The IHC meeting the other night got me thinking… again. Re-evaluating. Why did I join IHC? Especially, when I was only a yellow belt my first year.
There are many reasons, some of them I’ve mentioned before. I was very out of shape and, I felt, it was taking way too long to get back into shape. At that rate it was going to take forever to get a black belt. Might as well start sooner rather than later because it was probably going to take me doing IHC through all my belt levels to get me to that goal. There’s no question that there was a certain amount of frustration, but often that kind of frustration helps spur me into action.
Not sure if some of the damage to my body, shoulders and neck that feel like they have gravel in them, a back that often complains, will prevent me from achieving the goal of black belt. I’m not letting myself worry too much about that. Besides the Sifus have been very understanding about working around injuries. I’m just going to trust that it’s somehow possible. Even if I don’t achieve that goal, I’m more fit now than I’ve been most of my life, and that feels good!!!
I know that Kung Fu, like many things in my life, are a journey that won’t stop until I do. It’s lifelong. Mastery isn’t an end or destination, it’s a journey of being a little bit better every day.
I didn’t know how to be a black belt. IHC is teaching me how. Note: that’s not, “how to get a black belt” that’s, “how to be a black belt”. I’m practicing how to be a black belt. Currently, not so good at it, but getting better all the time. Still need all the help I can get. We are taught tools to accomplish our goals and we share tips for doing better. Also, I tend to do better when there is a challenge involved – if it was easy, it wouldn’t be as interesting and worthwhile.
Love of learning. That’s me! It might be an addiction.
Another benefit is that I’ve surrounded myself with like-minded people. It is said that “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. Another similar quote is, “show me your friends and I’ll show you your future”. I choose to surround myself with others who are also working towards mastery.
Numbers
Push-ups/equivalent: 1039
Sit-ups/equivalent: 6702
Weapon form: 401
Hand form: 105
RAoK: 178
Sparring: 384
Kilometres: 1483
Nurture Relationships: 31
Blogging: 21 + 1
Drawing: 6
Meditation: 49
Great Coat sewing project: 3.5
Comments re Numbers
Yes, some of them are terrible. Does anyone else find themselves conserving energy to be able to get through class? I find myself doing that a lot when it comes to sit-ups and push-ups/equivalent, and doing forms can be quite exhausting for me. My weapon form seems to hurt my shoulders fairly quickly.
Still struggling to get back to recording number diligently. For a long time, not only did I forget to do it but Excel kept crashing every time I typed something. So frustrating!
I’m happy with my meditation number, in that I originally wanted to make sure I did it once a week. However, Sifu got me to set a goal of once a day. So, I’m disappointed that I haven’t done more. Happy with the affect that meditation has on my life.
Was hoping to draw more, at least do Inktober and/or the 100 head challenge. There’s still time for one of those.
Just started discussing getting together for a sewing party/gathering with my daughter who also has a coat project. Any sewers on the IHC team want to get together for a sewing party?
About the photo
The two new additions to the family that are taking up a lot of time I hadn't factored in when planning what to do for IHC this year. This was taken when they were four months old.
I think it’s natural to want to conserve some energy, but at the same time, it is important to push our limits to see what we are capable of. If all you do is conserve, you won’t grow. You need to push yourself, maybe to the point where you over did it, to know where your line is.