Three Cups of Tea

I recently finished the book Three Cups of Tea written by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin. The timing is perfect because it ties into one of the charities that Silent River Kung Fu and the Benevolent Foundation supports each year. The charity I am talking about is Malawi Girls on the Move. 

The Benevolent Foundation and the charities we support are a big focus at this time of year as we prepare for Pandemonium. When talking about each of the charities, I have found that some people are resistant to supporting charities that are outside of their own country or even their community. An even smaller percentage of people questioned why support a charity that builds schools for just girls rather than girls and boys. These are good questions and they offer an opportunity for conversation and that conversation can help to create awareness.

Every person, every plant and animal that exists on our planet is connected to each other. As I am writing this I started to think about how the Earth is round, one big enormous circle and how that ties into our practice of Kung Fu. We are taught in Kung Fu to see and feel the circular motions of our techniques and understand/feel the six harmonies. When throwing a punch for instance there is more than just a fist involved. Other areas of the body are affected and move in conjunction with the punch. Even if we don't make contact with the punch there is still a ripple effect happening. 

I understand the desire to focus on what we can see and hear within our own communities, because it is easier and less overwhelming then looking at the world as our community. It is important to understand though that even halfway around the world we are still connected. The ripples may take a bit longer to reach us, but there is no doubt that we will be affected either positively or negatively. Education provides hope, empowerment and opportunities that wouldn't exist otherwise creating a positive ripple around the world for all to benefit from. 

Three cups of Tea is a true story about how one person can make a difference. Greg Mortenson had a vision that started with building a school for girls in a small mountain village in Pakistan. After ten years with the help of numerous people 55 schools were built. By 2009, 81 schools had been built in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"When I look into the eyes of the children in Pakistan and Afghanistan, I see the eyes of my own children full of wonder---and hope that we each do our part to leave them a legacy of peace instead of the perpetual cycle of violence, war, terrorism, racism, exploitation, and bigotry that we have yet to conquer " ( Mortenson 335).

http://www.malawigirlsonthemove.com/

Namaste, 

Michele Ward

30-Day Minimalism Game

Who is up for a challenge?

One of my personal goals this year is to play the 30-Day Minimalism Game and I think it would be great to have as many team members as possible playing the game along with me. Sunday, March 18th will be my official start date. I think the timing is perfect as we head into spring. Also I've just recently sold my house and have until April 13th to move and I am definitely not taking everything with me.

Check out the link below for details on how to play the game. The game starts off easy enough, but I expect the challenge will come at about the halfway point. I will be blogging each week about my progress so watch for updates.

Minimalism is about choosing to make conscious and deliberate decisions as we move through life. By having less stuff, minimalism allows us to make room for more important things in life like: experiences, learning, community, contribution, family & friends, etc. I am at a point in my life where stuff doesn't have the same importance it used to have. I am ready to consciously make room for more joy, passion and contentment in my life.

https://www.theminimalists.com/game/


Namaste,

Michele Ward

Forms

My time was well spent at the kwoon on Saturday. I was able to get to the end of my cane form video and I also finished learning 18 Temple Motions which is the hand form I have chosen this year. Getting to the end of both forms is a good feeling. Now I need to work on remembering all the steps in the correct order and then fine tuning each of them. Lots of work to still be done before the end of March, but I feel that I am on track and headed in the right direction. My biggest issue at this point in the year is a troublesome lower back. As my back starts to improve, I carefully do more hoping that everything holds up and then my back flares up and I start over again. It is a tricky and delicate situation that I am trying to work around.

Namaste,

Michele Ward

Cane Part 2

Last year my weapon of choice was the cane. I remember doing some research at the time on the history of the cane which I found quite interesting. Learning the striking and poking sets from Sifu Hayes really helped me to better understand how to work with the cane and become more comfortable with the weapon. Shortly after learning the striking and poking sets, I started to create my own form. I love the creativity and personal touch that's goes into building my own form.

Everything was going great. I had a completed cane form that I was happy with. I was ready to take my form, add in some wow factors and expand the length. Mission accomplished! Unfortunately I fell off the wagon part way through the year for various reasons and my cane form as well as most of the other requirements became dusty.

Fast forward to November and there we were getting ready for the banquet. If I was going to be able to take part in the demo during our banquet I needed to not only dust off my cane but mostly battle my anxiety so that I could get out on the mats and practice in front of the team. The first and second time I did this was the hardest. Each time after got a tiny bit easier. Putting myself out there and doing all the extra practice outside of class brought back the initial excitement I had at the beginning of the year when I first started working with my cane. I had some great "aha" moments working with Sifu Hayes those last couple of months as I tried to fine tune my cane form and prepare for the banquet. The "aha" moments weren't just about the cane itself,  I could also see how what I was learning and doing related to other areas of my Kung Fu as well.

I know that I have barely scratched the surface with my cane and because of that I feel the need to continue on with it. So for part 2 I am learning a Tai Chi cane form from a video. I had chosen a form and video and started the learning process. I have since changed my mind because I found a form that I feel is a better fit for me. The form is not excessively long and it has wonderful flow and beauty. I had looked at this particular form a few times and thought that it was maybe more than I could take on. Learning from a video can be very challenging and it also has some deeper stances I'm not sure I can execute due to knee issues.

One of the many things that Kung Fu has taught me is to not say, 'I can't". When I find myself thinking "I don't think I can do this",  I switch my thinking to "how can I do this?"  I don't want to limit myself and miss out on what could be. For me the key is start from the beginning, break it down and ask for help when needed. Thank you to Sifu Beckett for all your help on Saturday!

Namaste, Michele Ward