Lion Dance Post 2

Lion Dance Post 2 It has been inspiring to see the new lion dance from the outside. I am able to see the dance for what it should be and how it looks as a whole. I have only seen it from the viewpoint of the lion or on video which does not give you the whole picture. Everyone is doing really well and it gets better every time. I am looking forward to the day I can once again participate but for now will encourage and support.

Lion Dance

I am feeling very disappointed right now as I will not be performing the Lion Dance at our Chinese New Year’s Banquet. For me this is the highlight of the year and it is the thing that I enjoy the most about Kung Fu. Any lion dance is an awesome experience but there is something about our banquet one that is extraordinary. I am happy for the other people who will be performing as it is a feeling that cannot be explained but one that must be experienced. The thing I am struggling with is what to do with my time. I am going to the practices to help Sihing Dunning, Sihing Tymchuk, Sifu Wiebe and Mr. Fuhr with pointers and things that they can do to improve the dance (but only small things as they are all doing extremely well). It is more of a way for me to stay engaged in what is going on and to feel like I am still part of the team. I hope they all get the same sense of accomplishment and enjoyment out of it as I have in the past. I have been part of the Lion Dance for the past 3 years (maybe 4) and it will be good for the new dancers but still disappointing.

The Blog!!

I am still struggling with blogging on time. I set a reminder in my phone and it goes off but I am usually in the middle of something at work (only place that I have access to internet) and so hit ok and then forget about it. I think part of the problem for me is sometimes I feel what I want to write cannot be expressed how I want or by the time I do get a chance to write about something the emotions that I felt are gone and the blog just doesn’t feel the same. I am not trying to make excuses but it is the thing that I struggle with the most being on the I Ho Chuan team.

Random thing

So it’s been quite a while since I have written anything and I can't even explain why. I usually follow other people’s blogs but have recently fallen behind on that as well. This last while has seen some trying times for me at home which has had an effect on my Kung Fu as well. I was going to the beginner class but have had to cut that out (sorry Sifu Playter) and I have even had to miss some of my other classes that I instruct. Sometimes things feel overwhelming and you don’t really know how to do everything that you need to. Anyway I have set a reminder in my phone to go off twice a week to get my blogging back on track. The wrists are mostly healed but still quite stiff and pushups are still a challenge mostly to do lack of strength from not doing them consistently for quite a while. On the upside: the Lion /Dragon dance is coming along it’s just a matter of coming up with the right story while incorporating all the essentials. I am also working on some techniques that we can use in the demo highlighting San Shou. That’s all for now.

What do I need to do?

I am sitting on the bench again in Kung Fu and am watching them run through the demo. What I noticed sitting here is that there are more people not in the demo than there are in it. I know some people on this team are thinking this is not fair or why am I not in the demo. I cannot answer that question for you but I know why I am not. Due to things that have transpired in the last 3 months my practice time has been minimal to say the least. I probably could have done more and I know I definitely should have done more. I do have a plan of attack to start preparing my participation in the demo. I am looking at doing a fight choreography using San Shou techniques and am looking for a partner or partners. I am also going to focus on working my form. So if you are not in the demo like me, all we need to do is focus and work hard which is why we are in the I Ho Chuan anyway. Sifu Lindstrom

Do as I say not as I do!

The Tiger Challenge is tomorrow and I am one of the people who has not signed up to compete. The biggest reason is I have not spent any time working on my forms these past 2 months. I have been trying to let my hands heal and have taken some time off from a lot of my training. I tried to push through in the beginning but think I did more damage and set back to recovery. Although things are better, I feel that if i enter, the quality of my form would not be there and i am not comfortable just performing a form without working hard on perfecting it for display. However on the other hand, performing is one of the requirements I agreed upon when joining the I Ho Chuan. I feel like i am letting my teammates and therefore the entire school down. How can I tell people they should enter and it is the best thing they can do for themselves when I am not doing it myself.

Frustration.

I think i a frustrated with myself mostly. I still have the hand issues but I have finally started to limit what i do so they can heal. If I had done this sooner, my recovery would be a lot farther along. The frustration comes in not being able to do the things I want to and it feels like I am now just drifting along like a piece of space junk. My lack of participation does not only affect me< but it also affects the team. And now the wheels are turning but not sure where to go....