Back to 2005

This afternoon I stumbled upon a video from 2005 of our youngest sons’ first kung fu class.  It seemed so strange to see the kwoon as it used to be (red mats and extra walls), to see how young all us adults looked and just how tiny our own son was.  At the time of the video, our son was a whopping 3 years old, and sooooo cute.  Where has the time gone? 

As I watched the video with a huge smile on my face, I couldn’t help but think that kung fu has been a part of our family for quite some time.  Our kids have grown up with kung fu. They have learned so many things of value that has helped them develop into the respectful young men they are today.  However, as they get older and continue to grow and change, so it seems their interests may as well.   As much as I wish that they would recognize the amazing opportunity they are being given, I have realized I can’t make them like something.  I can’t make them work hard and try to achieve something that they don’t have a heart for.  They are developing into their own individual and unique person and need to be allowed and encouraged to pursue what they have a passion for (even if that may not be what I have in mind). 

 The thought that my children may decide to choose other interests makes me kind of sad, but I hope they know that whatever they decide I will support, encourage and even drive them; however there are no guarantees that I won’t keep trying to nudge them subtly back to their kung fu.  Every day I see the evidence of what my children have learned up to now and I am very proud of them.  Whether it is picking garbage, serving supper at the Mustard Seed, making healthy food choices or deciding to race mom and dad up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, they have learned some healthy and positive ideas, values and habits.  As parents we have tried to set an example that will help build a strong foundation for our children.  I trust that the lessons and values that they have learned will stick to some degree always.  Yes, they will make mistakes and may go sideways for a time, but I believe that the love, support, encouragement and time; the foundation that we have helped build for them since they were born will be what they continue to build on throughout their lives.

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

Performing Anxiety

The fear of publically performing or speaking has been a stumbling block for me most of my life. This last year has given me the opportunity and pushed me to getting up in front of groups of people; and I have to say I survived and feel a little more comfortable every time.  I doubt I will ever be jumping up and down saying ‘pick me pick me’ to publically demonstrate something, however, I am not running for the door quite as fast as I once would have. 

This past weekend at the tournament was absolutely fantastic.  When I think back to my first tournament and the sleepless nights and anxiety I felt leading up to it, I was surprised with how different things felt this year around.  Yes, I still felt the butterflies before my own events (and for my son and his events, must be a parent thing), but not until an hour before instead of 2 weeks before like last time. 

 A couple of years ago I had an absolute fear of sparring.  Although I actually have started to enjoy it, I still feel a little anxious and this past weekend I felt yet a little more uncertain.  How do you get over that?  Attack it!  It may not be pretty and it may take time and time again but it will get better.

The public demonstrations that I have had the privilege to be a part of this year with the I Ho Chuan team has been more beneficial than I would have ever thought.  We keep teaching our kids that if you want to get better at something you need to practice.  Avoiding and running away from things that we fear will never lead to growth or change, only to lost opportunities.

I would like to thank everyone who helped make Saturday an enjoyable and rewarding day for the school and their families.   It was truly a success!

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

 

Bubble Wrap A Good Idea

 Yesterday afternoon I spent with my kids and their youth group sledding at Connors Hill in Edmonton.  It’s funny how a hill may not look like much until you are flying down it on a piece of plastic shaped like a saucer.  After a couple of runs, I started talking to a lady who told me about the 3 ambulances that whisked victims off the hill and onto the hospital the weekend before.  It got me thinking that every run down the hill I made, I increased my chances of ending the day with an injury (not a good thought right now).   So with that, I chose to sit on the sidelines for the rest of the day; not as much fun but definitely safer.

 As we have all been putting in extra time and pushing our bodies a little harder, it only makes sense that we might feel some extra aches and pains along the way. I seem to be spending extra time stretching, icing and heating different areas as required.  I’m seeing the importance yet again of taking care of injuries and doing what I can to prevent them.   I’ve had people around me joking about being wrapped in bubble wrap for the next month, and I have to say I’m starting to think it may not be that bad of an idea. 

