that helped to ground me and then a great workout with Mr. Sollinger at open training, I am standing up on that merry-go-round, letting the wind whip through my hair and enjoying it. Sometimes you just need a little help finding your balance so you're able to enjoy that ride again.
See you on the mats!
Sunday, 16 September 2018
Mayne Island
This week Mike and I went to Mayne Island. This is one of the Gulf Islands in B.C. and it is very beautiful. The island has many options for hikes and we tried to do them all but 3 days was just not enough time. There were many times when I felt like we were the only people on the island. This was especially true when we visited the Japanese Gardens which are a tribute to the Japanese who were initially on the island before WWII when they were displaced. Here was the first time that I really felt reenergized and started to relax.
The one thing that Mike and I noticed was that there were a number of encounters with local people where our friendly hello's were not welcomingly received. My first thought was that they did not like tourists and was a little taken back. We also noticed that frequently on our hikes, there were many signs that said PRIVATE or KEEP OUT along the paths. Yet the trails were absolutely clean and well maintained. It was then that I started to wonder if the responses we received were because the locals had just endured another summer of being overrun by tourists who may not have always been respectful of others properties. So instead of letting this deter us, we made more of an effort to talk to locals and make sure we were cheerful and respectful. We talked to our host who did validate our assumptions on the summer season and how that impacts some of the locals. We met some great people there and saw many neat things that made the trip very memorable.
It was a great reminder that just because you don't get the response you are expecting initially, it should not make you stop trying as you never know what is happening in that other persons life. Stay true to yourself and be the person you imagine you can be. The only thing you can be responsible for are your own actions so make each of those actions count.
See you on the mats!
The one thing that Mike and I noticed was that there were a number of encounters with local people where our friendly hello's were not welcomingly received. My first thought was that they did not like tourists and was a little taken back. We also noticed that frequently on our hikes, there were many signs that said PRIVATE or KEEP OUT along the paths. Yet the trails were absolutely clean and well maintained. It was then that I started to wonder if the responses we received were because the locals had just endured another summer of being overrun by tourists who may not have always been respectful of others properties. So instead of letting this deter us, we made more of an effort to talk to locals and make sure we were cheerful and respectful. We talked to our host who did validate our assumptions on the summer season and how that impacts some of the locals. We met some great people there and saw many neat things that made the trip very memorable.
It was a great reminder that just because you don't get the response you are expecting initially, it should not make you stop trying as you never know what is happening in that other persons life. Stay true to yourself and be the person you imagine you can be. The only thing you can be responsible for are your own actions so make each of those actions count.
See you on the mats!
Sunday, 9 September 2018
Setbacks, Bumps, and Waves
I had a great day yesterday both at home and with getting my KungFu numbers started again. It was embarrassing not being able to put my hand up to say I was on track with my numbers but honestly, I am not. Darn that's hard to admit. Some parts have been exceptionally good and other parts are not going very well lately. I could list the excuses I have running through my head, but honestly, there is no excuse except that I found an excuse when I didn't do them. I am struggling with that darn shoulder but I really haven't put in the work needed for it so its just another excuse.
So yesterday, I went home and did pushups and situps and it felt good. Did I get all my numbers in, no I didn't so I did some more before bed but it was still not enough. I made myself a promise to get up early and start again. Great intentions until you wake up at 5:30 and wonder why your water pump is running and step into a hallway of water in the basement. Today was a very busy day of helping Mike replace the pressure tank and pump, rewiring and replumbing it. But finally at 21:00 WE HAVE WATER! Man do you take the small things for granted!
By 17:00 (or 5 p.m. for those not subjected to that darn 24 hour clock for work LOL) I was starting to get so upset that I had not even gotten in ANY SU/PU so after 3 huge breaths I went and did some PUs so I did get some in today. Now this was before I found that water had gotten underneath our stairs and we had to pull out all the bins before we could clean that up. There were many times I drew upon my KungFu frequently these last few hours while hitting my breaking point. But I would take a deep breath, ground myself and start again. Always thinking this could be worse. You may wonder why I would think that, well if this happened tomorrow it would be with my Mom and Dad as Mike and I are off for a week. That would have been much worse.
So was this another setback, a bump in the road? I am worried that I have this occur only 1 day after restarting but if didn't happen today, it would just occur another day so I will deal with it. Now I am off to do laundry, run the dishwasher, and start to pack. See you all next week!
Have fun on the mats!
So yesterday, I went home and did pushups and situps and it felt good. Did I get all my numbers in, no I didn't so I did some more before bed but it was still not enough. I made myself a promise to get up early and start again. Great intentions until you wake up at 5:30 and wonder why your water pump is running and step into a hallway of water in the basement. Today was a very busy day of helping Mike replace the pressure tank and pump, rewiring and replumbing it. But finally at 21:00 WE HAVE WATER! Man do you take the small things for granted!
By 17:00 (or 5 p.m. for those not subjected to that darn 24 hour clock for work LOL) I was starting to get so upset that I had not even gotten in ANY SU/PU so after 3 huge breaths I went and did some PUs so I did get some in today. Now this was before I found that water had gotten underneath our stairs and we had to pull out all the bins before we could clean that up. There were many times I drew upon my KungFu frequently these last few hours while hitting my breaking point. But I would take a deep breath, ground myself and start again. Always thinking this could be worse. You may wonder why I would think that, well if this happened tomorrow it would be with my Mom and Dad as Mike and I are off for a week. That would have been much worse.
So was this another setback, a bump in the road? I am worried that I have this occur only 1 day after restarting but if didn't happen today, it would just occur another day so I will deal with it. Now I am off to do laundry, run the dishwasher, and start to pack. See you all next week!
Have fun on the mats!
Sunday, 2 September 2018
The Magic Bullet?
For the last few weeks I have been obsessed with watching sailing videos. Not sure why as I have never sailed before but something has caught my interest. Now is the time to laugh as I also find the absolute irony and humour that a land locked Albertan who has no sailing experience has become obsessed with sailing. One video talked about assessing a boat and how if you see one thing wrong, you keep tracing it back to find the real reason for the problem or root cause. For example, you could clearly see an issue with the propeller, tracing that back further they could see where the drive shaft (if that's the correct terminology) was rubbing on the boat, tracing that back further they found that the motor had lost some of its bolts to secure it. You could stop there but when they traced that back further, it was because the wood the motor sat on was rotting due to leak not properly patched. So how does this relate to our everyday life?
These last few days my shoulder has been sorer than usual. This is a very frustrating feeling and it makes me wonder why now? What has aggravated more than usual? What did I do and how long will it take to recover? But instead of looking for the specific activity that caused this, I need to look deeper to find the root cause. If I look at my recent activities, I could stop there but if I go back deeper, its because I haven't been doing my physio exercises to build those muscles back up. Why did I stop doing them? Maybe that is the real root cause. I just need to keep digging and in the meantime pick up my physio bands and start doing the exercises while I wonder why I stopped them in the first place.
Root cause analysis and accountability are two things that I pride myself in at work but if I look at my KungFu training, those are two areas that I need to work harder at. What I have found is that it is much easier to do these when you are on the outside looking in, but when you are personally involved it is harder to be objective and disciplined. It is easier to try to find the quick fix, the smoother path, the magic bullet. We live in a society where we want the magic bullet or instant gratification. KungFu is teaching me that it really is just hard work that will carry me forward in all aspects of my life and that there is no magic bullet.
See you on the mats!
These last few days my shoulder has been sorer than usual. This is a very frustrating feeling and it makes me wonder why now? What has aggravated more than usual? What did I do and how long will it take to recover? But instead of looking for the specific activity that caused this, I need to look deeper to find the root cause. If I look at my recent activities, I could stop there but if I go back deeper, its because I haven't been doing my physio exercises to build those muscles back up. Why did I stop doing them? Maybe that is the real root cause. I just need to keep digging and in the meantime pick up my physio bands and start doing the exercises while I wonder why I stopped them in the first place.
Root cause analysis and accountability are two things that I pride myself in at work but if I look at my KungFu training, those are two areas that I need to work harder at. What I have found is that it is much easier to do these when you are on the outside looking in, but when you are personally involved it is harder to be objective and disciplined. It is easier to try to find the quick fix, the smoother path, the magic bullet. We live in a society where we want the magic bullet or instant gratification. KungFu is teaching me that it really is just hard work that will carry me forward in all aspects of my life and that there is no magic bullet.
See you on the mats!
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