Power in Numbers

As King Solomon, who many historians consider the wisest man to ever live wrote “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor; if one falls down, another can help the other up.”  Ecclessiates 4:9-10

A common theme at the last meeting was the importance of the teams support.  Although it ultimately is our own choices that will determine what we accomplish and where we end up, I believe there is definitely power in numbers and for me it confirms the importance of a team such as the I Ho Chuan.  We all stumble, hit walls, grow tired, have circumstances that discourage and drag us down. These times can be very lonely and without people around us to support, encourage and kick our butts when needed, many will have the tendency to call it quits.  However, if we are surrounded by likeminded people who know and have an understanding of where we want to be and what we want to accomplish, we can be encouraged, pushed, motivated and helped up.  To me this reiterates the importance of building the relationships we do at Silent River as well as the importance of blogging openly, honestly and with purpose.  I have been on the receiving end of the support and help from both the I Ho Chuan team and the Silent River family over the years and understand firsthand the importance and difference it can make.  My success will not only be determined by me alone but by those I choose to surround myself with.  It is the impact that these relationships have that confirm the importance of not only watching out for fellow team mates but realizing that we each have a team to turn to when we need help. 

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca

Alana Regier

Body Taking a Kicking

The last couple of months have found more downs than ups with moments of my numbers taking a kicking.  I’ve been dealing with a couple of issues lately but it was most recently my back that was impossible to ignore, hindering everything I tried to do.  I have very reluctantly found myself realizing that I’m going to have to start doing things a little different than I have in the past.  Up to this point my jobs have always depended on me being physically able, which honestly I have really enjoyed.  Unfortunately I have found many things getting a little harder than they seemed a few years ago.  I find myself feeling a little humbled, frustrated and a little scared.  Finding myself in this place I believe I need to start focusing on doing things with sustainability and longevity in mind.  As life changes I need to adapt, not give up but adapt.  To rely on one facet or one area of strength is dangerous.  What happens when that strength is threatened or out of operation all together?  Age, injury, illness or circumstances can change things in a heartbeat.  So this puts me in a position of having to dig a little deeper in developing and strengthening in some other areas of my life.  At this moment I don’t exactly know what that looks like for me.  I just know that I have to face the facts that some things are going to have to change and I am going to have to stop resisting that fact. 

For my kung fu right now I’m feeling behind.  Every class I miss, every demo I can’t participate in, every form that has to be modified or every day my numbers aren’t where I want them is tough to swallow.  However with that being said I find myself learning other lessons about myself, about others, about life.  Not all these lessons are easy or even fun and many are hard to admit, but they are there waiting to be acknowledged and worked on.  So in a time that seems to be one of great instability, I find myself feeling a little frazzled and searching.   These are the moments I truly hope will be the ones I learn and grow the most, it’s this thought that will keep me muddling on.

Alana Regier

http://alanaregier.blogspot.ca