Exciting Year

This is going to be a very exciting year. My eldest son is getting married. They have decided to go with a destination wedding, which is becoming very popular I understand. The wedding is taking place in the Mayan Riviera in November. Although this was not necessarily a popular idea for many family members, I am really happy that they are choosing to do what they want to do.

They are planning to have a casual get together in the spring/summer of 2012 for those who were not able to make the trip. At this point the tentative plan is to have it at our acreage. So my brain has already started to think about what will need to be done.

Lots to do and think about, but really exciting as well.

Enjoying Time with My Son

A couple of months ago one of my son's had an accident while working and dislocated his ankle and fractured his foot. As a result, he has not been able to drive so I have been picking him up in the morning and dropping him off at night. As we travelled to and from Edmonton, we have had some wonderful conversations on just about everything and the time passed quickly.

He still has the issue with bone chips that are continuing to move around in his ankle and the surgeon is monitoring them, but he is driving again and back to doing the work he enjoys. Although I am very happy about that, I am also somewhat sad that our daily visits have come to an close.

He is an amazing young man and on more than one occasion I remember asking him "How do you know that?" He is like a sponge and seems to absorb all kinds of information.

I have been very blessed to have not one, but two wonderful sons.

An article I read about a year ago came to mind as a result of a situation that occurred at work this week.

Although some of you may already have read this article, I think it sends a powerful message and worth sharing.

"A brand-new Little League baseball coach called a friend for advice. The friend who had coached everything from soccer to track with his kids, told him, "I always started by numbering the bases."

The new coach was surprised. "What do you mean?"

The friend explained that the first year he coached Little League, he laid out the bases and had the kids line up. "To warm up, let's have everybody jog around the base path. The first four kids took off towards third."

"Ever since," he said, "I've numbered the bases and explained that you have to run them in order. You'd be amazed at the number of kids who go from first to third by cutting across the pitcher's mound."

The moral: Never assume people know what's obvious to you. Explain what they need to know.

This concept certainly is not relevant only to baseball, but to all aspects of our lives. It certainly was applicable to the situation at work.

Growing

I just finished another Tai Chi class and still have the energized feeling I always get at the end of each class. It does not matter how I am feeling mentally or physically at the beginning of a class, I always feel great at the end. I have always been fortunate in having a great group of people attending the classes.

The questions asked, observing and understanding why someone's body moves the way it does really helps with improving your eye for detail and being more aware of your surroundings as a whole.

This took me on a journey down memory lane and I thought about the many people who have attended the classes over the years. For many years, Sifu Robertson was there each and every Saturday morning and I looked forward to the challenging conversations, questions and in his case, "non questions", that would undoubtedly come up during the class. They would cover anything from correct positioning of the body, movement, flow and the list goes on and on.

I realize the value in sharing knowledge and encourage students to ask questions as this is how one grows, especially in the beginning. I see each person as an individual and what works for one may not work for another and I find the challenge very exciting. That is one of the reasons why I truly appreciate each question that is asked or thought that is shared as this gives me an opportunity to continue to grow and I hope it gives others the opportunity to grow as well.

The UBBT

What has the UBBT done for me?

When I was approached about the UBBT, my initial reaction was WOW! this is really exciting. Then I went home and had time to think more about what would be involved, and what a commitment this was going to be. Thinking back, I feel the timing was perfect as I was really needing something new and challenging to focus on and the UBBT certainly has been that.

One of the biggest hurdles I have been faced with is public journaling. I am a very private person and to share myself publicly is a very uncomfortable and vulnerable position to be in. I have constantly struggled with this and although I have improved, I know I have more work ahead of me in this area.

The UBBT has been a blessing to me in simple ways that I have never really thought about until I had to put my thinking cap on and reflect on what is different from last year. For starters, it has helped me manage my time a little better as it has meant that I must factor into my schedule time for me. Although five minutes here and there may not seem like much, at the end of the day or week, it really did make a difference. It also made me realize that I was not being selfish to schedule some “me”. It has helped me to be less concerned about doing things because it is what others expected of me and now am happy with the outlook of “take me as I am”.

I have a whole new respect for vegetarians. The random acts of kindness made me become more aware of the little things that I was already doing and never thought about before, but also helped me to be more conscious about what was going on around me. I also become more aware of those instances when I am receiving an act of kindness from others.

I have also progressed to the stage where I no longer dread doing push-ups. I injured myself several years ago doing them incorrectly and after that even the thought of push-ups would make me cringe. I have had a couple of injuries this year, making it more challenging, but I must say I have tried not to use that as an excuse to stop doing them as that would only put me behind. I think the UBBT has shown me that one needs to be creative during an injury and that you don’t need to give up, you just need to adapt.

It seemed to give me a new focus, I was again excited to come to classes and was more engaged. I may not be where I hoped to be, but I have changed and that is definitely a step in the right direction and I plan to continue moving forward.

Eva Dennis
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta

Don't Assume

I read a brief article this morning that I really think sends a powerful message and wanted to share it. The article read as follows:

A brand-new Little League baseball coach called a friend for advice. The friend, who had coached everything from soccer to track with his kids, told him, “I always started by numbering the bases.”

The new coach was surprised. “What do you mean?”

The friend explained that the first year he coached Little League, he laid out the bases and had the kids line up. “To warm up, let’s have everybody jog around the base path. The first four kids too off towards third.”

“Ever since,” he said, “I’ve numbered the bases and explained that you have to run them in order. You’d be amazed at the number of kids who go from first to third by cutting across the pitcher’s mound.”

The moral: Never assume people know what’s obvious to you. Explain what they need to know.


This concept certainly is not relevant only to baseball, but to all aspects of our lives. It certainly has given me food for thought.


Sifu Dennis www.silentriverkungfu.com Stony Plain, Alberta

Summer Projects

I can’t believe that it is already September. What happened to our summer???

Our project for this year was to refinish the outside of our house and garage. In the past we have been able to put the stain on with a spray gun, but this year we bought a different type of stain and the sprayer did not work. As a result we have been applying the stain with a brush. It is taking a lot longer and a lot harder on the arms.

One coat did not do the trick so we have had to put on a second coat. Although I have been spending every spare moment on the weekend and after work painting (weather permitting), the house and deck are not quite finished yet. Hopefully that will get done this coming weekend.

Having a two storey house means that I get the pleasure of climbing way up to paint the top of the house and fireplace chimneys. I must admit that I really, really don’t like heights and in fact as I get older, it seems that my fear of heights gets worse with each passing year. I am having to deal with that issue this year as there has been no choice if I want the top half of the house painted.

The garage isn’t started yet, but I guess I should look at what we accomplished, not what we haven’t. I can only hope we have a very long fall. I am determined that it is getting done this year so who knows, I may be painting in the snow.

I will keep my fingers crossed.