Thought I was going to write about something else for today’s blog but reading Sifu Lindstrom’s blog got me thinking down a different path. Thank you!
It got me thinking about mastery, not just in Kung Fu (KF) but other things too. You see, at some point it occurred to me that the Cree name I was given wasn’t just a label for differentiating one person from another. It has more meaning than that. So not only am I struggling with mastery in KF but I’ve also been wondering how I can even come close to deserving (living up to?) the Cree name I was given. The journey to mastery is everywhere! That includes learning the skill of discerning what to work on and what not to, which is a huge struggle for me.
This also caused me to compare what we say in the bow-in at the start of KF class with saying, “All my relations” at Indigenous events and in correspondence. In KF class we are taught that we are recognizing all the past knowledge. We are reminded of their contribution to what we are learning and to the loss of those teachers and their knowledge with their passing from this world. With, “All my relations” we are reminded of this as well, but also our interconnectedness to the world around us, such as people, plants, and animals.
Some Learning Take-aways:
Mastery is a journey not a destination.
We are all connected.
Knowledge is all around us, yet it is also fleeting.
Now if I can just embrace, and put into action, all of this more easily, consistently, smoothly… You probably get the idea.
Continuing to put one foot in front of the other on this journey.
All my relations,
Mihkwaw Pihesiw Iskwew
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