First Class With My Escrima Sticks

So my first class with my escrima sticks has come and gone.  I have not yet found the secret to loving these things.  I have hit myself in the forehead a couple of times, the elbows more than once and have been building the bone density in my shins on a regular basis.  These babies are proving to be a little unlovable at the moment.  As I mutter under my breath and rub my injured body parts, I am constantly reminding myself that 4 years ago I found myself in this same position.  My weapon of choice that year was the nun chucks.  That first class was not pretty.  I was hitting myself repeatedly and was out of control (thank goodness for foam chucks and hockey helmets) .I found myself almost immediately thinking I can’t do this, these things hate me, I need to change this up.  Probably more out of stubbornness than anything, I stuck with them.  After practice, practice and more practice I started to see progress and growth and with that a change in my attitude.  Now I really enjoy them.

Unlike 4 years ago, I feel a kind of discouragement and frustration to a certain point, but have no thought of this as impossible or too hard.  I have experienced that just because something is difficult does not make it impossible or not worthy.  Don’t we tend to appreciate and respect things we have had to work the hardest for?  Don’t we feel just a little more elated when we accomplish something that challenges us rather than those things that come easy?  I am learning that if I want to change the outcome, I need to change the investment. I need to have patience with myself and continue to work past the stumbling blocks and continue in a forward motion.  Practice, practice, practice! I’ m going to love these sticks yet!

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca