1000

I jumped over a huge hurdle on Tues.  Well, actually I have been jumping over it all year.  There were 2 requirements that gave me the most concern this year.  Concern is saying it lightly.  I have to be honest and say that I was more like. . . . . angry and freaked out.  I thought that 50,000 push ups and situps was a bit much to ask, but 3 public demos and 1000 minutes of sparring was seriously over the top pretty high expectations.  They were expectations that I had no idea how I was going to succeed at, because both of them, terrified me.  I didn't like feeling "forced" to do either.  I don't like feeling forced to do anything.  I usually sink my feet in pretty hard and fight it all the way.

 I have been learning since white belt, that when an instructor at Silent River Kung Fu  raises the expectations of me, I rise higher than I thought I could.  Brings to mind 'Mastery'.  "One of the best ways, (to achieve mastery)  is to surround yourself with people who ask more of you, than you do".  So far this year, I have done 4 demos, and the year is not over.  On Tues evening at the sparring class, I completed 1000 minutes of sparring.  This is a pretty big accomplishment for me, and it feels good to know I did it.  I conquered my fear of sparring.  I still get a bit nervous, but I do put myself out there anyways, and have a positive attitude about it.  On Tues I got punched in the side of the head, and kicked in the pelvis area.  Yes it hurt, but I came to realize it didn't mean the end of the world.  This helps my nervousness a lot, as I learn that I can take a hit and still go on.  I know it's my age that makes me a bit hesitant as my bones are not quite like they were when I was young, and injury is an honest concern for me.

A huge part of the growth I am grateful for, caused by my participation in the I ho chuan, is my attitude.  I say I felt "forced" to do these requirements at the beginning of this journey.  It's true, I did.  I started with the attitude that in order to progress in my kung fu, I had to do all these things that I really didn't like to do.  I had to do things that I would never have done otherwise.  I felt my life needed direction, and I felt it needed some kind of purpose, plus a distraction from other life concerns.  So, even though I felt the way I did, I decided to jump off that cliff and give it a try.  And wow!  Look at me now.  It blows my mind away to think that I actually did all that sparring, never mind the 4 demos.  I feel far more positive about everything, and know that I was never forced to do anything.  The requirements were laid out, and I chose to do them.  No one forced me to.  Sifu Brinker is a smart man, and he knows what his students need, and for that I am also grateful.