House for Sale!

I have been contemplating selling my house for a few years now. My son and I both love acreage living, but it comes a huge amount of upkeep and the added repairs and maintenance are just not feasible any longer.

I had originally planned to put the house on the market early spring, but was not ready and then had gone away for 3 weeks. Selling my house is one of my personal goals for this year's I Ho Chuan - Year of the Rooster.  So... last week, I jumped in with both feet and made the call necessary to get the ball rolling even though I was not 100% ready. Then came the work and the stress. I have been very stressed trying to get every thing cleaned up and complete some minor repairs and maintenance, all to be show ready in just a few days. Even though Logan doesn't want to leave the acreage, he has been a huge help! It is amazing what can be accomplished with a deadline and the help of my son, a very good friend, and my dad.

I'm not sure where we will end up (preferably Stony Plain), but I try not to worry about that and trust that everything will work out as it is intended.

Logan and I will be camping with friends this weekend and I had intended to drive in for the Canada Day celebrations to take part in the demos in Spruce Grove and Stony Plain. I have struggled the last couple of days with whether or not to take part during Canada Day and have decided to regretfully bow out. I apologize for not following through with my commitment. With all the stress of this past week and knowing that this may be the last free weekend for quite sometime, I feel the need to de-stress, not rush about anywhere and enjoy nature.

I wish everyone sunshine, fun times and amazing energy!

Happy Canada Day everyone!!

Michele

Why Do We Do What We Do?

Why do we do what we do?

Habits and our perception of what is necessary (real or not), drives most of what we do. Some things we do simply because it is expected of us and other times our actions are directly related to how we feel in the moment. Some activities are good for the soul, but are not embarked upon often enough. Knowing that a particular activity brings us inner peace, joy or excitement does not necessarily guide a person towards making a choice that supports those positive and valuable experiences. Why is that?

There are many reasons "why we do what we do", but in Kung Fu we talk a lot about value. We do or don't do based on the value we perceive an action or activity to have and how it benefits us. Our knowledge, understanding and perception play important roles to understanding where the value is. Especially when there is hard work and long term effort involved or we are simply not interested initially.

When I take the time to think on things, I am usually able to see how and why something has value. I have experienced firsthand the value of hard work and long term effort, that a particular action or activity brings. My desire and motivation is low though when it comes to certain activities and requirements. Even though I know and understand their value, I haven't yet experienced their value. Yes... I admit, I need something to show me that I'm on the right path. Sooner than later. Expectations also play a huge part of "why I do what I do." Goals don't need to be set. I simply dig in and do what needs to be done. There is a certain satisfaction when completing a big task quickly and under stress. And doing a great job.

I have been struggling because even though I understand the value that specific activities and actions would bring me, I am not sure I need them in my life at this time. Something is missing and I'm not sure what it is. I am wavering somewhere in between mediocrity and mastery. Not on the couch, but definitely sitting on the bench at this point!

Michele Ward

Missing Routine & Motivation

In the week since my return, I have been adjusting to the 10 time difference and have also been sick for 3 days. I should probably give myself a break as it has only been 1 week, but... I'm finding it a bit challenging mentally and physically to get back into my pre - trip routine. The desire and motivation isn't quite where it needs to be.

While away I was able to incorporate sit ups and push ups into most of my days and I was also able to blog each week. It wasn't until I got back home and was going through my log book that I found I had missed recording my food for 2 days. Oops! How did that happen? Right away there is this feeling of failure because there is no way to make those 2 days up.

It seems to be much easier to let go of routines when away from home, but harder to step back into those same established routines when we arrive back home. Why is that I wonder?

I'm definitely not giving up as there is still so much to learn and accomplish. And maybe I just need to give myself a break. It has after all only been a week.

Michele Ward

Trip of a Lifetime

Now that I am back from my trip I am finally able to share some pictures (very poor internet service on board).  I had an amazing time and was fortunate to see and do everything I had hoped for and met many wonderful people along the way. It really is amazing how most of the individuals that I talked to have travelled extensively throughout the world. There was one particular woman turning 92 while on the cruise and travelling on her own. Her husband had passed away 2 years ago and she stated, " she wasn't willing to sit at home and just wait to die!" She does have family that travels with her once in a while, but mostly she goes out and about on her own.

My bucket list item on this trip was to see the city of Petra and I was not disappointed at all. We had a 2 hour drive to get to Petra and the temperature was 40 degrees outside that day. Once you arrive at the entrance to Petra there is a 1.2 km walk mostly through a narrow cannon gorge called the Siq. If you have ever watched Indiana Jones you will have seen this and know what I'm talking about. We had a guide that took us through the Siq and as we got close to the end he had us stop to take a look ahead. Right in front of us, just peeking through the narrow canyon walls of the Siq was the Treasury!

This was what I had come for and it took my breath away. Imagine... here I was about to stand in front of and walk through the ancient city of Petra which is over 2000 years old. Every time I think back on that moment I am filled with the same emotion I felt in that moment. I would have been happy enough to just see the famous Treasury, but Petra had so much more to offer. The ancient city was more extensive than I had realized and although we were not able to see everything during the time we had,  I couldn't be happier with my visit to Petra.

Not only did I get to experience amazing people and places, I also took advantage of opportunities to step out side my comfort zone when ever possible. There definitely were times when staying in my room seemed easier, but off I went to explore and meet people. Overall being onboard the cruise ship by myself felt very safe. Once I got to Dubai and checked into my hotel I was in a whole different world. I found myself taking my time to unpack and orientate myself in my new surroundings, somewhat reluctant to leave the safety of my room. After some procrastination I finally ventured out of my room and headed off to check out the Mall of the Emirates which has the famous indoor ski hill and was only 3 blocks from my hotel. The hotel staff were all very helpful and provided me with a shuttle to the mall. After I was done there I figured out how to get back to the hotel on my own. I'm not great with directions and maps, but managed to figure out how to get out of the mall and walk back to the hotel.

The picture of me jumping on the sand dunes is in Dubai on a desert safari tour. This was about the 7th attempt at getting a decent jump for the picture at a temperature of42 degrees. After many failed attempts to get some height, I finally remembered my Kung Fu training and concentrated on jumping with my knees up high and finally got a picture that turned out quite well. Yay!


Michele Ward

Open to Energy

I am currently reading a book titled  "The Untethered Soul" written by Michael A. Singer. The book takes you on a journey of exploration of "self" and delves quite deeply into consciousness, awareness and the concepts of energy. Our energy levels can fluctuate up and down due to a number of factors within our control. We simply need to understand this and choose to be open at all times so that the flow of energy is not blocked.

When your heart starts to close, just say, "No. I'm not going to close. I'm going to relax. I'm going to let this situation take place and be there with it." Honor and respect the situation, and deal with it. By all means deal with it. Do the best you can. But deal with it with openness. Deal with it with excitement and enthusiasm. No matter what it is, just let it be the sport of the day. In time, you will find that you forget how to close. No matter what anyone does, no matter what situation takes place, you won't even feel the tendency to close. You will just embrace life with all your heart and soul. Once you've attained this very high state, your energy level will be phenomenal.You will have all the energy you need at all times. Just relax and open, and tremendous energy will rush up inside of you. You are only limited by your ability to stay open. 

As long as you are defining what you like and what you don't like, you are actually defining your limits. Let go and dare to be different. Enjoy all of life. Not only do you have the ability to find yourself, you have the ability to free yourself.

The more you stay open, the more the energy flow can build. At some point, so much energy comes into you that it starts flowing out of you. You can actually feel it flowing out of you. You can feel it flowing off your hands, out your heart, and through other energy centers. People can pick up on your energy, and you're feeding them with this flow. You become a source of light for all those around you. You experience a greater energy level and you can even affect the health of your body with your energy flow.

I am only a few chapters into the book, but am already finding it to be an enlightening read and have found myself trying to be aware of situations where I can practice being open. Anxiety, fear and judgement are responses that need to be replaced with openness in order to allow the flow of energy.

Michele Ward