Sifu Stoddart: Month 2.

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Month 2.

This month, my numbers are not as good as I would have liked, but I'll live with them. It was a busy month for me from start to finish, and I have learned that when I am away from home, I'm not so good at being diligent with my requirements. When I am being consistent, I try to always do extra, for those not so consistent days, and that has helped me not get far behind.
March 12 saw the birth of my 6th grandchild, so I spent a few days at my daughters house, taking care of her other 3 kids while she and her hubby were in the hospital. Then I spent 5 days in Georgia visiting my son and his wife, and for the long Easter weekend I was in BC spending time with my foster family there. Plus it is in between ski season and biking season, so my kms have slowed down. I expect to pick it up once I can get my bike out, and also when I start hiking.
I was a bit concerned about my Kung fu as the month approached because I knew it would be tough to do daily push ups and sit-ups while away, and even harder to practice my forms. I didn't miss every day that I was away, and I have to admit that my grandchildren think it's pretty cool to see "nana" do her excersises. Of course it's always fun when they have to show me how they can do theirs too. I know that my example of consistent concern for staying healthy is a gift I am happen to leave my family.

Anyways, as I often do, I have gotten myself off track here. My numbers so far as of March 31......

Push-ups 4783 of 50,000
Sit ups. 4885 of 50,000
Km. 109. of 1609
Squats. 1775. of 10,000
Kindness. 56. of 1000
Journals. 9
Hand form. 41 of 1000
Weapons form. 83 of 1000
Time training. 58 hours 15 min
Challenges 4 of minimum of 12

No comments:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

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.