Sifu Stoddart: One More Sleep

Friday, February 15, 2013

One More Sleep

Well, tomorrow is the big day. It's the new year banquet and promotion ceremony. The team has been working hard for the demos, and it is paying off. I feel prepared, but still quite freaked out., So much can go wrong with my rope dart, and I really want it to go smooth. No errors. No mistakes.

Last nights practice was a lot of fun. A lot of silliness actually. Everyone was in such a goofy mood. As we were performing, the other team members on the sidelines were doing goofy noises and faces to distract the one preforming. It was a test to see if we could stay focused. It was just kind of crazy. It was awesome to see the tight connection we have all made with each other in our efforts to better ourselves. As usual, after the practice, we all sat around in a circle and just chatted, laughed and joked about.

Tonight we practiced the one demo just before the black belt class. It was a much more serious atmosphere. Everyone in the room was done to business. I suppose that probably had something to do with Sifu Brinker being in the room. We focused and did a great job. Everyone has worked really hard and it shows. I sure wish we had more from the team that put in the extra effort that was required, but I am glad that we had the tight group that we did. I am already starting to miss the team. I know I will especially miss the dragon dance, but I will hang out in the background and perhaps get a chance to be a sub once in awhile. As I opened this page to do my journal, I noticed that I no longer have the UBBT journal site on my list of groups. It made me feel kind of like something was missing. It made me feel sad. My attitude has changed so much this past year, so I know this isn't the end for me, but just the beginning of a new journey, with a new attitude.

1 comment:

Tiffany Playter said...: Great year Sifu! The demo looks really good and even if something goes wrong...you guys still all did great!; February 15, 2013 at 9:16 PM

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My 20 Wishes. . .I want to do:
1. Vacation in a cabin in the mountains.
2. Fall in love.
3. Travel somewhere exotic.
4. Buy a motorcycle.
5. Write my life story.
6. Take my kids and grandkids to Disneyland.
7. See my dad again and have him meet my kids, and grandkids,
8. Hike the West Coast Trail. (done)
9. Buy my own home.
10. Climb a Via Ferrata. (done)
11. Have corrective eye surgery.
12. Find a reason to trust. (Done)
13. Perform with chi.
14. Go caving.(done)
15. Learn to play piano again.
16. Go Skinny Dipping. (done)
17. Take swimming lessons.
18. Take a wood working class.
19. Take Ballroom dance lessons.
20. Straighten my front teeth.

My 20 Wishes. . .I want to be:
1. Conscious
2. Loyal
3. Faithful
4. Good parent
5. Respectful
6. Talented martial artist
7. Healthy
8. Physically fit
9. Reliable
10. Trustworthy
11. A good grandparent
12. Awakened
13. Honest
14. Independent
15. Strong of character
16. Confident
17. A leader
18. Uplifting to others
19. Full of a positive countenance
20. Free from suffering

I love adventures, and experiencing new things for the first time. Never has this been more true than in the experiences I get from kung fu. Earning a black belt seemed to be all about me. I sacrificed, worked real hard, disciplined myself, and grew to new heights I never thought possible. I watched my life change before my very eyes. Not just small changes, but big ones that even I noticed.

Being a black belt seems to be more about others. I help others to meet their potential through their own sacrifice, and determination. As I do this, I find great fulfillment watching others change the shape of their lives, and find their own sense of peace. Black belts are just ordinary people, but doing extraordinary things, at an extraordinary level. Through this realization, we start to evolve from black belts to true martial artists, with a passion for the art that we strive to pass on to others. We continue on our path of progression, but it is through our sacrifice towards others that changes occur.

I have a huge testimony of what we do at Silent River Kung Fu. I rejoice every time I teach a class, especially the beginners, and my heart swells when I see the future of kung fu in the excited eyes of the students. By helping these students find a new way to look at life, we help them become better individuals, through their own realization of self worth. This in turn builds stronger communities, and a much more positive world to live in. When we fully understand that, we start to look outside of the kung fu box, and begin to see that vision of what we are really doing as we teach kung fu. Instead of just seeing the techniques and the forms, the mistakes people do and the improvements people need to make, we start to finally see...the people.

Students come to Silent River Kung Fu because they have this idea that learning martial arts is fun. They keep coming back because it is fun. What most students don't even realise, is that they also keep coming back because here they feel respected, cared about, and they receive a sense of belonging. What is the first thing we do when we taste something really good? We try to get someone else to taste it by saying, "wow! You've got to try this." It is important to give all students, whether they are new or not, that experience that will make them say, "you've got to try this." Every student that walks through the front door should feel like they are a part of our kung fu family. We can do that by seeing...the people. Watching with an eye for detail, to see their needs, their emotions, their strengths, and their apprehensions. Only by doing that can we really begin to teach, and help shape the lives of others. From my own experience, I believe this to be the only way to progress to that next level as a martial artist. I believe it, I have experienced it, I trust it.