 

Alana Regier

 

What did I learn?

This year has been a very full year for me.  It seems that one day I received Sihing status and all of a sudden I had committed myself to a path with a list of requirements and challenges that have at times felt overwhelming and crazy.  But what a year!   I feel much better going into the year of the snake with having an idea of what to expect.  I have learnt, most times the hard way, what worked and what didn’t for me.  Reflecting on the year of the dragon I would have to say that I have never had such an opportunity to learn and grow in every aspect of my life.  I have had opportunities to face fears, to push myself (mentally, physically and spiritually), to learn from mistakes, to set a list of personal goals and be held accountable for them and at the same time get to know some really great people who are passionate about what they do and have similar goals and priorities in their own lives.  

For myself, I would say that the best part of this year was the setting of personal goals. I have over the years casually said “this year I’m going to…” but have never followed through.  I wasn’t held accountable to anyone so I soon forgot and never felt the need to pursue.  This year was different.  I had people come right up to me and ask ”so how you doing with…”  This turned out to be a needed push and encouragement to strive towards meeting the goals that I had carefully chosen for myself.   I’ve learnt the importance of choosing goals that are realistic and sustainable and fit with what is important in my life.   I don’t want a list I can just cross things off of and never visit or think of again, but rather have goals I can not only meet but build on and make even bigger.

My biggest obstacle right now is convincing my family that my decision to be a part of the snake team is a good one.  This has been the first year I have been a part of the I Ho Chuan team and I have to admit that I have had my moments of struggle.  Fortunately these are the times I have probably learned the most about myself and what I need to change.  I haven’t always done a great job at convincing my family that this is good for me and in turn for them.  Although I have accomplished a list of things this past year, I have put my focus and attention in the wrong direction at times. I have pushed a little too far with injuries and had a breakdown of body parts here and there.   I have been guilty of making choices that were not always considerate of my entire family.  This last one especially is a very humbling and a hard one to admit.  For these reasons I can understand my family’s doubt in committing to another year.  This isn’t just a commitment I am making for myself, but one that involves my entire family.  This makes it absolutely necessary for me to be diligent in continuing to make them a priority.    

So how do I prove to them that this is all good?  All I can do is to prove it to them by my actions.  My personal challenges are hugely related to my time and how I spend it.  I am making the commitment to them that I will be the mother, the wife, the daughter, the sister and the friend that I want to be and that they need me to be.  At the same time I am going to strive to set an example of what committing myself, engaging myself and working towards mastery can achieve.  I’m not going to pretend that I’ve got the whole balance thing figured out (that would be a lie).  Every time I think I might be getting a little closer, situations and circumstances arise that have a tendency to throw things all out of whack again.   However, I do believe that I have learned a great deal this past year and am anxious for the chance to prove it.

Alana Regier                       http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

 

 

 

Happy New Year

It’s been a few years since I was up till 12:00am to ring in the New Year.  I can’t think of a better way to bring it in than to be surrounded with family and friends (just wish it was our whole family).  Last night with family and a few good friends, we dressed up in our finest ski pants, mittens and toques and raced each other down the hill in saucers and sleds till almost dark.  After refueling ourselves with lots of food and of course dessert with chocolate as a main ingredient (thanks Sherri), it was off to our garage on the mats for a friendly game of spoons.  It amazed me how much a person’s adrenaline can rise in a battle for a plastic spoon.  After loads of laughs it was onto the next game which tested memory.  I can honestly say that the pressure of trying to avoid being hit by a rolled up newspaper, does not make a memory work faster! 

As demented as this evening may sound it was absolutely wonderful.  Surrounding ourselves with people we love and enjoy can make the simplest of activities full of more laughs and amusement than one could imagine.  What a great way to start 2013.  Happy New Year everyone!

 

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca